After time in the Army Reserves, Paxton moved to New York City where he frequented the city's Greenwich Village coffeehouse circuit. His early success in Greenwich Village coffeehouses led to an ever-increasing circle of work. He made his professional debut at the Gaslight, the renowned folk haunt that also issued the singer's first album. In 1962 Gaslight Records would press 2,000 copies of his debut album, I'm The Man Who Built The Bridges.
Paxton also auditioned to join the Chad Mitchell Trio, but although he failed, the group enjoyed a 1963 hit with "The Marvelous Toy," one of Paxton's early songs. Paxton performed at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, a performance that would be recorded-and released-by Vanguard Records. Paxton would go on to record a second album with Vanguard-at the Newport Folk Festival the following year - but his association with that record company lapsed, and it would not be until the year 2000 that Vanguard once again released a Tom Paxton album, Tom Paxton: Best of the Vanguard Years. In 1964 Paxton was signed to Elektra Records for whom he recorded his best-known work. Then in 1965 he made his first tour of the United Kingdom - the beginning of a still-thriving professional relationship that has included at least one tour in each of the succeeding years.
He and his wife Midge have been married since 1963 and have two daughters, Jennifer and Kate. All three women have served as inspiration for many of Paxton's songs. He now has three grandsons, Christopher, Sean, and Peter.
In addition to songwriting, Tom Paxton has written many critically acclaimed children's books, some of which were inspired by his songs for children.
He has performed thousands of concerts around the world in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Scandinavia, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, England, Scotland, Ireland and Canada. Paxton enjoys a strong relationship with fans throughout the world. His songs have experienced enduring appeal, including modern standards such as "The Last Thing on My Mind" (perhaps Paxton's best-known song, it has been recorded by dozens of artists, including Judy Collins, Sandy Denny, Dolly Parton, and Porter Wagoner), "Ramblin' Boy", "Bottle of Wine", "Whose Garden Was This", "The Marvelous Toy", and "The Hostage" (which recounts the 1971 uprising at Attica State Prison).
In February 2002, Tom Paxton was honored with the ASCAP Lifetime Achievement Award in Folk Music. A few days later, he received three Wammies (Washington, DC, Area Music Awards); as Best Male Vocalist in the "traditional folk" and "children's music" categories, and for Best Traditional Folk Recording of the Year for Under American Skies (the duo album he made with Anne Hills in 2001). This was the first Paxton album to receive an award of any kind.
Paxton has been nominated four times for Grammy Awards in his career, all since 2002.
In 2004, the Martin Guitar Company introduced the HD-40LSH Tom Paxton Signature Edition acoustic guitar in his honor.
In 2005, Paxton received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting at BBC Radio 2's Folk Awards at London's Brewery Arts Centre.
In 2006, Paxton received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance.
On January 22, 2007, Paxton was honored with an official UK Parliamentary tribute at the British House of Commons at the start of his 2007 United Kingdom tour.
On May 3, 2008, Paxton was honored with a special lifetime tribute from the World Folk Music Association, and a concert was held at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center at Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria Campus, in Alexandria, Virginia.
Yuppies In The Sky
Tom Paxton Lyrics
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The sushi bars were shuttered, and the dark cantina too
I stood there in the darkness as an empty cab rolled by
When all at once I heard the sound of yuppies in the sky
The herd came down Columbus for as far as I could see
The men were wearing polo and the women wore esprit
Each yuppie had a Walkman, and as each one passed me by
Condos for sale, Condos to buy, Oh Yuppies in the sky
Condos for sale, Condos to buy, Oh Yuppies in the sky
Each one was wearing running shoes upon the ghostly deck
And each one had a cotton sweater wrapped around his neck
They all held out their credit cards and tried in vain to buy
But all the stores were shuttered to the yuppies in the sky
Condos for sale, Condos to buy, Oh Yuppies in the sky
Condos for sale, Condos to buy, Oh Yuppies in the sky
I'd seen them in commercials sailing boats and playing ball
Pouring beer for one another, crying, "Why not have it all"
Now I saw their ghostly progress down Columbus Avenue
I heard their cries for mercy and it chilled me through and through
Condos for sale, Condos to buy, Oh Yuppies in the sky
Condos for sale, Condos to buy, Oh Yuppies in the sky
All the salad bars were empty, all the quiche Lorraine was gone
I heard the yuppies crying as they vanished in the dawn
Calling brand names to each other, they faded from my view
They'd be networking forever down Columbus Avenue
Condos for sale, Condos to buy, Oh Yuppies in the sky
Condos for sale, Condos to buy, Oh Yuppies in the sky
Tom Paxton's song "Yuppies in the Sky" is a satirical take on the rising culture of yuppies in the 1980s. It tells the story of the singer walking down Columbus Avenue and stumbling upon a herd of yuppies who are brimming with wealth and materialism. The men are wearing polo shirts while the women are wearing Esprit, and each of them has a Walkman in their ears. The yuppies are depicted as sad and mournful, crying for mercy as they are unable to buy what they want, which is mainly condos. The song is punctuated with the refrain "condos for sale, condos to buy, oh yuppies in the sky," which is a clear critique of their obsession with wealth and status symbols.
The use of the phrase "yuppies in the sky" is a clear reference to the lyrics of the classic Hank Williams' song "I Saw the Light," where the singer describes seeing the light of God shining down from the sky. It is a clever inversion of the traditional religious metaphor to describe the excesses of the decadent 1980s. The use of ghostly imagery and words like "vain" and "sad" to describe the yuppies is a reflection of the cultural critique of the time.
Line by Line Meaning
One night as I was walking down Columbus Avenue
The singer was walking down Columbus Avenue one night.
The sushi bars were shuttered, and the dark cantina too
The sushi bars and cantina were closed, leaving the street dark.
I stood there in the darkness as an empty cab rolled by
The singer stood in the darkness watching an empty cab pass by.
When all at once I heard the sound of yuppies in the sky
The artist heard a large group of yuppies approaching.
The herd came down Columbus for as far as I could see
The yuppies came down Columbus Avenue in a large group.
The men were wearing polo and the women wore esprit
The men were wearing polo shirts and the women wore esprit clothing.
Each yuppie had a Walkman, and as each one passed me by
Each yuppie was listening to a Walkman as they passed the singer.
I saw their sad expressions and I heard their mournful cry
The artist observed the yuppies' sad faces and heard their complaining.
Condos for sale, Condos to buy, Oh Yuppies in the sky
The yuppies were lamenting the real estate market and their aspirations to purchase condos.
Each one was wearing running shoes upon the ghostly deck
The yuppies were all wearing running shoes on the street pavement.
And each one had a cotton sweater wrapped around his neck
The yuppies all had cotton sweaters wrapped around their necks.
They all held out their credit cards and tried in vain to buy
The yuppies all attempted to buy things on the street using their credit cards, but were unsuccessful.
But all the stores were shuttered to the yuppies in the sky
All the stores were closed and unavailable to the yuppies.
I'd seen them in commercials sailing boats and playing ball
The singer had seen the yuppies in advertisements enjoying leisure activities.
Pouring beer for one another, crying, "Why not have it all"
The yuppies in the advertisements poured beer for each other and proclaimed their desire for all of life's luxuries.
Now I saw their ghostly progress down Columbus Avenue
The artist observed the yuppies' movement down the street in a ghostly manner.
I heard their cries for mercy and it chilled me through and through
The artist heard the yuppies' cries for help, which made them feel uneasy.
All the salad bars were empty, all the quiche Lorraine was gone
All the food establishments were closed and the food was gone.
I heard the yuppies crying as they vanished in the dawn
The singer heard the yuppies crying as they disappeared in the morning.
Calling brand names to each other, they faded from my view
The yuppies called out brand names to each other as they disappeared.
They'd be networking forever down Columbus Avenue
The yuppies would likely continue networking and pursuing real estate on Columbus Avenue indefinitely.
Contributed by Muhammad J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.