While better known for his seminal song "Cat's in the Cradle", singer/songwriter Harry Chapin's career was one of the finest moments in the history of American Folk Music. Harry Chapin also provides a template for Folk music that more recent artists should have followed.
First, I want to get my criticism of American Folk music from the last decade or so out of the way. The genre is bloated with songs that sound identical to each other. I recall my first year of college, Mumford and Sons released their second album. My roommate was a fan and played the album. To put it simply, none of the songs had an identity and I couldn't tell where one ended and where one began. While I am a fan of long songs, be it "Alice's Restaurant" by Arlo Guthrie or "Thick as a Brick" by Jethro Tull, those songs have meaning and personality. The most personality I have heard in a Folk song from the last decade is clapping.
With that out of the way, let me talk about what I like about Harry Chapin's music. Mainly, that there is music. The songs may be long, but they go through motion to match the character's journeys. Take for example "WOLD", it starts with a simple arpeggio playing on top of a violin and slowly becoming more complex as the guilt of the narrator builds. It's a simple idea, but one which requires skill to properly execute.
In another stark contrast to more modern thoughts of poetic song, he not only wrote epics but wrote them in such a way that relatability was always present. Take a moment out of your day to listen to "Dance Band on the Titanic" and "Sniper", both songs are works of art that are criminally underheard.
Most importantly of all, each of his songs have personality. They may share similar themes, but none sound identical. It's clear how much care went to crafting each song.
I want to take a moment to iterate that I write this not just to critique, but also as a short resource and a guide list to good songs for poets and musicians to have as a starting point. Also, to get it out of my system.
