Corner of 19th and 23rd: "Keep Me In Your Heart For Awhile"

When Warren Zevon learned he had a terminal illness he was determined to put together a final studio album. Fortunately, his record label; Artemis gave him a generous budget and he set out to bring as many of his friends together as possible. Check out this list:

Guitars – Ry Cooder, Bruce Springsteen, Brad Davis, Randy Mitchell, Tommy Shaw, David Lindley, Mike Campbell and Joe Walsh

Bass – Jorge Calderon and Reggie Hamilton

Vocals – Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, Bruce Springsteen, John Waite, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmidt, Jordan Zevon, Jackson Browne, T Bone Burnett, Tom Petty and Emmylou Harris

Drums and Percussion – Don Henley, Jim Keltner, Steve Gorman and Luis Conte

Piano – James Raymond

Saxophone – Gil Bernal

Not only is this one of the best farewell albums ever recorded, I believe it stands as one of the best. Every track is sensational. The musical contributions from the group listed above is jaw dropping. You can hear the effort that every player brought to this project. And yet, the most powerful song on the album has the most simplistic arrangement.

That song, ‘Keep Me In Your Heart’ was the only song on his last album, "The Wind", that he wrote after learning of the terminal diagnosis. It was recorded in the final stages of the album’s production. Oftentimes, Warren barely had the energy to stand up, let alone sing. He was exhausted and weak, but he was determined. Ultimately, the studio was moved to his home to make things easier. Despite his deteriorating condition, Zevon completed the vocal in only three takes. He was concerned it may come across as a “woe is me song”. In my opinion, the impact of these lyrics incur the opposite effect.

"Keep Me In Your Heart"

Shadows are falling and I’m running out of breath