After several attempts, Harry Chapin left his immortal mark on music with the song “Cats In The Cradle.” It’s a track that can make grown men cry, and was the track that began me on my journey of becoming a Chapin fan courtesy of a 45 record of the song my mom bought for me to give my dad on his birthday.
If Verities & Balderdash, Chapin’s fourth studio album, were known only for that song—and, sadly, sometimes it feels like that’s all it’s known for—then it would be reason enough to give it a fair shake on the ol’ turntable or CD player. But this proves to be the album that has Chapin firing on all cylinders, merging some of his best songwriting with equally powerful performances. After three previous albums, everything finally clicked for Chapin and his band.
The nine tracks contained therein are tales of mirth and woe, love and loss—and it passes far, far too quickly. Even the lesser-known tracks all but beg the listener to pay close attention to what’s being talked about in the lyrics—and, make no mistake, Chapin cements his legacy as a true storyteller with this one.
Pretty much everyone knows “Cats In The Cradle,” so forgive me if we don’t spend any more time on that track. The follow-up track, “I Wanna Learn A Love Song,” is not only the second single from the album, it is a natural follow-up, telling the story of finding love with a woman trapped in a loveless marriage. This is Chapin baring his soul for all to see, as he had said it was based upon the true-life events of how he met his wife Sandy.
Perhaps the most powerful song on Verities & Balderdash is one that could take on many meanings in today’s world—“What Made America Famous?” Supposedly the tale of a family in a slum home that catches fire, it is not the fire department who come to their rescue, but a simple plumber. There is so, so much that one could read into these words, but the basic moral is that heroes are found in everyday people—many of whom we don’t know or never will—doing extraordinary things.
There is also plenty of time for light-hearted moments. “30,000 Pounds Of Bananas” became a concert staple in Chapin’s lifetime, and remains a fun song to listen to (as well as another song based upon actual events). As for “Six String Orchestra”… well, any of us wanna-be guitarists who are cutting our teeth at Open Mic events know this story all too well. How Chapin—supposedly an amazingly talented guitarist—was able to purposely play as badly as he does on this one is amazing.
Weaknesses? I could find but one—namely, “Halfway To Heaven.” It’s still a good song, but not quite on the same level as its album mates. This, however, is nit-picking.
If you could only own one studio album from Chapin—I hesitate to say “one album,” because you should have Greatest Hits: Live on your shelves as well—then Verities & Balderdash is the strongest candidate I’ve encountered as I continue to plow my way through Chapin’s discography. It hasn’t lost a step in the 50 years since it was released, and remains a masterpiece of folk rock.
