Born in Los Angeles, California on 15th March 1947, Cooder first attracted attention in the 1960s, playing with Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band, after having worked with Taj Mahal in The Rising Sons.
He was a session guitarist on various recording sessions with the Rolling Stones in 1968 and 1969; Cooder's contributions most notably appear on the Stones' Beggars Banquet where he shares a prominent credit with pianist, Nicky Hopkins on the back cover. He continued to appear on the succeeding albums, Let It Bleed, and Sticky Fingers, on which he contributed the haunting slide guitar solo to "Sister Morphine". Cooder is reputed to have taught Keith Richards to play in open-G tuning, now a Richards hallmark, as well as to have written the open-G signature riff of "Honky Tonk Women". He was briefly considered to fill the departed Brian Jones' place in the Rolling Stones, but reportedly Cooder and Keith Richards did not get along very well. For some time after the sessions, Cooder accused Keith Richards of "ripping him off" musically, but now refuses to talk about his experiences with the Stones. Cooder played slide guitar for the 1970 film Performance, which contained Mick Jagger's first solo single, "Memo from Turner" on which Cooder played guitar.
Throughout the 1970s Cooder released a series of Warner Brothers albums that showcased his guitar work, to some degree. In this respect, Cooder's guitar work on these records is not unlike the guitar playing of Robbie Robertson on the Band's albums: Both virtuosos emphasized song over solo. Cooder's 1970s albums spotlight, more than anything, a wide-ranging taste in music. Cooder has been seen as almost a musicologist, exploring bygone musical genres with personalized and sensitive, updated reworkings of revered originals. Cooder's 1970s albums (with the exception of Jazz) cannot be neatly pigeonholed by genre, But - to generalise broadly - it might be fair to call Cooder's first album blues; Into the Purple Valley, Boomer's Story, and Paradise and Lunch, folk + blues; Chicken Skin Music and Showtime, a unique melange of Tex-Mex and Hawaiian; Jazz, 1920s jazz; Bop till You Drop 1950s R&B and blues; and Borderline an eclectic mix of Tex-Mex with blues, R&B, and country and Get Rhythm, with more rock-based excursions.
Cooder has worked as a studio musician and has also scored many film soundtracks, of which perhaps the best known is that for the 1984 Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas. Ry Cooder based this soundtrack, and the haunting title song "Paris, Texas" on Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)", which he described as "The most soulful, transcendent piece in all music from the US." His other film work includes Walter Hill's The Long Riders (1980) and Southern Comfort (1981).
In recent years, Cooder has played a role in the increased appreciation of traditional Cuban music, due to his collaboration as producer in the Buena Vista Social Club (1997) recording, which was a worldwide hit. Wim Wenders directed a documentary film of the musicians involved, Buena Vista Social Club (1999) which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000. Cooder worked with Tuvan throat singers for the score to the 1993 film Geronimo: An American Legend.
Cooder's solo work has been an eclectic mix, taking in dust bowl folk, blues, Tex-Mex, soul, gospel, rock, and almost everything else. He has collaborated with many important musicians, including the Rolling Stones, Little Feat, the Chieftains, John Lee Hooker, Gabby Pahinui, and Ali Farka Toure. He formed the Little Village supergroup with Nick Lowe, John Hiatt, and Jim Keltner.
Cooder's 1979 album Bop till You Drop was the first popular music album to be recorded digitally. It yielded his biggest hit, a disco/R&B cover of Elvis Presley's 1960s recording "Little Sister".
My Name Is Buddy
Ry Cooder Lyrics
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Don't you pity me, don't you pity me
My name is Buddy, don't you pity me
Don't you pity me, don't you pity me
Just because I ain't so big, you think I'm small
Well, you think I'm small, now you think I'm small
You go around with your head up in the clouds
You just tall, that's all, you just tall, that's all
Now, if you like your tree, better watch out for your tree
Watch out for your tree, Lord, that tree ain't free
The birds won't be round just to keep you company, no
Keep you company, no keep you company
Now if you like your little backyard, watch out for your backyard
Don't let them put a toll road right through your backyard
If you like your little backyard, watch out for your backyard
Don't let them put a toll road right through your backyard
Now You go around with your head up in the clouds
Head up in the clouds, your head up in the clouds
You go around with your head up in the clouds
Your head up in the clouds, oh your head up in the clouds
You ain't so big, now, you just tall, that's all
Now this land was made for you and me
Better watch out for your land, better watch out for your land
This land was made just for you and me
Better watch out for your land, better watch out for your land
The song "My Name Is Buddy" by Ry Cooder talks about the struggles of living in a world where individuals are not treated equally. Buddy, the singer of the song, is being told not to pity himself despite his small stature. The line "just because I ain't so big, you think I'm small" refers to how people judge others based on their physical appearance or size. Buddy urges listeners not to let their guard down because they may lose what's important to them. The lines "if you like your tree, better watch out for your tree" and "if you like your little backyard, watch out for your backyard" warn people about the potential dangers of losing their property, land, or home due to corporate or government greed.
The song's chorus refers to people who have their heads up in the clouds and think that they are superior to others because of their wealth or power. Buddy reminds the listeners that despite their status, they are not invincible and can lose everything. The final lines of the song "This land was made for you and me, better watch out for your land" refer to the American Dream and how it can be taken away if people don't stay vigilant.
Line by Line Meaning
Now my name is Buddy, don't you pity me
I am Buddy and I do not need your pity
Just because I ain't so big, you think I'm small
You underestimate me and assume that I am small because of my size
Now, if you like your tree, better watch out for your tree
Be careful and protect your possessions, like your tree, because they are not free for all to take
The birds won't be round just to keep you company, no
The natural world does not exist solely to amuse or entertain you
Now if you like your little backyard, watch out for your backyard
Be mindful of your property, like your backyard, and prevent others from exploiting it for their benefit
You go around with your head up in the clouds
You are oblivious to the reality around you
This land was made just for you and me
This country belongs to all of us, and we must all take care to preserve it and protect it from exploitation
Contributed by Abigail F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.