Take Me Home, Country Roads, by Toots and the Maytals.
Yes, indeed, this is a #cover-of-a-cover, because I have heard Toots sing this song way, way, way, way more times than I have heard John Denver sing it.
This might be the easiest Toots song to cover, but it’s not the most important to me, but also it’s pretty moving, tbqh. Higher up on my list of formative joy-inducing Toots goodness: Reggae Got Soul, Funky Kingston, 54-46, Pressure Drop, etc., etc.
Toots is also the greatest performer I have ever seen in concert in my life. Beats Jagger, beats, McCartney, beats Axl Rose, beats … idk, Wayne Shorter? Beats them all. If I had ever seen James Brown play, it would’ve been a contest.
Toots and the Maytals live shows were a highlight of my college years, punctuation to my years in New York just as much as Stereolab or The Sea and Cake, just as much as trips to Central Park. Toots danced and sang and played and fell to his knees in soulful prayer, and lifted us heavenward with his hands and eyes and voice. Toots poured water in our mouths when we were thirsty (this is true!) and didn’t look like he was judging the crowd full of white kids (sometimes a ska crowd at Wetlands, sometimes a frat crowd at Tramps, sometimes hippie kids mixed into both), although the rest of the band might’ve given us some skeptical looks now and then. 🙂
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Literally going to West Virginia for the weekend, so this is a fully non-ironic performance.
Also, the year is now more than half over.