Song Musings

Happy Wednesday and I hope you’re cool, especially if you also live in an area with near record high temperatures like central New Jersey – perhaps an early sign of an abnormally hot summer weather forecasters have predicted for much of the U.S. this year. Wednesday is also the time when I’d like to take a closer look at songs I’ve only mentioned in passing or not covered at all to date.

Today’s pick is Golden Down by Willie Nile. I first covered the New York rock & roll singer-songwriter this February with This Is Our Time as part of a Sunday Six installment. Golden Down is the title track of his sophomore studio album, which came out in April 1981.

In addition to appearing as an album track, Golden Down became the B-side of the single Les Champs Élysées. The great song never gained any traction, which I find surprising. The album wasn’t exactly a smash either, reaching no. 158 on the Billboard Hot 100, though I’ve read it has become a favorite among Nile’s fans.

Apart from Nile (vocals, guitar, piano), the studio recording featured Television bassist Fred Smith and Patti Smith drummer Jay Dee Daugherty, among others. Here’s a live version, which was captured in September 2014. According to the accompanying description, Nile was backed by Matt Hogan (guitar, vocals), Johnny “Pi” Pisano (bass, vocals) and Alex Alexander (drums).

Following are additional tidbits from Songfacts:

In this rock ‘n roll number, Nile finds comfort in the arms of a woman that many listeners assume is a prostitute. He told American Songwriter in 2013 that he was partly inspired by the 1954 movie The Barefoot Contessa, which stars Ava Gardner as a nightclub performer who becomes a Hollywood star and the multitude of men who desire her.

“And I think also just New York street life,” he added. “People I’d see on the street – from prostitutes to the rich to the poor. The thing that fascinates me about New York is the extremes. You know, you’ve got very poor people, sleeping on the street. And you’ve got the very rich. When I first moved here, I thought ‘This reminds me of Dickens.'”

He continued: “The music came to me, and the idea. It was very much a street song. Someone played it the other day on the radio and he said, ‘It’s a song about a prostitute.’ It’s actually about a woman who men desire and don’t respect. What’s the line in the second verse: Street princess/on a throne of cream. I remember writing that and going, ‘Okay. That’ll work.'”

The frenetic guitar work was provided by Clay Barnes and Peter Hoffman, both of whom played on Nile’s first album.

Sources: Wikipedia; Songfacts; YouTube