Written by John Hiatt and Fred Koller
Recorded by The Jeff Healey Band, John Hiatt
There is no shortage of outstanding John Hiatt songs, and many of them feature delightful bridges. It’s tough to choose one, but when listening through his catalog, one song popped out and turned its angel eyes my way. Hiatt is a deeply respected songwriter and successful recording artist, but has never been a household name. He’s been covered a few times – most notably on Bonnie Raitt’s take on “Thing Called Love,” and The Jeff Healey Band’s version of "Angel Eyes." But more about Healy’s cover shortly. Let’s jump into the song. This is a straightforward love song about a guy who can’t believe his luck:
Girl, you're looking fine tonight
And every fella's got you in his sights
What you're doing with a clown like me
Is surely one of life's little mysteries
The protagonist is a humble, likeable loser. I’m sure he must have something going for him, right? Well, let’s see. He never learned to dance and isn’t much of a looker, and it’s possible that he was previously a virgin:
Well, I'm the guy who never learned to dance
I never even got one second glance
Across the crowded room, that was close enough
I could look, but I could never touch
So he wonders. What could he have possibly done to win her love and turn her angel eyes his way? We never do find out. But we do get a pretty nice bridge out of it.
Don't anybody wake me if this is a dream
'cause she is the best thing that's ever happened to me
All you fellas, you can but look all you like
But this girl, you see, she's leaving with me tonight
He gets a little confident by the end of the bridge. The bridge has clearly been a good experience for him – but then, just when he’s accepting things and feeling smooth, the fear sets in. If this is real love, if this isn’t a dream, if I am with the nicest-looking gal in town, well then, oh no, relationships scare me! But don’t worry, fans of this loveable loser, because this gal is so great, all she needs to do is look at him, and everything is a-ok.
I heard The Jeff Healey Band cover before the original, as did most people other than Jeff Healey. While he had been playing it live, Hiatt never released the song until it made it onto a 1998 “Best Of” collection. It was the Healey recording that I originally heard and liked, but in my opinion, Hiatt’s version is dramatically better. Hiatt is a funny, charming fella, and this song is drenched in self-deprectiating humor and sweetness. Listening to Healey’s cover years later, I find it dry, a bit boring, and perhaps way too “80s.” What went wrong with music production in the 80s? That might be a topic for a different blog, but for some quick insight, ask the stars above!
-MJK
Recorded by The Jeff Healey Band, John Hiatt
There is no shortage of outstanding John Hiatt songs, and many of them feature delightful bridges. It’s tough to choose one, but when listening through his catalog, one song popped out and turned its angel eyes my way. Hiatt is a deeply respected songwriter and successful recording artist, but has never been a household name. He’s been covered a few times – most notably on Bonnie Raitt’s take on “Thing Called Love,” and The Jeff Healey Band’s version of "Angel Eyes." But more about Healy’s cover shortly. Let’s jump into the song. This is a straightforward love song about a guy who can’t believe his luck:
Girl, you're looking fine tonight
And every fella's got you in his sights
What you're doing with a clown like me
Is surely one of life's little mysteries
The protagonist is a humble, likeable loser. I’m sure he must have something going for him, right? Well, let’s see. He never learned to dance and isn’t much of a looker, and it’s possible that he was previously a virgin:
Well, I'm the guy who never learned to dance
I never even got one second glance
Across the crowded room, that was close enough
I could look, but I could never touch
So he wonders. What could he have possibly done to win her love and turn her angel eyes his way? We never do find out. But we do get a pretty nice bridge out of it.
Don't anybody wake me if this is a dream
'cause she is the best thing that's ever happened to me
All you fellas, you can but look all you like
But this girl, you see, she's leaving with me tonight
He gets a little confident by the end of the bridge. The bridge has clearly been a good experience for him – but then, just when he’s accepting things and feeling smooth, the fear sets in. If this is real love, if this isn’t a dream, if I am with the nicest-looking gal in town, well then, oh no, relationships scare me! But don’t worry, fans of this loveable loser, because this gal is so great, all she needs to do is look at him, and everything is a-ok.
I heard The Jeff Healey Band cover before the original, as did most people other than Jeff Healey. While he had been playing it live, Hiatt never released the song until it made it onto a 1998 “Best Of” collection. It was the Healey recording that I originally heard and liked, but in my opinion, Hiatt’s version is dramatically better. Hiatt is a funny, charming fella, and this song is drenched in self-deprectiating humor and sweetness. Listening to Healey’s cover years later, I find it dry, a bit boring, and perhaps way too “80s.” What went wrong with music production in the 80s? That might be a topic for a different blog, but for some quick insight, ask the stars above!
-MJK
RSS Feed