There's a copacetic feeling as an autumn sun casts slender dark shadows on New York City sidewalks. In Soho, rows of sparkling yellow honey locust trees line long blocks of high-end designer stores A luxury apartment building rises on West Broadway. A cement truck arrives for the last concrete pour of the day. Wild things gather at Spring St. crosswalks. Busy with gossip, the wagging tongues of anxious after-school girls taunt each other while sipping banana and strawberry smoothies. Reality is reflected in the wealthy neighborhood’s storefront windows.
Standing on the corner of Canal St., my short-lived state of inner peace instantly comes to a grinding halt. In a blur of honking horns and blaring siren madness, traffic maneuvers into position entering the Holland Tunnel. Everyone’s in a hurry to get home on a Friday afternoon. A cool breeze serves as a reminder, winter is on the way.
Seeing this, in the fast-moving Chinese year of the Fire Horse, I thought, some songs never fade away. Then I’m hit by an uncontrollable surge of top 40 classic rock nostalgia. The Rolling Stones' “Wild Horses” comes to mind after hearing news reports: Romanch’s Law was just adopted, bringing an end to the 19th-century tradition of horse-drawn carriage rides in Central Park.
Phasing out the workhorses has been a long drawn-out process for the City. The controversial issue always sparked an uproar over animal and human concerns. After the death of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, thrown from a runaway carriage ride earlier this year, City Hall fast-tracked the ban. Naturally, the remaining vocal 68 horse owners and operators plan to sue.
For those with fuzzy memories or those who weren’t here yet, “Wild Horses” played an important role in 1970s rock history. The timeless Stones' ballad conveys a sense of anguish and loss. The honesty presented here comes from a place within, holding significant melancholy feelings for numerous Stones’ fans on their own terms, as well as casual listeners. The “Dad” song's played more than one husband, brother and boyfriend's memorial funeral services. In today’s world, especially at a wake, everyone needs a feel-good “As Tears Go By.”
When comes to evaluating The Rolling Stones body of work, there's a considerable mountain of reference material to explore. Fact: “Wild Horses” stands as one of their benchmark recordings. The behind-the- scenes song story varIes; as to who said what, where and when. When it comes to 1970s rock music, history can be tricky. That makes sense, given all the acid, barbs, booze, coke, weed and other various drugs that surrounded the Stones, their entourage and devoted fans. It’s remarkable that anyone has any memories.
Here's a few cherry-picked footnotes on the “Wild Horses” legacy to consider, including one important collaborator. Mick Jagger wrote the verses and Keith Richards wrote the main riff and chorus. One longstanding rumor was Mick's ex-girlfriend Marianne Faithfull woke up after a three-day sleeping pill overdose mourning the loss of original Stones guitarist Brian Jones and supposedly said, “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.” Jagger has disputed the claim over the years in several interviews.
A youthful portrait of the Rolling Stones is seen in 1970 documentary film Gimme Shelter by the Maysles Brothers. Filmed in Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, an early “Wild Horses” version was heard in a studio practice session. The scene features a moving shot of the late Charlie Watts with Mick, Keith, session musician Jim Dickinson and new Stones guitarist Mick Taylor. The Stones released their version of “Wild Horses” on Sticky Fingers in April 1971. The single appears in June that year, only charting to number 28 on the Billboard Top 40. The album's controversial cover art by Andy Warhol featured an infamous "crotch bulge" photograph with a real zipper inset.
Crucial to the “White Horses” backstory is a third musician, an alt-country virtuoso. Without Gram Parsons, there wouldn’t be a country-rock sound. Part of the Laurel Canyon music community, Parsons helped launch Emmylou Harris' career and pioneered the new music genre. A detailed look at Parsons' life can be seen in Fallen Angels and Terry Roland’s website: Gram Parsons: The Man and the Mystique filling in the details.
Parsons did a brief stint with the Byrds before joining the Flying Burrito Brothers. After December 1969’s Altamont tragedy ended the 1960s, the Stones needed time to recuperate. The years 1968-1972 marked the Stones golden era with a run of landmark albums. Within this timeframe, Richards invites Parsons to come join Stones forces in Europe. Parsons and Keith bond and jam on country music songs. Important to note with Mick and Keith’s permission, Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers recorded the first cover of “White Horses” on their album Burrito Deluxe released in April 1970, a year before the Stones release. This version featured Parsons on vocals, Sneaky Pete Kleinow on steel guitar, topped with a quintessential Leon Russell piano solo.
Gram Parsons came from Southern citrus money. The well-to-do kid from Florida, flanked with a guitar by his side, lasted one semester at Harvard. Despite Parsons' struggles with substance abuse, he lived and breathed blues, folk, and country music. With shocking blue eyes, and an eclectic sense of sin and salvation, his personal style was presented with swagger. He fancied wearing western style apparel from Nudie Cohn, The Original Rhinestone Cowboy.
Gram Parsons had another obsession: connecting with the spiritual allure of California’s Mojave desert, especially Joshua Tree. He loved the unique environment's mysterious seductiveness. I’ve visited Joshua Tree National Monument on several occasions and felt an ever-present ethereal vibe with its clear view of shooting stars and the cosmos. Parsons called Joshua Tree “the place where heaven and earth come closest.”
Parsons’ short life ended tragically on September 19th, 1973, overdosing on morphine at age 26 at the Joshua Tree Inn. In a bizarre twisted epilogue, Parsons' body was supposed to be flown to New Orleans for a funeral service. That never occurred. His manager Phil Kaufman took a beat-up 1953 Cadillac hearse, went out to LAX, stole Parsons’ casket with his body inside, and then drove back to Joshua Tree's Cap Rock where he burned the body, fulfilling Parsons' desert cremation pact made at Byrds' guitarist Clarence White's funeral. Kaufman surrendered and faced charges.
Gram Parsons is survived by his daughter Polly who works in addiction counseling and alcohol treatment. Polly, along with David Prinz was responsible for Amoeba Records’ rediscovered 1973 tapes posthumous vinyl release: Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels The Last Roundup: Live from Bijou Café in Philadelphia.