You’re Only Human (Second Wind) – written and performed by Billy Joel
I heard this song while I was driving this afternoon. I never paid too much attention to it when it was popular, so I didn’t know all the words. When I did a little research I found out this is a very special song. I had no idea.
The song is about teenage depression and suicide. Billy Joel battled depression for many years. In 1970 career and personal problems made the depression worse. He attempted to commit suicide by drinking furniture polish, saying later, “I drank furniture polish. It looked tastier than bleach.” He left a suicide note (which inspired the lyrics to “Tomorrow Is Today“). His drummer assistant, Jon Small, rushed him to Meadowbrook Hospital where he was admitted. He was put on suicide watch and received treatment for depression.
“You’re Only Human (Second Wind)” was written in 1985. The song originally appeared on Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits in 1985 and became a top ten hit.
In an interview in 1985 he said that he wrote the song as a way to help young people struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide. In the original draft of the song, he was concerned that it sounded too depressing, so he rewrote the melody with a bouncy, joyous beat and used lyrics that stressed personal forgiveness and optimism about life. All of the royalties from the song were donated to the National committee for Youth Suicide Prevention.
During the song, Billy briefly hesitates during one of the verses and then laughs audibly on the track. At the prompting of Paul Simon and Christie Brinkley (who were listening in the studio), he decided to keep it in the recorded version as it seemed to illustrate his point in the song about personal fallibility.
The music video pays homage to It’s a Wonderful Life. A young man is about to jump off a bridge because of a break-up with his girlfriend. An angel in black, Billy Joel, appears with a harmonica and plays a bar of “Piano Man,” and then proceeds to show him what life will be life without him for his family and friends. He also shows him the joys he’ll be missing if he dies. The video was shot on Staten Island and Manhattan. In it, you can see the 59th Street Bridge.
Southern Cross – Crosby, Stills & Nash – written by Stephen Stills
Another song I heard on the radio that came back to me later on in the day.
“Southern Cross” was released in 1982 on the band’s Daylight Again album. Stephen Stills sings lead vocals throughout, with Graham Nash joining the final verse.
The song, is about a man who sails the world following a failed love affair. During the voyage, the singer takes comfort in sailing, in the beauty of the sea, and particularly in the Southern Cross, a constellation by which sailors in the Southern Hemisphere have traditionally navigated. But his final consolation is music (“I have my ship and all her flags are a flyin’ / She is all that I have left / And music is her name”). (I love that part.)
Southern Cross is based on a song by Rick and Michael Curtis. Stephen Stills explained, “The Curtis Brothers brought a wonderful song called ‘Seven League Boots,’ but it drifted around too much. I rewrote a new set of words and added a different chorus, a story about a long boat trip I took after my divorce. It’s about using the power of the universe to heal your wounds. Once again, I was given somebody’s gem and cut and polished it.”
I loved the harmonies of Crosby, Stills & Nash, but for some reason I only had one of their albums. I had certainly heard this song many times, but it is another one I hadn’t paid much attention to for some reason. (It just occurred to me that I had a full-time job and a 2-year-old with disabilities – it’s no wonder my attention was elsewhere.) Today, when I heard it on the radio on my way home, it just hit me. I had to come home and download it (and several others by CS&N).
I love the video. It’s a live concert version and someone has very thoughtfully closed captioned the lyrics. Stephen Stills gives credit for the song to the Curtis Brothers, which is cool. The guys sound GREAT! Enjoy!
Mind Song Playlist 