♫ Darling Be Home Soon ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, History, music

Since Clive reminded me of the other song he had requested a year or more ago, I figured I better play it now before I forget again, as I seem wont to do these days!  The song is yet another by The Lovin’ Spoonful.

Lovin’ Spoonful founder John Sebastian wrote this one for Francis Ford Coppola’s 1967 movie You’re A Big Boy Now, a coming-of-age film about an awkward young man looking for love in New York City.  Sebastian was responsible for the entire soundtrack, but this song in particular was to set the tone for a lovey-dovey scene (can you tell I’m not into romance movies?)  The movie was rather a flop, but the song did slightly better, charting at #15 in the U.S.  And then, it fell by the wayside until two years later … 1969 … Woodstock, where, according to SongFacts …

After hitching a ride with the helicopter carrying The Incredible String Band’s equipment, Sebastian arrived at the Woodstock festival thinking he’d just be a spectator. But an early afternoon downpour flooded the stage and it needed to be cleared of water before Santana’s amps could be set up. Michael Lang, the concert’s producer, asked Sebastian to fill in. He took the stage in a tie-dyed white denim outfit and sang five songs, the fourth being “Darling Be Home Soon.” He recalled: “The audience didn’t identify the song with the movie, since most probably hadn’t seen it. Instead, they sort of quieted down and took it in as a love song. My job wasn’t to incite but to mellow everyone out until the stage was swept. When I finished, the applause from so many people was loud and wide, and knocked the wind out of me. The feeling was delicious.”

Zal Yanovsky, the band’s lead guitarist, hated the song. He thought it was too sappy and accused Sebastian of losing his rock edge. During one live performance, Zal can be seen clownishly mocking the frontman as he sings the heartfelt lyrics.

The song has been covered by a number of artists including Bobby Darin, Joe Cocker, The Association, Bruce Hornsby, and the British group Slade.

Darling Be Home Soon

Lovin’ Spoonful

Come
And talk of all the things we did today
Here
And laugh about our funny little ways
While we have a few minutes to breathe
Then I know that it’s time you must leave

But, darling, be home soon
I couldn’t bear to wait an extra minute if you dawdled
My darling, be home soon
It’s not just these few hours, but I’ve been waiting since I toddled
For the great relief of having you to talk to

And now
A quarter of my life is almost past
I think I’ve come to see myself at last
And I see that the time spent confused
Was the time that I spent without you
And I feel myself in bloom

So, darling, be home soon
I couldn’t bear to wait an extra minute if you dawdled
My darling, be home soon
It’s not just these few hours, but I’ve been waiting since I toddled
For the great relief of having you to talk to

So, darling
My darling, be home soon
I couldn’t bear to wait an extra minute if you dawdled
My darling, be home soon
It’s not just these few hours, but I’ve been waiting since I toddled
For the great relief of having you to talk to

Go
And beat your crazy head against the sky
Try
And see beyond the houses and your eyes
It’s okay to shoot the moon

Darling be home soon
I couldn’t bear to wait an extra minute if you dawdled
My darling, be home soon
It’s not just these few hours, but I’ve been waiting since I toddled
For the great relief of having you to talk to

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: John Sebastian

You Baby lyrics © Carlin America Inc

33 thoughts on “♫ Darling Be Home Soon ♫”

  1. That’s one that you don’t hear on the radio often. Not a surprise, even with all those covers, because those lyrics aren’t the sort often heard any longer. Lyrics seem less about love these days, moving on down the relationship spectrum to CCB; complications, confusion, and betrayal. Thanks for rekindling memories of another song from the days of yesteryear. Hugs and cheers, M

    Liked by 1 person

    • I don’t even listen to the radio anymore, for today’s “music” holds no appeal for me. Music should bring joy, not a headache! I much prefer to remain in yesteryear when it comes to music! Glad you enjoyed the song, Michael! Hugs and cheers!!!

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  4. I have alexithymia, so I’m not sure if I experience the emotion of love or not. But I been married to my former pen pal (remember what they were?) for 51 years and have never regretted a day of it, so perhaps it’s love. This song is one that goes to my heart. In our early years, the wife was terribly homesick for her homeland of Japan, and so all our money that could be spared was saved so she could return home to recover. In the 1970s air travel to Japan was very expensive compared to now – twice as much as to the US or the UK, even though it’s much closer. So she usually stayed in Japan for several months at a time. In fact the first time she returned she stayed for six month. We had been married for only 3 years at that time and she took our daughter of 11 months with her. This song became my anthem while she was away.

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    • That you have been married for 51 years is remarkable! And when you say you’ve never regretted a day of it, that is even more remarkable and a beautiful tribute to both you and your wife! Marriage takes a lot of work, willingness to compromise sometimes, willingness to overlook the other person’s flaws (and we all have some). So, I congratulate you both! ‘Love’ is one of those words that is sometimes substituted for some other emotion, such as ‘lust’ or ‘loneliness’. But I think that to live with the same person for 51 years, that must be genuine love. I cannot even imagine what those times when she was away for months at a time must have been like for you, but I can also imagine how joyous the reunions were when she returned each time! And yes, I do still remember what pen pals were … not that much different, I guess, from the friends we make now through our blogs and communicate with even more often than when we had to sit down and put pen to paper!

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      • However, putting pen to paper in those days was expensive – very expensive if the recipient was overseas. As best I recall, my wage at that time was about NZ$1.00 per hour while an airmail letter to Japan was around NZ$1.50. Even at that price it would take between a week and a month for a letter to arrive. Phone calls were even more expensive – around NZ$2.25 per minute from NZ to Japan.

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        • True! Today, all it takes is an internet connection! My granddaughter has internet pals around the globe, they communicate daily, and have lengthy ‘chat’ sessions in the wee hours, and all for no extra cost. I do remember calling my grandmother who lived several states away when I was very young, to complain about my parents’ treatment and being chastised for running up a $20 phone bill for a single short call!

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  5. Pingback: ♫ Darling Be Home Soon ♫ — Filosofa’s Word | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  6. Thank you for playing this. A lovely song, and if I’d been John I’d have wrapped my guitar around Zal’s head for that! I didn’t know that Slade had covered it so I looked it up. Exactly what I’d expected: tuneless, tone deaf and bloody awful!

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    • Heh heh … yeah, I can picture that! Wow … I’m in shock that you didn’t know Slade had covered it! I’m always a bit amazed when some of my trivia is news to you, for you are the gold standard when it comes to knowledge of music. Oh yes … I remember now that we’ve discussed Slade before and you advised that they weren’t worth the time spent listening to them. And yet … they seemed to do pretty well over there, didn’t they?

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      • Slade were a pop band, playing it for fun. Not a serious rock band. They were very popular here for a few years, but I hated them. Noddy Holder’s strained vocals on this are a massacre, and you’d be hard pressed to see the beauty of the original in their version. Judging by the comments on YouTube many seemed to like it – it must be hard enjoying music when you have no taste!

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        • Then I’m glad I didn’t take the time to find their version and listen to it! “Noddy” … what a funny name! But taste … well, that’s subjective and as with food or clothing choices, will naturally vary from one person to the next. ‘Tis what keeps the world an interesting place, though some days I wish for a bit less ‘interesting’.

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          • Noddy is his nickname, given to him for his habit of nodding to teachers in school rather than speaking an answer. His real name is Neville.

            They were hugely popular here and the band lasted until 1992. I never got it!

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  7. Jill, it is a lovely song, one which is even better live in a small venue. I cannot recall another song that uses both “dawdled” and “toddled.” And, I am convinced no other song uses them as a rhyme. Keith

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