Songs are stories—little movies that play in the listener’s head with a cast of their own choosing. Now, I don’t know about you, but a story that consists of little more than “I love you baby, I want you baby, oo, ooo, oooo” doesn’t do much for me.

Through the years I’ve heard and sung many thousands of songs. Over time, many of these songs have become shopworn and dull to me. Some, however, just refuse to lose their lustre. With the perspective of years, these are songs that I consider truly great.

A while back, I collected some of these classic songs on two CDs. These are “other people’s songs”—not written by me. I recorded them simply, using acoustic instruments for almost everything. The idea was to showcase these little pop gems and let them shine.

On each of the collections, I sneaked in a song or two of my own, including the title cuts. I’m pleased to say they fit in well with these timeless classics and it is my hope that in their own good time they age just as well.

After all, I don’t write just to write. And I don’t do it as an exercise or because it is my job. Those, I think, are some of the reasons that much pop music is so uninspired. I don’t even start unless I have something meaningful to say. And I’m out for a classic every time. I don’t always (or even often) succeed, but I have to try. Why else bother?

For a list of the classic tunes on these collections, see the Discography.