Fountain of Sorrow
| "Fountain of Sorrow" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "The Late Show" |
"Fountain of Sorrow" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released as the second single from his classic 1974 album, Late for the Sky. At 6:42, it was the longest song on the album, and the longest song Browne had yet released. (For Everyman was approximately 6:20.) Two minutes were removed from the single release of "Fountain," but the song still failed to chart on Billboard's Hot 100.[1][2][3][4][5]
Reaction
In his 1974 Rolling Stone review of Late for the Sky, Stephen Holden wrote that the song "develops parallel themes of sex and nothingness, fantasy and realism, as Browne, looking at the photograph of a former lover, recalls:"
- When you see through love's illusion, their lies the danger
- And your perfect lover just looks like a perfect fool
- So you go running off in search of a perfect stranger...
"In the chorus, highly romanticized sexuality becomes a 'fountain of sorrow, fountain of light.' Later in the album the water images are developed into a larger metaphor for death and rebirth," wrote Holden.[6]
Robert Christgau called the song the best on the album: "I admit that the longest is also the best, an intricate extended metaphor called 'Fountain of Sorrow.'"[7]
In his 2008 book 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die, Tom Moon wrote that Browne's lost seeker's "inquiry leads him into the minefields of memory" on "Fountain of Sorrow," in which "a photograph opens the floodgates."
David Bertrand Wilson, in a review of Late for the Sky for his website, calls the song one of Browne's successful "attempts to steer clear of clichés," on the album.[8]
Chart positions
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | Did not chart |
Cover versions
- Joan Baez - Diamonds & Rust, 1975.[9]
Notes
- ^ Billboard magazine. Jackson Browne Chart History.
- ^ Allmusic.com. Jackson Browne Awards.
- ^ Wikipedia Jackson Browne Discography.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel. Billboard Hot 100 Charts - The Seventies. Wisconsin: Record Research, 1990.
- ^ Paris, Russ. JACKSON BROWNE COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY.
- ^ Holden, Stephen. Rolling Stone, "Rock Me On the Water" Song Review.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. Christgau, Robert. RobertChristgau.com, [Late for the Sky Review].
- ^ Wilson, David Bertrand.Late for the Sky Wilson & Alroy's Record Reviews. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- ^ ALLMUSIC.com. "Fountain of Sorrows" Versions Page