The group made its television debut in either 1961 or 1962 on a talk show hosted by Mike Wallace and Joyce Davidson, though neither audio nor video footage has yet been found. By 1963, Peter, Paul, and Mary had recorded three albums. All three were in the Top ten the week of President Kennedy's assassination.
That year, the group also released "Puff the Magic Dragon", which Yarrow and fellow Cornell student Leonard Lipton had written in 1959, and performed "If I Had a Hammer" at the 1963 March on Washington, best remembered for Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. One of their biggest hit singles was the Bob Dylan song "Blowin' in the Wind. They also sang other Bob Dylan songs, such as: "The Times They Are a-Changin'"; "Don't Think Twice, it's Alright"; and "When the Ship Comes In".
"Leaving On A Jet Plane" became their only #1 hit (as well as their final Top 40 hit) in December 1969, and was written by John Denver (who already had some success with The Chad Mitchell Trio), and first appeared on their Album 1700 in 1967. "Day Is Done", a #21 hit in June 1969, was the last Hot 100 hit that the trio recorded.
The trio broke up in 1970 to pursue solo careers, but found little of the success which they had experienced as a group--although Stookey's "The Wedding Song (There is Love)" (written for Yarrow's marriage to Marybeth McCarthy, the niece of senator Eugene McCarthy) was a hit and has become a wedding standard since its 1971 release.
In 1978, they reunited for a concert to protest nuclear energy, and have recorded albums together and toured since. They currently play around 45 shows a year.[1]
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.
The trio became political activists for their commitment to peace in Central America and for supporting musically and personally the peace and social justice movement in America. Their inveterate support for Israel distinguishes them from other major folk singing groups and implies a uniqueness of consideration and courage in their political choices. They were awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience on September 1, 1990.[2]
In 2004, Travers was diagnosed with leukemia, leading to the cancellation of the remaining tour dates for that year. She received a bone marrow transplant and is recovering. She and the rest of the trio resumed their concert tour on December 9, 2005 with a holiday performance at Carnegie Hall.
Peter, Paul, and Mary received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award from Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006.
The trio sang in Mitchell, South Dakota, for the George and Eleanor McGovern Library and Center for Leadership dedication concert on October 5, 2006.
The trio canceled several dates of their summer 2007 tour, as Mary took longer than expected to recover from back surgery and later had to undergo a second surgery, further postponing the tour.[1] They will make up at least one of the dates, at the Northfork Theatre (formerly Westbury Music Fair) in June 2008.
Best Of Friends
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She said she'd love me til the bitter end
Now she's talking 'bout just walking way
Oh my heart is open
We got off to a good start by the sea
The sun did shine on me
I don't know why the change of heart
There goes my very best friend
She said she'd love me til the bitter end
Now she's talking 'bout just walking way
Oh my heart is open
Oh my heart is open
I love to love the girl who likes to be
And I'm singing of her now
I wonder if she's thinking of me
God only knows, God only knows but
There goes my very best friend
She said she'd love me til the bitter end
Now she's talking 'bout just walking way
Oh my heart is open
Oh my heart is open
She's my very best friend
She's my very best friend
She's my very best friend
She's my very best friend
The song "Best of Friends" by Peter Paul & Mary is a melancholy ballad about the end of a friendship, particularly one between two people who might have had feelings for each other. The lyrics describe the singer's pain and confusion as their best friend starts to pull away and contemplate leaving. The opening line, "There goes my very best friend," sets the tone for the rest of the song, which is marked by a sense of resigned sadness.
The first stanza establishes the friendship's history, describing how they "got off to a good start by the sea" and how the sun "did shine on me." However, something has changed, and the singer does not know "why the change of heart" has occurred. The chorus repeats the idea that the friend "said she'd love me til the bitter end" but is now "talking 'bout just walking away" and leaving the singer behind. The final verses express the singer's affection for the friend, wondering if she's thinking of him as he thinks of her. The repetition of the line "She's my very best friend" in the final stanza emphasizes the singer's loss as he realizes that the friendship is over.
Overall, the song captures the complicated and often painful nuances of a relationship that is more than just friendship but not quite something more.
Line by Line Meaning
There goes my very best friend
The singer's closest friend is leaving or distancing themselves.
She said she'd love me til the bitter end
The friend promised to love and support the singer no matter what.
Now she's talking 'bout just walking way
The friend is considering leaving or ending the friendship.
Oh my heart is open
The artist is vulnerable and emotionally exposed.
We got off to a good start by the sea
The friendship began on a positive note, possibly during a memorable trip or experience together.
The sun did shine on me
The early part of the friendship was filled with happy, bright moments.
I don't know why the change of heart
The singer is confused and unsure why their friend suddenly wants to end the friendship.
God only knows, God only knows but
The artist is acknowledging that there may be unknown reasons behind the friend's decision to end the friendship.
I love to love the girl who likes to be
The artist enjoys loving and caring for someone who values their independence and autonomy.
And I'm singing of her now
The artist is expressing their feelings about this person through song.
I wonder if she's thinking of me
The singer is hoping that the person they love is also thinking of them.
She's my very best friend
The artist is emphasizing the importance and closeness of the friendship, possibly in an attempt to hold on to it.
She's my very best friend
Reemphasis of the singer's strong attachment to their friend.
She's my very best friend
Another repetition of the singer's deep connection and love for their friend.
She's my very best friend
Final repetition of the message that the friendship is very significant and valued by the singer.
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