Song Stuck In My Head This Week - 14th June '10 - Tim Buckley - Once I Was

During his far too brief career, Jeff Buckley was dogged by people comparing him to the father he barely knew. Jeff really hated it and avoided the connection as much as possible as he wanted people to like him and his work for what they were and not because of who his father was. For me, however, it was my interest in Jeff Buckley that led me to check out his father's music and I'm so glad I did.

Though Tim's career was longer than Jeff's, like his son, it was all too brief. Between 1966 and his death in 1974 he recorded nine albums where he worked through several different musical styles - psychedelic, jazz, folk, avant-garde - while he searched for his own sound.

After leaving his first wife Mary Guibert shortly before the birth of their son Jeff, Tim worked his way up the California coast to LA and it wasn't long before he was signed to Elektra records.

The first album of Tim's I got into was his second release on Elektra, 'Goodbye And Hello'. I bought it for two reasons. (1) It was Jeff Buckley's dad and (2) I liked the cover. Thankfully for me the album was outstanding. There is not a single song on that album that I don't love. My overall favourite, though, is 'Once I Was'.

It has such strong, yet simple, narrative and a melody that tugs on the heart-strings and shows exactly why Tim Buckley's music, though not commercially successful, still influences and enraptures people to this day.

Apologies for the delay, it's been a bit busy this weekend. I hope you all like the new look for the blog and enjoy this week's song! Also, as a bonus, you can also listen to Jeff Buckley's version recorded in 1991 which was his public singing debut...and the only time he ever performed his fathers music.


Tim Buckley - Once I Was

Once I was a soldier
And I fought on foreign sands for you
Once I was a hunter
And I brought home fresh meat for you
Once I was a lover
And I searched behind your eyes for you
And soon there'll be another
To tell you I was just a liar

But sometimes I wonder
Just for a while
Will you remember me

And though you have forgotten
All of our rubbish dreams
I find myself searching
Through the ashes of our ruins
For the days when we smiled
And the hours that ran wild
With the magic of our eyes
And the silence of our words

And sometimes I wonder
Just for a while
Will you ever remember me
Ever remember me