Okay, I was only 10 years old when this song first came out, but it has stuck with me through the years, so I decided to cover it. Originally recorded by John Sebastian and The Lovin’ Spoonful, it has also been covered by Joe Cocker and others. If you’ve ever had to drive someone you love to the airport early in the morning, you will definitely resonate with the story this song tells. Unlike Leavin’ On A Jet Plane, this one seems to have a happier ending.
John Sebastian originally recorded this song for a Francis Ford Coppola movie, but I remember it from his performance at Woodstock. On the original recording, the sound engineer accidentally erased Sebastian’s vocals and he had to re-record them. He later said you could hear the quiver in his voice as he thought about killing someone.
My cover was recorded using a slightly less illustrious band than the Lovin Spoonful. I used the Garritan MIDI orchestra and jazz band for the backing tracks. If you listen closely on the last verse, you can hear my Seagull 12-string as well. I had a lot of fun recording this, and I hope you will enjoy listening to it.
Very nice, John.