Today, I’m writing, and the song inspiration for this chapter is a favorite Jimmy Webb song of mine, “The Moon’s a Harsh Mistress.” I had an eight-track that I played over and over my freshman year of college, Joe Cocker’s I Can Stand a Little Rain, and this song was one of two of my favorites on it. The other was “Guilty,” one of the main inspirations for a character who remains with me to this day (and I can’t recommend enough listening to either Joe Cocker or its composer Randy Newman sing “Guilty,” WHAT A SONG).
Since in the chapter I’m writing, a woman with a soprano voice is singing “The Moon’s a Harsh Mistress,” I’m linking to the Linda Ronstadt rendition. I’ve never heard a bad version of the song, and you can find it on YouTube by Jimmy himself, as well as Joe Cocker, Judy Collins, and Celtic Woman, among others. So, so beautiful.
Bless Jimmy Webb, Randy Newman, and all the songwriters who soundtrack our lives and inspire my creativity.