Until It's Time For You To Go

I bought a Bobby Darin collection today. I don't really know anything about him other than a few songs but was feeling adventurous and, anyway, he once sent Buffy Sainte-Marie 13 yellow roses so he must be okay.

There were a few collections in the record shop but I went for 'Feelin' Good' because it included Buffy's 'Until It's Time For You To Go' and I've never heard his version of the song. It's one of Buffy's early songs from her second album ('Many A Mile' in 1965) and it's one of her songs that seems to have been recorded by virtually everybody that was anybody in the '60s and early '70s. The version that always springs to mind is the one by Elvis which was a hit in 1972 (I have vague memories of seeing him singing it in a video recorded at his show in Vegas).

I think of it as a remarkably adult song (particularly for 1965), not a lovey-dovey 'love will last forever and we'll be happy ever after' type of song. It's also a modern song that addresses life in the 20th Century and beyond, snatching moments of love and closeness in our busy and fleeting lives. Two lines of the song sum it up for me:

Although I'll never in my life see you again

Still I'll stay until it's time for you to go

Buffy's version of the song is a celebration of life and love, resigned but determined to wring the last ounce of love from the situation. It's a beautiful song. Bobby Darin's version seems almost mournful by comparison. It's not a sad song at all.

I'm lucky enough to have a version of Buffy singing the song that's never been released on CD as far as I know. It's a crackly 7" vinyl single recorded with Gershon Kingsley and his Chorus and Orchestra and features an accordion which makes me think of this as the French version of the song (very left bank, if you see what I mean). It's a lovely version of the song and would be perfect for a rarities collection of Buffy's songs. The 'B' side is 'The Flower And The Apple Tree'.

The lyrics and a short note about the song are on Buffy's Creative-Native site. Even better, go to iTunes or your download site of choice and download the song so you can listen to Buffy singing it as it's meant to be sung.

Oh, and the 13 yellow roses? That's not hearsay or gossip, that's a memory that Buffy mentioned when she introduced the song when I had the honour of seeing her in concert in Canada in 2005. Happy memories.