The Mockingbird: Issue 20

FOR THE RECORD

A Bruce Cockburn Starter Playlist

By Ben Self

One Day I Walk (1970) Written from the point of view of a wandering busker, this simple tune from Cockburn’s early solo career evokes a young man’s hopeful embrace of life’s twists and turns. The stripped-down style also conveys his own early search for musical and philosophical purity.

All the Diamonds (1973) Cockburn said he wrote this song “the day after I actually took a look at myself and realized that I was a Christian.” As you might expect, it basks in the afterglow of conversion: it’s luminous and full of gratitude.

Festival of Friends (1975) This little tune was borne of tragedy—the death of a friend’s baby to SIDS—but again illustrates the purity of Cockburn’s newfound faith, with a simple yet beautiful metaphor for the Kingdom of God. Lord of the Starfields (1976) Cockburn attempted to write “something like a psalm” here, capturing both the awesome sweep of God’s glory in creation

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and our own compressed longing for connection, purpose, and transcendence.

It’s one of the most memorable and unique songs of his career.

Wondering Where the Lions Are (1979) The lyrics to this upbeat pop song— Cockburn’s first international hit—were inspired by a dream he had (involving lions) after an ominous conversation with a relative about the looming threat of nuclear war. He wrote it after waking up the next morning to find that, thanks be to God, there was no “nuclear war. It was a real nice day.”

Tokyo (1979) This is one of Cockburn’s first “documentary-style” songs, comprised of a bevy of precise observations strung together to form a broader impression. It centers around a strange experience he had passing by a road accident while on tour in Tokyo.

Rumours of Glory (1979) On an album full of grim themes, this buoyant reggae-styled single conveyed

THE MOCKINGBIRD