Positively the eeriest performance I've ever see. Hearing the song on CD is one thing.Harry's intensity on this piece was scary. A genius taken too soon from us. R.I.P Harry.
His greatest song, as far as I'm concerned. It has and will always bring tears to my eyes. Mesmerizing lyrics, story, and delivery. Sad that he went so early.
@@sysiphuscorinth It's because they really don't consider his music rock which is shitty...I mean yeah it's more folk than rock but I mean come on there's so many other artists in the hall of fame less rock than him.
Even Harry’s band sensed how emotionally draining was this riveting and haunting performance. At the conclusion of the song, Harry’s guitarist walks over and slaps Chapin on the shoulder in wonderment.
When Harry wrote this song he was inspired by: The Texas Tower shooting of 1966, also called University of Texas clock tower shooting, mass shooting in Austin, Texas, on August 1, 1966, in which Charles Whitman, a student and ex-Marine, fired down from the clock tower on the campus of the University of Texas, killing 14 people and wounding 31 others (one of whom died years later from complications related to his wounds). Earlier in the day, Whitman had killed his wife and mother. The incident was one of the worst mass murders in a public area in the history of the United States and the first to unfold “live” in the era of mass media. Sometimes wondering how an artist creates his own songs comes from a real [although tragic] event. Harry used this event to framework his song Sniper. And like all of you said . . . eeriest, intense and haunting from the performance. Saw Harry 3 times and each event was fantastic. Excellent lyricist and tune writer.
Loved his music for over 40 years. Harry was big on charities and "giving back." In fact,he would often donate his concert proceeds to the different hunger causes that are still relevant to this day. His mantra was, "I play one night for me and one night for the other guy." Amazing man.
Absolutely haunting. Harry Chapin's most artistically significant song, and one of the most emphatic live performances I've ever seen. It's performances like this that completely re-contextualize a song. When I heard the original I thought it was just another example of Harry Chapin's penchant for writing twisted 10 minute ballads. I was intrigued, but I didn't think the song was anything truly exceptional. But with a vocal performance that can only be described as violent, and with a stripped down instrumental sound that emphasizes the lyrics over the corny effects of the studio version, Chapin and his band turn the song into an entirely different experience. It's something that seems almost unique, both in the time it was recorded and in the time I listened to it.
So very true! Harry's studio albums cannot compare to his concerts and live albums. The studio versions of his songs lack the passion and intensity that he had for his music and life. The attempt to get a perfect sound, for lack of a better term, does not do Harry's passion justice. I saw him in concert 9 times, everyone being a wonderful evening.
I dropped to my knees and cried when I heard of his death. I followed him all around New York and Connecticut to listen to his concerts. A brilliant song writer and singer.
I was already a Chapin fan when I saw this in college. It blew me away. I remember when that event happened and his rendition was haunting. You can tell he put his soul into it. He was a master of storytelling through music that left us too soon.
To add to this - I had just gotten to my dorm room after a formal event and this was on. I walked in to hear this and just stopped. I couldn’t move. It was the most amazing, haunting song I’d ever heard.
Back in the seventies while I was going to Duquesne Univ. in Pittsburgh, I saw that Harry was performing and the Shadyside Academy. Three friends and I bought tickets. When we got there there were only a little over 100 people there. There was a Rolling Stone concert in Pittsburgh that same night. It was festival seating and Harry told everyone to move closer to the stage and we would make a friendly get together. It was probably the best concert I have ever gone to.
Best artist of my old lifetime. Goofy critics used to lament his singing voice but you could tell by the crowds at his concerts that they appreciated that unique talent like nothing else. For anyone still in question? Try doing any of Harry's songs.
This was the first Harry Chapin Song I ever heard - in all places - in a High School English Class! - Creative Writing - my Teacher was trying to get us to understand the use of metaphor and verbal expression, changes in rhythm and expression.(LOL) Today, she'd probably be fired immediately, for such a thing, but that was 1972, and nobody expected any of us to be inspired to go out and shoot anybody. (Snork)
That's because you were able to think for yourself, and you didn't need a singer, let alone a whole news channel telling you how to feel- think- and act. Your mind, your conscience, your spirit belonged to you and you alone.
Interesting. When I taught literature in college I would play Harry Chapin to show a good narrative is not restricted to words on a page. As for Sniper, first time I heard it I was blown away. I only wish in this version he wasn't losing his voice by the end of it.
@@ronnutter6063Harry’s voice could recover though. You would think he’d rip his voice to shreds but just listen to his live albums and he was doing back to back shows some nights, as well as going to schools in the day and giving talks and singing songs for free.
@@supernewf66 Not with Biden gone/Harris president for sure. Only a few days since his inauguration, and he has already destroyed 50,000+ jobs, let the boys into the girls bathrooms and showers, and abandoned Taiwan and Israel in favor of the Chinese communists and Iran.
@@kennethjacobus6541 QAnut clown, GOP are the reason everyone's getting murdered by assault rifles by the thousands while every other civilized country isn't.
Amazing performance. Brings me back to the times as a little kid seeing him perform. I had the privilege of meeting him a couple of times as a kid. Love his music. He is missed.
Not a cell phone in sight (I know, they hadn't hit the public just yet), how refreshing, and the audience is respectful and polite. A tough song to pull off live, stripped down as opposed to the studio version (which is equally awesome). It's an intense song, but Harry was an intense man. He checked out of this world 33 years ago tomorrow. Harry is missed by the clued in folks that "got it". He was on of the people, not like the performers and musicians of today; he wasn't cut off from his audience, and he cared deeply for people all over the world. Thank you for all of your music and contributions Harry.
As a Texan, but not quite old enough to remember this, it has special meaning to me. My first wife was born in Austin and told me the story. The school in San Antonio where we met had an observation tower in the middle of the campus just like the UT clock tower. It was locked all year except for one day when it was tradition to run to the top, BECAUSE of this story. I knew the song before I knew the whole story.
Incredible. Every now and then I come back to listen to this song for the beauty of it and the terrible pain that Harry so well conveys in this amazing song. It seems our country has more of these kinds of souls than I ever imagined. I miss Harry Chapin .
1st time i've ever seen or heard Harry Chapin, blown away, the subject matter of the song is heartbreaking, and he sings it and means it. Many thanks for posting this.
I was a freshman in H.S. when this aired on our local PBS station (Albany NY) and I had already bought the V & B record but this performance moved me unlike anything before. I had the good luck to see Harry live a bunch and met him at some of his college gigs. He was sincerely interested in his audience and always thanked me for coming and wanted to know if I was having a good time. A year or so before he passed He was scheduled to do a show at SPAC (Saratoga NY) the band was at the gig and Harry was to catch a flight from NYC to Albany. Something caused the flight to be cancelled so he drove his beat up car from NYC to Saratoga rather than cancel. This was one of the shows he did for "Feed the World" so he wasn't making a dime.
+Egroeg McDonald I had tickets to see his show following that at Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, CT and was devastated as though I'd lost a family member. I had seen him there before and at the University of Bridgeport as well and even had the honor to meet him when he signed the music book of his I'd brought with me of his last album. I will never forget the feeling of being within his aura....he was magical, spiritual and almost ethereal in person and though I've seen many concerts and performers since those day, there was only one Harry Chapin. If music has its own category for sainthood, Harry might be the first. I will always consider him a special gift to us all.
Family Snapshot by Peter Gabriel was my favorite similarly themed song. I am now questioning that. Harry is a passionate, fully alive genius. So touched by his work.
Wow!! At the end, he seemed to be overtaken by his own emotion. What a passionate love ballad. Lot o' soul came through during that performance. Bravo, Harry!!!
This post is very old but it is the greatest performance I ever watched of him and have watched it numerous times. Powerful.. amazing.. RIP . Harry , your music lives on..
@@easyrolling I remember returning to my dorm room one night and this was on Soundstage. I was already a huge fan. I just stood there with my mouth open watching, listening. It was a draining experience, but the best he ever did. I read that he couldn’t perform it back to back because of the emotional effect it had on him. I so miss him.
Harry said that he could talk about this song for hours. I could probably write about Harry for hours. It would probably bore every one but me. I will say two things about this performance: 1. Harry was a genius with amazing empathy. Another more obscure song of this genre and reminiscent of Sniper is Bummer. 2. This was an amazing acting performance. I believe that if he had lived, he would have been called on to be an actor like, Kris, Willie, Barbra, and some of our other greatest singer/songwriters and storytellers.
Saw Harry once 1974 or so in Cincinnati. It was a great show. I remember this song. It's still one of my favorite of Harry's. RIP Brother, ccome back if possible.
Pure musicians here. All of them in this very special band. Harry could have been the best actor of his time along with being one of the very best creative musical talents ever.
My dad's been a huge fan of Harry Chapin for a long time...I am so glad to say that Harry Chapin was one of my childhood musical influences. Brilliant man.
RETURNED ONCE MORE FOR THE SEQUEL. ONLY HARRY CHAPIN BRIDGED TIME & SPACE THROUGH HIS MUSICAL STORIES. " THERE'VE BEEN TOO MANY MILES & TOO FEW SMILES, BUT "I STILL REMEMBER YOU". "THERE'S A WILD MAN WIZARD HIDING IN ME, DRIVING A PRINCESS BLIND"." BABY'S SO HIGH THAT SHE'S SKYING, SO HIGH, SHE'S AFRAID TO FALL, I'LL TELL U WHY BABY'S CRYIN', CAUSE SHE'S DYIN"., AREN'T WE ALL". LOVE & LOSS THRU HARRY CHAPIN'S WORDS & MUSIC. " TAKIN' TIPS & GETTIN" STONED. I GO FLYIN' SO HIGH WHEN I'M STONED".R.I.
Just wow.. I just heard this song by Chapin for the first time.. Still ringing in my ears -- "Am I? There is no way that you can hide me. Am I ? Though you have put your fire inside me. Am I ? You've given me my answer can't you see? I was! I am! And now I will be I will be"
Sharing this one with one of the groups I belong to - originating in Austrailia ! They requested ! Great group called " Harry Chapin Memories " ! Harry legacy , and WHY ( World Hunger Year ) is global now , and multi-generational . How cool is that ?
I think I am remembering this correctly. I have a memory of his performing this song on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. At its end, the audience just sat there in rapt silence, no doubt many tears dropping to the floor. It was stunning. Not the usual entertainment pablum.
Like many people my age who were too young to be familiar with more than his biggest commercial hits, I didn't appreciate how unique and odd Chapin is. I just watched something on pbs about the Univ of Texas killings, this song is about the killer. Yeah, Chapin is definitely one of a kind.
This incident was the “daddy” of school shootings but probably the only song that tried to get in the head of the shooter. Whether he succeeded or failed is hard to say. The arrangement the band did is incredible.
I know the inspiration for this song is Charles Whitman, but it also reminds me of something else. In the 1980s, Marvel was experimenting with black and white comics in a magazine format, about the dimensions of an issue of LIFE. One of these was a horror genre anthology title. The story that sticks in my memory is a first-person narration about a sniper-killing-spree at a World’s Fair. The sniper, all along, has been brooding about being a forgotten man. As a lethal response from the law closes in on him, his dying thoughts are something about how nobody will forget him because of the murder and terror he has spread that day. The dark humor punchline is that the last panel is a leap out of the first person narration and to a future edition of the “Trivial Pursuit” board game. The question on one card is, “What was the name of The World’s Fair Sniper?”
This song was based on the earliest known mass shooting case, that of Charles Whitman. If you care about changing the way America views guns, vets, women, children, violence and disaster, then you should care about the Whitman case. It exposes a plethora of the flaws in the American psyche. I didn't understand the song when I first heard it as a tweenager. It was too solemn for me to listen or sing outside of home. As beautiful as it was to me. Now as an adult, who came of age in the era of columbine, it is amazing to me how true to life this song still is. Anguished and depressing and mad at once, catching the essence of a narcisistic mass shooter.
What an astonishing song, way ahead of its time. Every time a mass shooting happens I think of this song. He figured it out 40 years ago "why they do it." He was a brilliant writer. Now, the music arrangement, I'm not so sure about......BTW, I wonder what the adorable three year old boy shown at the end made of the show?
See you in another 15 minutes . I dont think many appreciate the amount of raw power from the band. No one on this earth could smash this out like MR CHAPIN. no one.
So much is great about this... but I think the back up vocals - both the arrangement and performance of them - are often overlooked. His first 3 albums are full of this unique approach... it really gives his music a full and interesting soundscape without a lot of extra instrumentation.
This was the first Harry Chapin song I ever heard, on the radio, before Taxi, before Bananas, it was enough to remember his name. It's about a real story that was on the news all week. Guy walks into the tower in the middle of a Texas university campus and let it go. It was the first mass shooting I ever heard of. Mid 60s. I once read a review of this song that said derisively, "It's the kind of song that a young man could play to his mother." I don't know about that! "I HA-A-ATE YOO-OO-OO-OU!
Harry was one of the few performers who was better live than in the studio.
and he was great in the studio
A true storyteller
I absolutly agree
Can anyone find a more intense and passionate performance on RUclips? No, I didn't think so.
There will never be another genius like Harry Chapin.
Amen LonG LiVE HarrY
Positively the eeriest performance I've ever see. Hearing the song on CD is one thing.Harry's intensity on this piece was scary. A genius taken too soon from us. R.I.P Harry.
TV. V bc y. Buy a
So true.
His greatest song, as far as I'm concerned. It has and will always bring tears to my eyes. Mesmerizing lyrics, story, and delivery. Sad that he went so early.
it is truly an epic performance, song, story and when you realize the facts behind it, it is mind blowing.
One of his best.. why is he still not in the Rock hall of fame..is it because white???
@@sysiphuscorinth It's because they really don't consider his music rock which is shitty...I mean yeah it's more folk than rock but I mean come on there's so many other artists in the hall of fame less rock than him.
Even Harry’s band sensed how emotionally draining was this riveting and haunting performance. At the conclusion of the song, Harry’s guitarist walks over and slaps Chapin on the shoulder in wonderment.
When Harry wrote this song he was inspired by:
The Texas Tower shooting of 1966, also called University of Texas clock tower shooting, mass shooting in Austin, Texas, on August 1, 1966, in which Charles Whitman, a student and ex-Marine, fired down from the clock tower on the campus of the University of Texas, killing 14 people and wounding 31 others (one of whom died years later from complications related to his wounds). Earlier in the day, Whitman had killed his wife and mother. The incident was one of the worst mass murders in a public area in the history of the United States and the first to unfold “live” in the era of mass media.
Sometimes wondering how an artist creates his own songs comes from a real [although tragic] event. Harry used this event to framework his song Sniper. And like all of you said . . . eeriest, intense and haunting from the performance. Saw Harry 3 times and each event was fantastic. Excellent lyricist and tune writer.
Loved his music for over 40 years. Harry was big on charities and "giving back." In fact,he would often donate his concert proceeds to the different hunger causes that are still relevant to this day. His mantra was, "I play one night for me and one night for the other guy." Amazing man.
One for me, one for the other guy. I'll remember this. Take, but always give back. Always.
Absolutely haunting. Harry Chapin's most artistically significant song, and one of the most emphatic live performances I've ever seen. It's performances like this that completely re-contextualize a song. When I heard the original I thought it was just another example of Harry Chapin's penchant for writing twisted 10 minute ballads. I was intrigued, but I didn't think the song was anything truly exceptional. But with a vocal performance that can only be described as violent, and with a stripped down instrumental sound that emphasizes the lyrics over the corny effects of the studio version, Chapin and his band turn the song into an entirely different experience. It's something that seems almost unique, both in the time it was recorded and in the time I listened to it.
So very true! Harry's studio albums cannot compare to his concerts and live albums. The studio versions of his songs lack the passion and intensity that he had for his music and life. The attempt to get a perfect sound, for lack of a better term, does not do Harry's passion justice. I saw him in concert 9 times, everyone being a wonderful evening.
I dropped to my knees and cried when I heard of his death. I followed him all around New York and Connecticut to listen to his concerts. A brilliant song writer and singer.
I was already a Chapin fan when I saw this in college. It blew me away. I remember when that event happened and his rendition was haunting. You can tell he put his soul into it. He was a master of storytelling through music that left us too soon.
To add to this - I had just gotten to my dorm room after a formal event and this was on. I walked in to hear this and just stopped. I couldn’t move. It was the most amazing, haunting song I’d ever heard.
Wrote a college paper on this song’s lyrics, this is such a powerful performance.
What an incredible storyteller, Harry is a treasure we must never forget.
Back in the seventies while I was going to Duquesne Univ. in Pittsburgh, I saw that Harry was performing and the Shadyside Academy. Three friends and I bought tickets. When we got there there were only a little over 100 people there. There was a Rolling Stone concert in Pittsburgh that same night. It was festival seating and Harry told everyone to move closer to the stage and we would make a friendly get together. It was probably the best concert I have ever gone to.
One of Harry's best songs. So intense.
Best artist of my old lifetime. Goofy critics used to lament his singing voice but you could tell by the crowds at his concerts that they appreciated that unique talent like nothing else. For anyone still in question? Try doing any of Harry's songs.
My favorite singer and PERSON of all time!
I saw him twice, still the best concerts I've seen. Miss you.
haunting. and perennially relevant
words that paint pictures indelible into your mind HARRY will always be a HERO of mine
I still can't hear "The shortest story" without crying EVERY time.
he should have been! He was an artist that painted pictures in your mind, using words to create an image unique to whoever was listening!
This is one of the most intense songs of the 20th century, easily. I had this entire concert on VHS, which is now pretty much obsolete.
This was the first Harry Chapin Song I ever heard - in all places - in a High School English Class! - Creative Writing - my Teacher was trying to get us to understand the use of metaphor and verbal expression, changes in rhythm and expression.(LOL) Today, she'd probably be fired immediately, for such a thing, but that was 1972, and nobody expected any of us to be inspired to go out and shoot anybody. (Snork)
That's because you were able to think for yourself, and you didn't need a singer, let alone a whole news channel telling you how to feel- think- and act. Your mind, your conscience, your spirit belonged to you and you alone.
Interesting. When I taught literature in college I would play Harry Chapin to show a good narrative is not restricted to words on a page. As for Sniper, first time I heard it I was blown away. I only wish in this version he wasn't losing his voice by the end of it.
OMG I feel how you feel tho I don't think this is the best Chapin tune to introduce someone to. This one is POWERFUL!!!!!
@@ronnutter6063Harry’s voice could recover though. You would think he’d rip his voice to shreds but just listen to his live albums and he was doing back to back shows some nights, as well as going to schools in the day and giving talks and singing songs for free.
What a tremendous loss! Harry was an excellent performer and possibly one of the greatest lyricists of this generation.
sometimes it's just a Harry kind of night! love you and what you stood for Harry, you are truly a missed man!
You put it perfectly. Namaste. :)
thank you ;)
Sadly, this has become our national anthem. Harry, you rage for us even from the other side. Someday we will make it better.
When?
@@supernewf66 Not with Biden gone/Harris president for sure. Only a few days since his inauguration, and he has already destroyed 50,000+ jobs, let the boys into the girls bathrooms and showers, and abandoned Taiwan and Israel in favor of the Chinese communists and Iran.
Says who??? Fox and friends?
Lost Creek, your comment is three years old. After three years, and now Biden/Harris, ANTIFA and BLM, things are worse.
@@kennethjacobus6541 QAnut clown, GOP are the reason everyone's getting murdered by assault rifles by the thousands while every other civilized country isn't.
Used to hear this all the time on BCN in the 70s when it was a real underground station.
Been a big Chapin fan for many years... I really wish I could have met him and talked for hours. He was a wonderful man.
Amazing performance. Brings me back to the times as a little kid seeing him perform. I had the privilege of meeting him a couple of times as a kid. Love his music. He is missed.
Not a cell phone in sight (I know, they hadn't hit the public just yet), how refreshing, and the audience is respectful and polite. A tough song to pull off live, stripped down as opposed to the studio version (which is equally awesome). It's an intense song, but Harry was an intense man. He checked out of this world 33 years ago tomorrow. Harry is missed by the clued in folks that "got it". He was on of the people, not like the performers and musicians of today; he wasn't cut off from his audience, and he cared deeply for people all over the world. Thank you for all of your music and contributions Harry.
The great ones never really leave.
I saw him perform this in the 70s. This tune sent chills down my spine.
I love Harry Chap
In. He died way too young.
As a Texan, but not quite old enough to remember this, it has special meaning to me. My first wife was born in Austin and told me the story. The school in San Antonio where we met had an observation tower in the middle of the campus just like the UT clock tower. It was locked all year except for one day when it was tradition to run to the top, BECAUSE of this story. I knew the song before I knew the whole story.
Texas, home of mass shootings!
It's amazing... incredible, all of the Harry Chapin songs emerged from deep in the human soul... Thank you for uploading!
This performance scared me a little bit. How intense.
Incredible. Every now and then I come back to listen to this song for the beauty of it and the terrible pain that Harry so well conveys in this amazing song. It seems our country has more of these kinds of souls than I ever imagined. I miss Harry Chapin .
Every time I hear this song it gets me..first heard it in the 70's while stationed at Fort Lewis Washington....awesome.... no doubt....
1st time i've ever seen or heard Harry Chapin, blown away, the subject matter of the song is heartbreaking, and he sings it and means it. Many thanks for posting this.
Writer, singer, performer one of the very best ever.
I was a freshman in H.S. when this aired on our local PBS station (Albany NY) and I had already bought the V & B record but this performance moved me unlike anything before. I had the good luck to see Harry live a bunch and met him at some of his college gigs. He was sincerely interested in his audience and always thanked me for coming and wanted to know if I was having a good time.
A year or so before he passed He was scheduled to do a show at SPAC (Saratoga NY) the band was at the gig and Harry was to catch a flight from NYC to Albany. Something caused the flight to be cancelled so he drove his beat up car from NYC to Saratoga rather than cancel. This was one of the shows he did for "Feed the World" so he wasn't making a dime.
+Egroeg McDonald I had tickets to see his show following that at Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, CT and was devastated as though I'd lost a family member. I had seen him there before and at the University of Bridgeport as well and even had the honor to meet him when he signed the music book of his I'd brought with me of his last album. I will never forget the feeling of being within his aura....he was magical, spiritual and almost ethereal in person and though I've seen many concerts and performers since those day, there was only one Harry Chapin. If music has its own category for sainthood, Harry might be the first. I will always consider him a special gift to us all.
Fucking AWESOME that is why he is one of the BEST to do it
Family Snapshot by Peter Gabriel was my favorite similarly themed song. I am now questioning that. Harry is a passionate, fully alive genius. So touched by his work.
This version breaks me everytime
If there's any song than can teach the meaning of empathy, it's this one.
Went to many concerts in the 70s and 80s. This was without a doubt the most unforgettable in Boise, ID in 1975
The greatest musical story teller of all time. Never understand why the wrong ones die. Thank you
Wow!! At the end, he seemed to be overtaken by his own emotion. What a passionate love ballad. Lot o' soul came through during that performance. Bravo, Harry!!!
This post is very old but it is the greatest performance I ever watched of him and have watched it numerous times. Powerful.. amazing.. RIP . Harry , your music lives on..
@@easyrolling I remember returning to my dorm room one night and this was on Soundstage. I was already a huge fan. I just stood there with my mouth open watching, listening. It was a draining experience, but the best he ever did. I read that he couldn’t perform it back to back because of the emotional effect it had on him. I so miss him.
Went to many concerts in the 70s and 80s but this was without a doubt the most memorable in Boise I'd.
Incredible, God bless you Harry for your passion and genius, so sad that you left us on this day 40 years ago
DAMN!!! I had completely forgotten about this song. Harry Chapin was amazing, insightful, gut-punching artist. He is so missed.
Loved Harry's songs back then. Privileged to have spoke with him after a Newcastle concert. The good die young..
What a great song writer and performer
Harry said that he could talk about this song for hours. I could probably write about Harry for hours. It would probably bore every one but me. I will say two things about this performance:
1. Harry was a genius with amazing empathy. Another more obscure song of this genre and reminiscent of Sniper is Bummer.
2. This was an amazing acting performance. I believe that if he had lived, he would have been called on to be an actor like, Kris, Willie, Barbra, and some of our other greatest singer/songwriters and storytellers.
Saw Harry once 1974 or so in Cincinnati. It was a great show. I remember this song. It's still one of my favorite of Harry's. RIP Brother, ccome back if possible.
Harry was a genius just think of all the GREAT STOIIES we have missed for the last 36 years
Brings back great memories. Saw him @ small upstate NY college (70’s)
Pure musicians here. All of them in this very special band. Harry could have been the best actor of his time along with being one of the very best creative musical talents ever.
Harry Chapin.....A man snatched away long before
Among my favorite RUclips videos of all time. What a great performance!
As a kid, the liner notes and artwork on the lp weirded me out. My parents loved him, and there's more to chapin than cats in the cradle.
I saw him perform this song live...
marie bohrer I envy you
i coulda seen him in '79 for 3 bucks in college. missed it. still bummed.
A Legend. RIP Harry.
The one concert I will always regret not being able to attend. The best.
So brilliant.
My dad's been a huge fan of Harry Chapin for a long time...I am so glad to say that Harry Chapin was one of my childhood musical influences. Brilliant man.
RETURNED ONCE MORE FOR THE SEQUEL. ONLY HARRY CHAPIN BRIDGED TIME & SPACE THROUGH HIS MUSICAL STORIES. " THERE'VE BEEN TOO MANY MILES & TOO FEW SMILES, BUT "I STILL REMEMBER YOU". "THERE'S A WILD MAN WIZARD HIDING IN ME, DRIVING A PRINCESS BLIND"." BABY'S SO HIGH THAT SHE'S SKYING, SO HIGH, SHE'S AFRAID TO FALL, I'LL TELL U WHY BABY'S CRYIN', CAUSE SHE'S DYIN"., AREN'T WE ALL". LOVE & LOSS THRU HARRY CHAPIN'S WORDS & MUSIC. " TAKIN' TIPS & GETTIN" STONED. I GO FLYIN' SO HIGH WHEN I'M STONED".R.I.
boy he has some strong vocal chords.
Been years since I hears this song. Should be played more ! Still brings chills.
Seeing this performed in person was intense.
40 years ago today we lost a true storyteller. 07/16/81
Just wow.. I just heard this song by Chapin for the first time..
Still ringing in my ears --
"Am I?
There is no way that you can hide me.
Am I ?
Though you have put your fire inside me.
Am I ?
You've given me my answer can't you see?
I was!
I am!
And now I will be
I will be"
Best of the best.
Sharing this one with one of the groups I belong to - originating in Austrailia ! They requested ! Great group called " Harry Chapin Memories " ! Harry legacy , and WHY ( World Hunger Year ) is global now , and multi-generational . How cool is that ?
It sure is Judy...Dennis
I think I am remembering this correctly. I have a memory of his performing this song on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. At its end, the audience just sat there in rapt silence, no doubt many tears dropping to the floor. It was stunning. Not the usual entertainment pablum.
Like many people my age who were too young to be familiar with more than his biggest commercial hits, I didn't appreciate how unique and odd Chapin is. I just watched something on pbs about the Univ of Texas killings, this song is about the killer. Yeah, Chapin is definitely one of a kind.
Big John and the other backup singer let Harry take this one. He was so intensely into it, you could see that he didn't want very much help.
Fifty years and this song could have been written today. Mental illness is still not being addressed. Even though it is an epidemic now.
This incident was the “daddy” of school shootings but probably the only song that tried to get in the head of the shooter. Whether he succeeded or failed is hard to say. The arrangement the band did is incredible.
0:38 Did not expect guitar tapping when I looked this video up
This gives me chills
I know the inspiration for this song is Charles Whitman, but it also reminds me of something else. In the 1980s, Marvel was experimenting with black and white comics in a magazine format, about the dimensions of an issue of LIFE. One of these was a horror genre anthology title. The story that sticks in my memory is a first-person narration about a sniper-killing-spree at a World’s Fair. The sniper, all along, has been brooding about being a forgotten man. As a lethal response from the law closes in on him, his dying thoughts are something about how nobody will forget him because of the murder and terror he has spread that day. The dark humor punchline is that the last panel is a leap out of the first person narration and to a future edition of the “Trivial Pursuit” board game. The question on one card is, “What was the name of The World’s Fair Sniper?”
perfection 😢😮
❤
This song was based on the earliest known mass shooting case, that of Charles Whitman. If you care about changing the way America views guns, vets, women, children, violence and disaster, then you should care about the Whitman case. It exposes a plethora of the flaws in the American psyche. I didn't understand the song when I first heard it as a tweenager. It was too solemn for me to listen or sing outside of home. As beautiful as it was to me. Now as an adult, who came of age in the era of columbine, it is amazing to me how true to life this song still is. Anguished and depressing and mad at once, catching the essence of a narcisistic mass shooter.
The first time anyone screamed in a song and it sounded good this is like folk death metal that's how intense it feels
Masterpiece of performance by harry and his band.
The last two-and-a-half minutes, in particular, are incredible...
What an astonishing song, way ahead of its time. Every time a mass shooting happens I think of this song. He figured it out 40 years ago "why they do it." He was a brilliant writer. Now, the music arrangement, I'm not so sure about......BTW, I wonder what the adorable three year old boy shown at the end made of the show?
I'm so to be listening to Harry tonight!! Thankyou!!
Harry. Thanks for all the great music and RIP. Oh by the way "keep the change."
I saw Harry Chapin in concert 11 times and met him twice. I learned of his death during my 24th birthday party. What a tragedy he died so young.
Bummer is another heavy one by Harry
I was deeply moved when I saw his performance at Adelphi University in the early 70s.
It was on his first album.
Thanks so much for posting. I wore this out on VHS, now it's here FOREVER!
See you in another 15 minutes . I dont think many appreciate the amount of raw power from the band. No one on this earth could smash this out like MR CHAPIN. no one.
This song is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hauntingly Beautiful,
So intense. Absolutely unreal.
So much is great about this... but I think the back up vocals - both the arrangement and performance of them - are often overlooked. His first 3 albums are full of this unique approach... it really gives his music a full and interesting soundscape without a lot of extra instrumentation.
Might argue, A Better Place to Be, is his best song but who cares really, both bloody brilliant.
This was the first Harry Chapin song I ever heard, on the radio, before Taxi, before Bananas, it was enough to remember his name. It's about a real story that was on the news all week. Guy walks into the tower in the middle of a Texas university campus and let it go. It was the first mass shooting I ever heard of. Mid 60s.
I once read a review of this song that said derisively, "It's the kind of song that a young man could play to his mother." I don't know about that! "I HA-A-ATE YOO-OO-OO-OU!