'No Broken Wings Can Keep Me Down'

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From 'One True Love' written by David Cassidy and Sue Shiffrin, from David's album 'Didn't You Used To Be'. released in 1992. I've been listening to this album a lot recently, somehow perfect music for this part of the year, another summer has gone, and we all are a little bit older.

This is really puzzling, strange even, how this album is sad. After all, in 1992, David was still young, again successful, maybe not on the scale he dreamed about, but nevertheless. He was in a happy relationship, had a baby son, but 'Didn't You Used To Be' is very melancholic. The leitmotive is lost love and dealing with it. 'I stare into the face of despair' in 'Soul Kiss'. Even 'Somebody To Love' or 'Treat Me Like You Used To' are not happy songs either (if I can put it this way)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9k9KA3ceTQ

Wonderful song and I'm so happy that fans still make new tribute videos. We all need and appreciate them.

David's love songs were always bitter-sweet, and in many articles from the 70s the image of an unlucky in love David was created. Not without a reason. A lot of fans reading about lonely and unhappy David were dreaming that if only... The songs written or chosen for him and written by him for his Bell's albums are - 'redolent of Cassidy's lovelorn musical persona which endeared him to the girls and boys of the early 70s' ( Stephen Porter, David Cassidy The Bell Years 1972-1974, September 27, 2019)

And the same was later, when he could record what he wanted. Only the style and arrangment changed. Pop and blue-eyed soul mostly in the 70s ; new wave, electronic music in the 80s; rock in the early 90s. And I think that soft-rock styling of 'Didn't You Used To Be' especially suited David's mature, rich voice, and his vocal range on this album is truly outstanding. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39g1m9Wkt1I

What makes this album special was the fact that there were new songs, written by David and Sue, and I really would love to know how that collaboration looked like. The music is wonderful and the lyrics as good as it. As we know David was very skilled lyricist, he didn't need many words to convey emotions. 

It's easier to say which song I like the least, 'Treat Me', the rest are all my favourites. A few years ago I read a blog about David (I'm not the first one blogger writing about him of course) called 'Daydreaming David'. It was published for 2 years (2009-2011), very interesting, I think more personal than mine, and there were a lot of comments. And I remember reading there that David's voice in later years lost his magic. Not for me, never.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToCcOBl0UqU







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