#66 – That’s What Living Is To Me
Day #66 – That’s What Living Is To Me
Jimmy took inspiration from a broad list of things. Images, sayings, quotes, stories in books, and poetry. He even took inspiration from random slips of the tongue at dinner tables, which we see with very recent songs as well as touching back as far as Margaritaville. For this songs’ inspiration, Jimmy’s muse was Mark Twain, the pen name for American author Samuel Clemens, who, with a couple scratches of his pen, wrote a line that inspired Jimmy enough to write this lovely, lyrical song that touches on some of Jimmy’s philosophy in life along with the sharp yet humorous lyrical quality he became known for.
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Original post from 11/6/2023
Day #66 – That’s What Living Is To Me
That’s What Living Is To Me was released on JB’s 1988 album Hot Water.
I think Jimmy always had an adventures soul. Maybe part if that was coming from a family of sailors who traveled and seen the world and told fabulous stories to a young boy, but maybe some of that sits deep in our DNA. Jimmy also loved to read about people and places and different times and dream about his own adventures.
“Be good and you will be lonesome, Be lonely and you will be free, Live a lie and you will live to regret it, That’s what living is to me…”
He opens this song talking about Following The Equator by Mark Twain, and a phrase in the book’s opening that states, “be good, and you will be lonely” and how that phrase ignited his songwriting muse, and another song was born.
In the album dedications, for this song, Jimmy thanks Mark Twain for taking a trip long ago, Harry Belafonte for the early musical inspiration, and he thanks JD Souther for gifting him the Mark Twain book that inspired this song.
JD Souther is a singer-songwriter who has written a long list of great songs. He has collaborated with the Eagles and was a great friend of Glenn Frey and is credited with several Eagles songs including New Kid In Town, Best Of My Love, and Heartache Tonight (one of my fav’s). You might know him for a duet he wrote and performed with James Taylor, called Her Town Too. He has released solo albums as well and his popular single in 1979, You’re Only Lonely peaked at 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 but spent multiple weeks at 1 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. Over the years, Jimmy covered several of JD’s songs.
Jimmy opens and closes this recording with a spoken thanks to Mark Twain, and even weaves a crafty line or two for Mark.
“The stories from my favorite books, Still take on many different looks… My twain of thought is loosely bound, I guess it’s time to mark this down…”
And a little fun fact: the Hot Water album cover debuts a Jimmy without “the mustache” which made its last album cover appearance on 1986’s Floridays before quietly disappearing into the past.
Please enjoy Jimmy’s That’s What Living Is To Me. I have included the link in the comments below.
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While doing a little research into Mark Twain and what turned out to be a much more prolific writing career than I was at all aware of, and in the process looking over countless images of Samuel Clemens and his alter ego Mark Twain, it struck me that the author had a pretty notable mustache. I have no idea if Jimmy was inspired by other writers who wore mustaches but looking at Mark Twain’s sometimes neat and sometimes more unruly facial hair, made me wonder if Jimmy’s choice of facial hair was in some way inspired by people that he admired.
Or maybe he just decided it made him look a little older or a little more debonair or a little more worldly. I don’t know if we will ever really know.
I can’t really say why I enjoy Jimmy’s mustache as much as I do, but I do. And I don’t really like mustaches in general, so I can’t quite explain it. Perhaps it’s the friendly twinkle in Jimmy’s eyes and the open smile, no matter the choice of facial hair. Neatly groomed or a little longer and borderline shaggy, it always seemed to fit him. Although, I think he looked just as good with the mustache as without it, if I do say so myself.
Stacy
Please enjoy That’s What Living Is To Me. I have included the link below. Enjoy!
The link is from Jimmy’s official YouTube channel, which I have no personal affiliation with.
