"There's No Mountain," indeed. We can overcome. And, in these days of turbulence, cynicism, and divisiveness, we need songs that connect.
Some songs beg to be played again and again and again. I don't know how this wonderful 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 i 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, climbing any mountain to endure the peaks nd valleys. Glen is the rare ba d who bares his soul on every song he shares. d 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 finds a small area in hearts to occupy, and affords us optimism.
Won't you grant him the courtesy of a genuine listen, add the song to your playlist, or 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.)