Blog by Sumana Harihareswara, Changeset founder
A Little Dar Williams Playlist
“She does this show in Brooklyn the last week of every year, and I'm going to try to go now that I know that. 2018, 2019, 2020 -- something to look forward to in every year. I could use that.”
— 29 Dec 2017.
I tried going to that concert in 2022, and it was crowded with poor ventilation and I was one of the very few wearing a mask; I think I spent most of it sitting in the foyer just outside the room, listening to the muffled music, balancing my COVID caution with my desire to hear. In 2023 I stayed home.
I longingly considered going to the 2024 concert, but realized I'd probably have a similar experience as I'd had in 2022. Instead I asked a friend who also enjoys her music if he'd listen to a playlist with me. He doesn't much care for End of the Summer and mostly has her earlier work; here's what we put together and appreciated together on New Year's Eve. Fourteen songs, 56 minutes. A lot of heartstring-pullers, as I realized partway through.
| Song | Album |
|---|---|
| 1. When I Was a Boy | The Honesty Room |
| 2. Cold Missouri Waters | Cry, Cry, Cry |
| 3. Go To The Woods | Promised Land |
| 4. The Babysitter's Here | The Honesty Room |
| 5. The Blessings | Mortal City |
| 6. Lord, I Have Made You a Place in My Heart | Cry, Cry, Cry |
| 7. Iowa (Traveling III) | Mortal City |
| 8. By Way of Sorrow | Cry, Cry, Cry |
| 9. New York is a Harbor | Emerald |
| 10. February | Mortal City |
| 11. What Do You Hear In These Sounds | End of the Summer |
| 12. The Ballad of Mary Magdalen | Cry, Cry, Cry |
| 13. The Christians and the Pagans | Mortal City |
| 14. Family | Mortal City |
I am in that maudlin mood that hits at the turn of the year. I've been listening to her work for more than half my life, and there are lines that just reach in and wrench my heart -- "I'll join them now" from "Cold Missouri Waters", "their stumbling and their mumbling / And their calling out just like me" from "What Do You Hear In These Sounds", and probably 80% of "The Christians and the Pagans". And I wanted to be in a room with her and with an audience, together, singing along, crying together. But instead my friend and I sat in our homes, far from each other, and hit Play at the same moment, then Signal-text-messaged each other about particular bits that caught us, or resonances we noticed.
And it was something, to share that with him, and to mark the turn of the year.
“Lighting trees in darkness, learning new ways from the old, and Making sense of history and drawing warmth out of the cold.”
— "Christians And Pagans".
Comments
Lisa Martincik
22 Jan 2025, 12:33 p.m.
Excellent playlist!!! I love Dar and have seen her a few times. Seeking her in Iowa is a trip, because she always plays Traveling III and asks us all to sing along. I imagine she’s as disappointed as we are with the direction the state has taken. I have loved every one of her performances, but the most memorable for me was show she played with Richard Shindell one or two days after the 2016 election. Listening to their music was like eating nourishing food. “When I Was a Boy” always makes me cry. I hope you’re as well as you can be, and to someday see you again.