Zevon Rides With Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen will appear on Warren Zevon's final album, now expected out in the summer of 2003. A longtime friend, Springsteen joined Zevon at a Los Angeles studio, where he is recording the tentatively titled My Dirty Life and Times. The two collaborated previously on "Jeannie Needs a Shooter" for Zevon's 1980 album Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School.

Zevon has been working on the album ever since he was diagnosed with terminal cancer this fall. Bob Dylan, Don Henley, Ry Cooder, Dwight Yoakam, Billy Bob Thornton, Jim Keltner and frequent Zevon collaborator Jorge Calderon have already made contributions. In addition to his new originals, Zevon has recorded a cover of Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" for the album.

An extensive photo album from the recording sessions is posted on Zevon's web site (www.warrenzevon.com)>, with friends and collaborators such as actor Benicio del Toro, and authors Hunter S. Thompson and Carl Hiaasen represented.

"It's a good idea to be able to say goodbye to yourself," Zevon told Rolling Stone, "one hopes fondly, and that you'll be at peace with everyone you know, as I was with my parents. I hope I'll be in that position with everybody around me, or that I'll have written a song to a person I can't reach, to say, 'Hey, I shouldn't have fucked this up.'"

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Star Trek' Is Crazy Good
• 
  TV 10 Shows to Watch This Summer
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Tonight's the Night”

The Shirelles | 1960

The lead cut and title track from this girl group's debut album, "Tonight's the Night" was written by 19-year-old bandmember Shirley Owens, who sings lead, and producer Luther Dixon. The band from Passaic, New Jersey met in high school, first calling themselves the Pequellos. The song's frank thoughts about sexual and emotional surrender was racy for the time, but that didn't stop the Chiffons from cutting a similar version immediately after the original came out. "We were the first female group to write some of our own material," band member Beverly Lee recalls. "We did have some say-so in our writing."

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter