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What song simply brings a tear to your eye?

As I was driving down the road the other day with my Ipod on shuffle, Richard Thompson's "Beeswing" came on. It never fails to bring a tear to my eye. So much emotion--you can feel the love and longing. Just a lovely tune.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Perry on January 17, 2011 at 11:16pm

The road is long

With a many a winding turn

That leads us to to, knows where, who knows where

But I'm strong ,strong enough to carry him

He ain't heavy He's my brother................The Hollies

The story I heard was that one of the Hollies , Gene Clarke ???, saw this young English girl, about 15,

carrying her disabled younger brother about the streets in a city in England.

They stopped and asked her , doesn't he get heavy after a while and she replied,

In a english accent if you would ," He ain't heavy, he's my brother

The song just blows me away when I hear it.

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Permalink Reply by steviedal on January 18, 2011 at 10:37am

Gene Clark wasn't in The Hollies and he certainly didn't write that song , neither did anyone else in The Hollies .

Neil Diamond was first to record it. He didn't write it either.........

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Permalink Reply by Tom McD on January 18, 2011 at 1:59pm

"He Ain't Heavy... He's My Brother" is a popular music ballad written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell. The earliest recording of the song was made by Neil Diamond for his 1970 album, Tap Root Manuscript. The Hollies, however, released their version in September 1969, about a year before Diamond's version was released as a single.

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Permalink Reply by Brendan Cooke on January 20, 2011 at 3:54am

It was Allan Clarke who was in the Hollies and I believe he recorded a version of Born To Run before Bruce did but I stand to be corrected on this! He also did a version of the rare Bruce song If I Were The Priest.

Gene ,of course, was in The Byrds and then went on to record some great solo albums too!

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Permalink Reply by Sue Abel on January 22, 2011 at 4:54am

Nope, you're right, Brendan.. The Hollies did record BTR, before Bruce got round to it, but it wasn't released til after Springsteen's.

They covered a lot of Bruce. Their version of Sandy ( 4th of July, Asbury Park), being about the best, me thinks.

I adore the song " Bus Stop" by The Hollies. One of my fav songs ever!

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Permalink Reply by Donald McKay CaldwellJr. on February 25, 2011 at 4:16pm

One of those rare times when commercial success and creative greatness appear together, it has always touched me and I am glad to hear it does others........also Day in the Life by the Beatles tends to make me kinda well up inside, like Charlene Darling said "That one always makes me cry, Pa" and she was refering to "Boil that Cabbage Down"......

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Permalink Reply by Brendan Cooke on January 18, 2011 at 8:42am

Off the top of my head...Elizabeth Cook-Mama's Prayers, Jackson Browne-For A Dancer ,Karla Bonoff-Goodbye My Friend, Lucy Kaplansky-Song For Molly, Dave Alvin/Tom Russell-California Snow ,Emmylou-Boulder to Birmingham

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Permalink Reply by steviedal on January 18, 2011 at 10:39am

There's not many songs i could play over and over for about 3 hours but Dave's take on California Snow is one of them , an absolute classic.

And it's on one of the greatest album's i've ever heard.

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Permalink Reply by Donald McKay CaldwellJr. on February 25, 2011 at 4:12pm

Agreed my friend and also his other song from Blackjack David I think the tittle may be Kitchen Table, where he has written letters to his old girl but tore them all up.......