"There's No Mountain," indeed. We can overcome. And, in these days of cynicism, turbulence, and divisiveness, we need songs that connect.
Some songs beg to be played again and again and again. I don't know how this one slipped through the cracks last year without fanfare, but it did. This gorgeous, heartfelt love ballad is from the fifth solo album by Glen Hansard, All That Was East Is West Of Me ( Anti-Records, 2023). As some of you know, Glen is the frontman of the Irish band The Frames--a worthy band in their own right. Some will know him from his moving indie film Once (2007) and the Grammy-winning tune "Falling Slowly." Moreover, the Broadway play won 8 Tonys.
But for me, Glen, as a singer-songwriter, is the biscuit. Watch and listen and live and learn. This is a life song about staying in love and climbing any mountain to endure its peaks and valleys. Glen is the rare bard who bares his soul on every song he shares. And most of them are excellent. This one is a keeper, a corker, a love lesson. His lyrical prose borrows from Jackson C. Frank's majestic ballad "Blues Run the Game" and a traditional gospel tune "Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning," and it does so with humility and honesty. His voice sells it and sells it again and again.
"In love, it's the same
There's no doubt blues is running the game
Keep your lantern trimmed and burning till the end of the night
Put your cheek to the wind
When you go without, then you'll go within
If it comes to blows, take it all on the chin
There’s no worthier fight"
Truth.
Love is all you need. And it is worth the fight. And it is worth scaling. And a song this authentic connects with our souls. It can find a small area in our hearts to occupy that affords us optimism. And we can all use some optimism.
Won't you grant him the courtesy of a genuine listen, add the song to your playlist, or perhaps buy his CD or vinyl album? He'll be at the Beacon Theatre in NYC on Sept. 6th.
For further exploration, here are a few of my favorite songs from his pen and guitar:
(Thanks for your attention, I needed to get this off my chest for months.)
I came close to putting All That Is East... on my best albums of 2023 list. You nailed it. He's got a poetically direct honesty in both his words and music. I was fairly obsessed with Once when it came out and listening to everything The Swell Season released. Of course The Frames are wonderful too. So many great outlets for Hansard's uniquely honest songwriting and voice.
It's a great song. Thanks for sharing, Dusty!