stoutfellow | Playlist 11

Two...

Come In from the Cold, Joni Mitchell. I'd never heard this one until recently; it's an introspective song on the emotional tides of adolescence, as seen from years later and wiser.
The Legend of Wooley Swamp, the Charlie Daniels Band. Another quasi-monologue by Daniels, about a mean old swamp-dweller. Grimly amusing.
Same Old Lang Syne, Dan Fogelberg. Melancholy and sentimental, but I like it. (I'm just an old soppy, but you know that by now, don't you?)
Creeque Alley, the Mamas and the Papas. C'mon, how many songs rhyme "sophomore" with "Swarthmore"? (How many songs mention Swarthmore?)
Bad Moon Rising, Creedence Clearwater Revival. Fulfills the RDA for apocalypse, in one easy dose...
Promised Land, Elvis. Another that I hadn't heard before, about a... rather difficult trip home.
After the Gold Rush, Neil Young. Creepy and opaque, which is probably why I like it.
California Dreamin', the Mamas and the Papas. Probably their best-known song; I also have a cover by America, which differs in some significant ways.
You've Got a Friend, Carole King. See above, under "soppy".
Dance, Little Jean, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Blatantly manipulative, but it hits my buttons squarely; the chorus always brings tears.