| "For Everyman" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Jackson Browne | |
| from the album For Everyman | |
| Released | 1973 |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 6:20 |
| Label | Asylum Records |
| Writer(s) | Jackson Browne |
| Producer | Jackson Browne |
"For Everyman" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. It is the title track to his second album For Everyman, released in 1973.
Shortly after releasing his first album, Browne left Los Angeles where he'd grown up. He moved to the Bay Area of California where he looked for a house. He was invited to live with David Crosby on Crosby's boat, The Mayan. He stayed there several months, not finding a home to rent or purchase, before going on tour to support his recently finished and released album.[1] While staying with Crosby, Browne was introduced to two of Crosby's neighbors, who also owned boats. The two friends along with Crosby, often talked about fulfilling their idyllic dream of simply sailing off into the "sunset," presumably somewhere to the South Pacific. This was a few years after Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash had released their single "Wooden Ships." Crosby stated that the songwriters "imagined ourselves as the few survivors, escaping on a boat to create a new civilization."[2] Browne admits that the dreamers were in a bit of a "fog," and composed his song as a response to their unrealizable dream. He entitled the song "For Everyman," taking the name for his song from the name of boat that had sailed to the South Pacific to protest the testing of Nuclear weapons in the early 1960s.[3] Crosby sings harmony on the song.[4]
On the studio album, the song "For Everyman" is joined by a musical interlude to the previous song, "Sing my songs to me." This same structure is also used to join the first two songs on the album: Take it Easy plays into Our Lady Of The Well. Browne, rarely if ever, plays "Sing My Songs To Me" in concert when playing "For Everyman."