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As the evening sky grew dark
She looked at him and he felt a spark tingle to his bones
’Twas then he felt alone and wished that he’d gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate
They walked along by the old canal
A little confused, I remember well
Stopped into a strange hotel with the neon burnin’ bright
He felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train
Moving with a simple twist of fate
A saxophone someplace softly played
As she was moving on by the arcade
She heard the melody rise and fade, the sun was coming up,
She dropped a coin into the cup of a blind man at the gate
And forgot about a simple twist of fate
He woke up, she was gone
He didn’t see nothing but the dawn
Got outta bed and put his clothes back on
And pushed back the blinds
Found a note she’d left behind
To which he just could not relate
All about a simple twist of fate.
He hears the ticking of the clocks
Walks alone through the city blocks
Hunts her down by the waterfront docks
Where the sailors all roll in.
Maybe he’ll spot her once again. How long must he wait
One more time for a simple twist of fate.
People tell me it’s a crime
To feel too much for too long a time
She should have caught me in my prime,
She would have stayed with me.
Instead of going off to sea,
and leaving me to meditate
upon that simple twist of fate.
Copyright ©1974 by Ram’s Horn Music;
renewed 2002 by Ram’s Horn Music
Released: Feb 2017
REVIEWS:
"Beautifully produced album ... pure joy." - Music- News.com".. songs positively shimmer and shine ... " - Skope Magazine
"Respectful of the originals while offering his own take on these true-blue American classics, Michel Griffin's Feel my Love: Bob Dylan's Finest Lovesongs simply stuns." - Skope Magazine
"Michel's voice - all velvet & smoke - brings new life to the familiar lyrics ... with such feeling it'll give you goosebumps."- Music- News.com
"Griffin manages to capture Dylan's spirit and personality, and more generally the feeling of the 1960s folk music scene, through his elegiac, romantic delivery and dexterous acoustic guitar picking."- The Big TakeOver
BACKGROUND:
Bob Dylan was an early hero. I discovered him when I was 14 and just taking up the guitar. He has been with me ever since. I always felt a special kindred with his lovesongs, and was surprised to find that no-one appeared to have dedicated an entire album to them.
Recorded in the US and in France, this album was two years in the making.
My thanks go to Anne-Emmanuelle Marie, for her vocal harmonies on Where are You Tonight ...?, to Ron Gletherow, who plays bass on Make You Feel My Love, to Frenchie Dègre, who plays harmonica on Don't Think Twice, it's Alright and Corrina, Corrina and to Alexis Van Eekhout, for his mellifluous sax-playing on Make You Feel My Love.
TRACK BY TRACK:
A Simple Twist of Fate - One of the most atmospheric story-songs Dylan ever penned. The arrangement gains in intensity as the story unfolds. The lyrics are those Dylan used in most of his 690 odd concert performances of the song.
I Want You - I loved the first version of this on Blonde On Blonde. And then I heard the live version at Budokan, and was blown away by its intensity. So I slowed it right down, so you can hear the longing, and then added a swirling Hammond organ.
Make You Feel My Love ... - Arranged for three acoustic guitars, tenor-sax and not a piano in sight. Dylan’s most romantic ballad, delivered with all the tenderness at my command. Also features on my Atlantic Avenue album.
Where Are You Tonight? - A cri de coeur written when Dylan was travelling by train from the West Coast to the Arizona desert at a time when his marriage to Sara was beginning to fall apart. The arrangement starts soft and builds to an intense climax, with a duel between electric guitar and sax.
Girl From The North Country - One of the first truly autobiographical lovesongs Dylan wrote, about the girl he left behind in Minnesota when he went to New York. The treatment is simple, true to the original - just me and my finger-picking guitar.
Hazel - Is she late or is she never going to show up ? We all know that feeling. What I love about this song is how the melody is so upbeat and the words increasingly desperate. I had fun with the vocals.
Tomorrow is a Long Time - Dylan does longing very well. Many of the songs on this album are about not being in the right place at the right time. A simple arrangement again - just me and my guitar ...
Beyond the Horizon - You can almost feel the horse swaying beneath me as I pick my way through this delightful song. If the melody is familiar, it's because Dylan borrowed it from Red Sails in the Sunset.
To Ramona - One comes away from this song with a clear mental image of the girl Dylan must have first sung it for. A testament to his skill at lyrical evocation. The arrangement is simple: husky voice and the guitar fretted high.
If You See Her, Say Hello - Dylan returns to the theme he first explored with Girl From The North Country, asking a friend to look up an old lover. Only this time, she left him. And he never got over it. Devastating last line.
One Too Many Mornings ... - This is the very first Dylan song I absolutely fell in love with. I still play it in concerts and prefer this simpler fingerpicked treatment to the versions with The Band. This track is included from my Who Knows Where the Time Goes? album.
Love Minus Zero/No limit - Many think that the title presents two alternative names for the song. It's actually a mathematical formula. A tremendous portrait and homily to a clearly well-centered individual, arranged here for several guitars and a saxophone.
Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright - This was the first song I ever sang in concert, at the tender age of 15. This live recording from the Cahors Folk Club in 2010, with Marcel Frenchie Dègre on the harmonica also features on my album of Ballads & Blues.
Corrina Corrina - According to his website, Bob Dylan has only played this ONCE in concert (in 1962!) It's still a good old traditional blues, though. Featuring Frenchie Dègre on the harmonica.
A growing number of music sites allow you to stream my songs in their entirety. If you are an Amazon Music subscriber, for example, you can ask Alexa to Stream Michel Griffin music. Spotify offers a service where you can stream my songs for free. Here are links to some of the streaming services where you can play Feel My Love:
This is just a selection. If your favourite streaming platform is not listed above, try going there and searching for Michel Griffin - chances are, my music will be there. And if you want to buy the album, just click on one of the buttons below!
Click or tap its cover to explore an album:
7 original songs and 5 covers, including 'One Too Many Mornings'.
"Pure elegance ..." - Amazon
"Brilliantly arranged" - CD Baby
"Michel Griffin's singing can transport the listener to the best of old French cinema..." - Amazon
"Fabulous guitar playing and dramatic accompaniments... This is an album to listen to again and again." - iTunes
10 original songs, including 'Russian Dolls' & 'Children of Circumstance'.
"Well-crafted songs and performance ... A real Keeper!" - CD Baby
"I have rarely heard an album that provides such a compelling combination of poetic and musical pleasures." - CD Baby
"The multi-talented Michel Griffin just gets better and better.." - CD Baby
"I can't say enough good about the album Russian Dolls" - CD Baby
14 original songs, including 'America, Come Weep, 'Fûr Elise' & 'Freeze the Moment'.
"Masterly songwriting" - iTunes
˜This is one of those rare albums where the lyrics are as good as the melodies. Griffin combines the dexterity of James Taylor's guitar work with the genius of Bob Dylan's poetry. - CD Baby
Michel weaves his magic like an artist on canvas, with inspired lyrics set to haunting melodies that reach deep into your soul. - CD Baby
˜Michel's talent lies not just in his musical prowess but in the eloquence and poignancy of his lyrics." - CD Baby
14 relaxing, romantic pieces for piano and orchestra, including 'Dreamwing' & 'La Tendresse'.