John Denverの1stアルバム「Rhymes & Reasons」は1969年にリリースされます。当時こそヒットに繋がらなかったものの、聴く者の心に思いっきり浸透する、秀作揃いの曲が収録されています。中学から高校の頃までコピーしまくったJohnの事は、機会があれば詳しく書いてみたいと思っています。
このアルバムに収録されている"Leaving On A Jet Plane"（邦題:悲しみのジェット・プレイン）はピーター、ポール＆マリーに提供した曲で、Billboard-Hot100において1位になります。まだ無名に近い彼が、ソング・ライターとして注目を集める事になりました。そしてこの曲、映画「アルマゲドン」でブルース・ウィリスと他のメンバーがシャトルに乗り込む際に、口ずさんでいます。
さらに今日ピック・アップするのはアルバム同タイトル曲の"Rhymes & Reasons"。デビュー以来、彼が事あるごとに歌い続けていた曲です。今ではユニセフのオフィシャル・ソングにもなっています。
RCA初期～中期の作品はどれもが分かりやすい詩で書かれています。それ故、聴く者の心にストレートに響いてくるのかもしれません。
アルバム「Rhymes & Reasons」 -SONG LIST-
Side one
1. The Love of the Common People (John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins)
2. Catch Another Butterfly (Mike Williams)
3. Daydream (Denver)
4. The Ballad of Spiro Agnew (Tom Paxton)
5. Circus (Michael Johnson, John Denver, Laurie Kuehn)
6. When I'm Sixty-Four (John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
7. The Ballad of Richard Nixon
8. Rhymes and Reasons (Denver)
Side two
1. Yellow Cat (Steven Fromholz)
2. Leaving On A Jet Plane (Denver)
3. (You Dun Stomped) On My Heart (Mason Williams)
4. My Old Man (Jerry Jeff Walker)
5. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free (Billy Taylor, Dick Dallas)
6. Today Is The First Day Of The Rest Of My Life (Pat & Victoria Garvey)
RHYMES AND REASONS
Words and Music by
John Denver
So you speak to me of sadness and the coming of the winter,
Fear that is within you now that seems to never end,
And the dreams that have escaped you and a hope that you've forgotten
And you tell me that you need me now and you want to be my friend,
And you wonder where we're going, where's the rhyme and where's the reason,
And it's you cannot accept it is here we must begin
To seek the wisdom of the children
and the graceful way of flowers in the wind.
For the children and the flowers are my sisters and my brothers,
Their laughter and their loveliness would clear a cloudy day.
Like the music of the mountains and the colors of the rainbow
They're a promise of the future and a blessing for today.
Though the cities start to crumble and the towers fall around us
The sun is slowly fading and it's colder than the sea.
It is written: From the desert to the mountains they shall lead us,
By the hand and by the heart they will comfort you and me.
In their innocence and trusting they will teach us to be free.
For the children and the flowers are my sisters and my brothers,
Their laughter and their loveliness would clear a cloudy day.
And the song that I am singing is a prayer to non believers,
Come and stand beside us we can find a better way.