Colm MacCárthaigh: Vocal and Guitar, Jan Peters: Harmonica

Lyrics:

Everybody’s talkin’ at me
I can’t hear a word their saying
Only the echoes of my mind
People stopping staring
I can’t see their faces
Only the shadows of my mind

I’m going where the sun keeps shining
Through the pouring rain
I’m going where the weather suits my clothes
And banking in to that northeast wind
Sailing on summer breeze
Skipping over the ocean like a stone

Notes about Everybody’s Talkin’

Written by Fred Neil in 1966, Everybody’s Talkin’ has long been one of my favorite songs. For such a short song (it repeats itself) it’s incredibly dense in meaning and imagery. It was made famous with upbeat happy-go-lucky versions from Harry Nilsson in 1969 (and the movie Midnight Cowboy) and then again by The Beautiful South in the 90s. I love their versions, but mine leans into the sentiment of the song.

I can’t sing this song and not think of untreated mental illness and homelessness. It’s notes of confusion, outsiderness, and imagined release are bittersweet. Every time I play it live, it silences the room. For this recording, I’m joined by Jan on Harmonica, who gives it that a kind of lonesome gritty edge and a very American sound for a very American song.