3. That Song About the River (3:05) Words & Music by Steve Gillette & Charles John Quarto

A collaboration with Charles John Quarto which celebrates the power and the romance of a great river. This one was recorded by Don Williams. Also, John Stewart was able to coerce his fellow Kingston Trio members to record the song as he had with "Darcy Farrow." As a long-time fan of the Trio, I was thrilled.

Charles John and I had written a few songs by the time we took on the song about the river. As much as we wished to say something profound, and we did make that effort in other songs, it seemed that the best approach was to come right down the middle with good imagery and observations that were consistent with a sense of appreciation of nature and maybe a little nostalgia.

We saw the song as an expression of the power and transcendence of nature. Many of the poetic phrases are from Charles' pen. "I go reaching for the river, like it's reaching for the sea," and "the wind may brush the water, but the river holds her sway."

Musically the challenge was to support that tone of reverie and spiritual contemplation. For the bridge we move up into the territory of the key based on the fourth scale degree as many choruses and bridges do. But rather than circle back to the original key, in my version we stay in that new key and sing the chorus again in the higher range.

This is something that others have declined to attempt so that in the examples from The Kingston Trio and from Don Williams, they have found ways to bring the range under control. Some experiments don't always make it into other people's versions of the song, but thankfully this hasn't kept them from singing it.

(BMI)

Read more on my About the Song website here