With a long singing career dating from the swinging 1960s, where he released material as the vocalist of Pyramid, Matthews joined Fairport Convention, formed and left Matthews' Southern Comfort, and went on to have a long and winding career, sailing through trends in rock, pop, country and folk with some chart success and maintaining a continuous cult following since his commercial peak in the late 1970s.
After his stint in Fairport Convention, came the country-tinged Southern Comfort (1969) album , where Matthews recruited Richard Thompson, and other members of Fairport to collaborate. He secured a deal with MCAโs UNI label and a touring lineup of Matthews' Southern Comfort released two more albums of material, Second Spring (1970), and Later That Same Year (1970). Much like he had when Fairport had it's first success, Matthews walked away from the band just as fame became inevitable and Tops Of The Pops were calling.
He went solo again releasing the self produced If You Could See Throโ My Eyes (1971) on Vertigo with a cast that included Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, Keith Tippet (King Crimson), Tim Renwick (Al Stewart), and other British performers. Matthews seemed, for a moment, to have found a comfortable balance of autonomy, support, creativity, and success. The follow-up for Vertigo, was Tigers Will Survive (1972), and then a new project Plainsong, who signed with Elektra[/label and released In Search of Amelia Earhart (1972). ex- Monkee [artist]Michael Nesmith produced the LP Valley Hi (1973), which featured a version of Steve Youngโs โSeven Bridges Roadโ so definitive that you can hear the Eagles recreate it note for note on their 1980 live album.
Matthews took over production again for Some Days You Eat the Bear and Some Days the Bear Eats You (1974), which featured LA session men like guitarists Jeff โSkunkโ Baxter, on his way from Steely Dan to the Doobie Brothers, and David Lindley of Jackson Browneโs band. That LP also featured a Tom Waits song called "ol 55" whom the Eagles also must've heard, as it showed up on one their next Elektra/Asylum releases.
Matthews moved to CBS for Go For Broke (1976), and then Hit and Run (1977). Finally in Stealinโ Home (1978) Matthews hit the US top ten with the single "Shake It". Even with chart recognition, his next LP Siamese Friends (1979) stiffed due to poor distribution through a Canadian indie whose founder had died. Spot of Interference in 1980 was followed by Discreet Repeat a best of from the Southern Comfort years.
Matthews had been struggling in the music biz for nearly 15 years by the early 80s and was still living hand to mouth, with nothing to show for his efforts but a string of out-of-print albums, and the loyalty of those musicians and fans who shared his vision. More or less on a whim, Matthews abandoned LA for Seattle, where he met vocalist David Surkamp, late of Pavlovโs Dog. The two formed Hi-Fi, an 80s guitar band that included Bruce Hazen on guitar, Garey Shelton on bass, and Bob Briley on drums. They produced a live mini-album, the Hi-Fi Demonstration Record (1981), as well as a full length studio album, Moods for Mallards (1982), on which they covered Princeโs โWhen U Were Mine.โ
The hi-tech sound of Shook (1984) was followed by a record of mostly Jules Shear songs called Walking a Changing Line (1988). Matthews found day jobs at labels like Island and then Windham Hill while he planned a comeback that included a Fairport Convention reunion, and a live solo album recorded at NY's Bottom Line. Finding a renewed interest in songwriting Matthews put out Walking A Changing Line, Pure and Crooked (1990), Skeleton Keys (1992), and Dark Ride (1994)and God Looked Down (1996) both on Austinโs Watermelon Records. A revitalized version of Plainsong also recorded Dark Side of the Room (1992) Sister Flute (1996) a Live in Austria EP (1998) and New Place Now (1999).
Compilations of older songs also appeared including Orphans and Outcasts (1991), The Notebook Series (1992),The Soul of Many Places (1993), all selecting highlights, outtakes etc from his long career.
Relocating to Amsterdam, Matthews found steadier live work and began playing numerous live shows, both with new and established acts.
Matthews formed a Sandy Denny tribute band No Grey Faith with Jim Fogarty, who played on Tiniest Wham, and singer Lindsay Gilmour. The resulting album, Secrets All Told (2000), includes Dennyโs โRising For the Moonโ. Also released in the year of the millennium was Iain AdVenture (2000). The next year Matthews re-tested the Plainsong waters once more in 2001 with a six-song mini-album, A to B, which includes his controversial take on racial issues, โTo Be White.โ A collaboration with American rocker, (now Paris resident) Elliott Murphy resulted in the commercially successful album La Terre Commune (2001). Other collaborations followed including More Than a Song (2001) with Eliza Gilkyson.
Since 2003 Matthews has worked with Dutch pianist and composer Egbert Derix.
Woodstock
Iain Matthews Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He was walking along the road
And I asked him, "Where are you going?"
And this he told me
I'm going on down to Yasgur's Farm,
I'm gonna join in a rock and roll band.
I'm gonna camp out on the land.
We are stardust.
We are golden.
And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden.
Then can I walk beside you?
I have come here to lose the smog,
And I feel to be a cog in something turning.
Well maybe it is just the time of year,
Or maybe it's the time of man.
I don't know who I am,
But you know life is for learning.
We are stardust.
We are golden.
And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden.
By the time we got to Woodstock,
We were half a million strong
And Everywhere there was song and celebration.
And I dreamed I saw the bombers
Riding shotgun in the sky,
And they were turning into butterflies
Above our nation.
We are stardust.
Billion year old carbon.
We are golden..
Caught in the devil's bargain
And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden.
(To some semblance of a garden)
The song "Woodstock" by Iain Matthews is a powerful reflection of the 1969 Woodstock festival that took place in upstate New York. The song describes a chance encounter on the road with a young man headed to Yasgur's farm to join a rock and roll band and camp out on the land to get his soul free. The lyrics emphasize the idea of community and self-discovery, and how the festival provided an opportunity for people to come together, celebrate life, and connect with each other on a deeper level.
The chorus references the idea that we are all made of stardust, and that we need to get back to the garden, a poetic metaphor for a return to a simpler and more harmonious way of living. The singer asks to walk with the young man, hoping to lose the smog and feel like a cog in something turning, suggesting a desire to be part of a larger movement for change.
The song reaches a climax when the singer and the young man reach Woodstock and see the half a million people gathered there. The imagined image of the bomber turning into butterflies is a symbol of hope and transformation, suggesting that even the most destructive forces can be transformed into something beautiful.
Overall, the song is a poignant tribute to the Woodstock festival, a momentous event in American history that brought together people from all walks of life and inspired a generation to stand up for their beliefs and values.
Line by Line Meaning
I came upon a child of God
I met a person who had a spiritual quality
He was walking along the road
He was traveling towards an unknown destination
And I asked him, "Where are you going?"
I inquired about his future objective
And this he told me
He shared his purpose with me
I'm going on down to Yasgur's Farm,
I'm heading to Yasgur's Farm
I'm gonna join in a rock and roll band.
I plan to participate in a rock and roll group
I'm gonna camp out on the land.
I will camp on the property
I'm gonna get my soul free.
I'm going to liberate my soul
We are stardust.
We are made up of elements observed in stars
We are golden.
We are valuable and bright
And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden.
We need to return to our primitive and natural roots
Then can I walk beside you?
May I walk with you?
I have come here to lose the smog,
I am here to rid myself of pollution
And I feel to be a cog in something turning.
I perceive myself to be a part of a larger movement
Well maybe it is just the time of year,
Perhaps it is due to the season
Or maybe it's the time of man.
Maybe it is humanity's time for change
I don't know who I am,
I am unaware of my identity
But you know life is for learning.
However, I acknowledge that life is about education
By the time we got to Woodstock,
Once we arrived at Woodstock
We were half a million strong
We became a huge group of people
And Everywhere there was song and celebration.
Music and happiness were present everywhere
And I dreamed I saw the bombers
I once dreamt that I saw warplanes
Riding shotgun in the sky,
Flying alongside each other
And they were turning into butterflies
They transformed into butterflies
Above our nation.
Over our country
We are stardust.
We are composed of star elements
Billion-year-old carbon.
Carbon atoms that are billions of years old
We are golden..
We are precious and valuable
Caught in the devil's bargain
Trapped in the malevolent agreement
And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden.
We must return to the original state of being
(To some semblance of a garden)
(To a state approximating the concept of a garden)
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Joni Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@harleygal420
If you remember this song, you are not old. You are high quality vintage.
@scottsteel4230
Youth is not only for the young.
@tom.hoffmann6585
Harley gal you are quite kรฌnd๐๐
@ivanppillay914
Wow, Harleygal420, take a bow for this sublime comment, my Angel!
@jean-pierreyot5871
I am old high quality vintage!
@bobvasquez1257
Thank you. Grew up with all these beautiful tunes and wish I was at Woodstock. I'm 70 years old and thank youtube for sharing the wonderful music that I grew up with. Damn wish to go back in time,
@belvinsweatt1274
The sound of that steel guitar never gets old. Still listening in 2023!
@johnager9428
I've been listening to this classic for 53yrs and still going strong ๐
@rodneysandel5877
That song came out in 70s who played so different from Joni Crosby still Nash they play it's so nice it's got a different it's got a different tune I can't believe how old that song is every time I hear it I was in high school
@rodneysandel5877
You're right it sounds so good it sounds just like