While Jackson Browne's lyrics are more often known for their
sociopolitical content, "These Days," the iconic tune written when Jackson was
a high school student in Orange County, is a song of unrequited love and
regret. Originally recorded for the Nina demos in 1967, the song was given to
Nico for her solo LP, Chelsea Girl, in a version Jackson would dismiss when he
finally recorded it in 1973.
By 1970, Jackson was well established in L.A. and the
Laurel Canyon scene, but he'd yet to release an LP of his own tunes. Before his debut release, Browne's songs were recorded by Tom Rush, Joan Baez, The Byrds,
Linda Ronstadt and The Eagles, among others, and before he could take a stab at releasing his
own version, the song would travel south for Gregg Allman's 1973 solo album, Laid
Back. Allman's cover seems to steal Browne's thunder just as The
Eagles had when they recorded "Take It Easy," a song Browne co-wrote with Glenn
Frey. Browne based his own arrangement of "These
Days" on Allman's, crediting him in the liner notes. Allman alters the phrasing
of the lines, honing a bluesier cadence, and the sense of loss in Allman’s
voice is unmistakable, coming shortly after the death of his brother Duane.
Browne's version, recorded in Studio One at Sunset Sound,
follows Allman's acoustic pace, with David Lindley supplying
slide guitar, and bassist Doug Haywood the harmony vocal. Jim Keltner's drums
and David Paich's piano give the song the classic 70s folk-rock feel of early Asylum Records. (There was indeed an expectation if an LP graced
that blue label with the Asylum door.) For many contemporary listeners, though, "These
Days" will forever be linked with Wes Anderson's The
Royal Tenenbaums. Browne gave his permission for use in the film and promptly forgot about it
until he was at the theater and the familiar guitar intro cued up. He
didn't initially even recognize his own playing.
Bruce Springsteen, a longtime fan who inducted Browne into the Hall of Fame in
March 2004, described the first time he heard Browne perform. "As I listened that night I knew that this guy was simply one of the
best," said Springsteen. "Each song was like a diamond and my first thought
was, 'Damn, he's good.' My second thought was, 'I need less words.'" (As someone who truly appreciates Asbury Park, I don't know that it was good advice in retrospect.)
As stated, Browne is known as the more political of the
Laurel Canyon crowd, but to this writer, it's the angst and the regret that make
up the artist's most memorable tunes; think "Fountain of Sorrow," "Late for the
Sky" and "Somebody's Baby," the latter adapted for Cameron Crowe's Fast Times at Ridgemont High, a coming of age
story about teens struggling with sex, love, and the future.
Browne's song (which some speculate was inspired by his own absentee father) is
used as the theme to Stacy's misadventures with
the opposite sex (as played by an obscenely young Jennifer Jason Leigh). The song appears as Stacy loses her virginity to the
local Lothario, Damone, and while it may not work out so well for our heroine, it
certainly teaches a lesson about fantasy and reality.
