Back to the Island

Listen while you read:  https://youtu.be/r7MoZuP3JBo

But the time is past for living in a dream world
Lying to myself can't make that scene
Of wondering if you love me or just making a fool of me
Well, I hope you understand I just had to go back to the island

And watch the sun go down
Hear the sea roll in
But I'll be thinking of you
And how it might have been
Hear the night birds cry
Watch the sunset die
Well, I hope you understand I just had to go back to the island

~  Leon Russell

On the first evening of DST and the sun setting later (by the clock, anyway), I was thinking of song lyrics about sunsets.  I am not surprised that the first song that came into my head was "Back to the Island," as it has long been a favorite.  The song appears on Russell's 1975 release, Will o' the Wisp.

I would hope you are as aware as I am of the way in which songs seem to attach themselves to certain times or events in our lives.  Whenever I hear "Back to the Island," I am transported to a summertime visit to a friend who lived along a river in southwestern Virginia.  There was something so peaceful about that lazy river, and Leon provided the soundtrack to the time we spent on the dock.  Although this visit occurred sometime back in the mid-70s, the hazy memory of that time and place persists whenever I hear this song.

But even if I didn't have that delicious memory to flood my senses, the song would still put me at peace.  It opens with the sound of the tide rushing onto shore, punctuated by birdcalls sweet and melodious.  Although the song is clearly about a lover's breakup, the sadness is dispelled by nature's gift of a comforting landscape.  I am easily transported.

Of course I saw Leon in concert several times back in the day.  A couple of years ago, I saw him warm up for Bob Dylan at Bethel Woods (site of the Woodstock Festival).  Because Dylan does not allow the large screen images at his concerts, there was no way to view Leon's hands on the keyboard.  He sat stiffly behind his piano, and quite honestly, appeared somewhat lifeless.  To say it was disappointing is an understatement.  But then, we all get old . . . even rockstars.

Leon died in his sleep last November at age 74.  I hope he is back to the island, watching the sunset die.  Peace, Leon.