Seekers in 1968 Performing "I'll Never Find Another You" — another 5 star emotional blast from an old picker's hazy past
Out of nowhere, a few minutes ago, I was browsing Youtube for more John Stewart songs (scroll down one post and you’ll see why), when all of a sudden there was a song that had completely flown out of my consciousness — but which had been one the very very original songs that made me pick up a guitar. “I’ll Never Find Another You” is one of those mid sixties folk-rock songs that burned very brightly for a few years — but over the course of time never quite made it to the status of a standard like similar songs like Turn, Turn, Turn, or Mr. Tambourine Man…….Hearing it unexpectedly after what — 40 years? –was just heart stopping, skin-tingling, magic. This is a pure, pure love song……so I offer this one up for the one woman I finally met who lived up to the promise of this song — Rena, it’s for you. I’ll re-learn it play it for you, but in the meantime, listen to the real thing:
One of the sad things that happens as you struggle along in years if you’re a one-upon-a-time singer/songwriter/whatnot, is that songs that you used to know kind of fall away like leaves a you leave the guitar sitting on its stand for months at a time. What was once 300 songs, becomes 250, becomes 200 …and eventually shrivels down to …what – 25, 30? That may be where I am not, although I’m combatting it by putting lyrics up on this blog to try and arrest that process. Still, gotta grab songs like this when I find them, and put them in the attic.
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“I’ll Never Find Another You” is in my Top 100 Songs of All Time, too, Michael.
I performed for almost 50 years but, ironically, this song found its way into the repertoire of only my most recent and final group, The Dinosaurs (1996-2009).
It’s one of those songs that just has to be heard to understand why some people prize it so highly.
It entered the Top 40 at a time when acoustic-based Folk/Pop was establishing itself as a force. For a while, music like this was all I wanted to hear and play. I thought I had died and gone to musical heaven.
Another contemporaneous group that displayed a sound and approach very similar to The Seekers was We Five, founded by John Stewart’s brother, Michael. Their “You Were on My Mind” (written by Sylvia Tyson) was an acoustic and vocal thrill ride from start to finish.
There is just nothing better than the combination of acoustic guitars (especially 12-string) and drums backing up and propelling soaring melodies and powerful harmonies.
They just don’t make songs like these anymore.