Album: Late For The Sky (1974)

License This Song 

Songfacts®:

• "I wrote this for a friend of mine who died in a fire," Browne said of the poignant song in 2016. "He was in the sauna in a house that burned down, so he had no idea anything was going on. It was very sad. He was a really interesting guy. Besides being a great dancer, he was an ice skater - he had a job in the Ice Follies. And he was a great tailor - he would make his friends clothes. He was a Renaissance man. When I wrote him the song - it's a song I've sung many times, other times when people have died - but I was making a metaphor out of the dance. Just the idea that your life is a dance. And there's a line in it, 'In the end, there is one dance you do alone.' That's one of the songs I've sung all through the years, and for me, it's like going to that place, and dealing with the fact that life will end. It's a sad song, but at the same time, it feels good to sort through that reality and touch base with it, and then go on." >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Dave - Minneapolis, MN
• Browne sang this at Phil Hartman's memorial service in 1998. It was also played at John Belushi's service in 1982.
• After Jackson Browne's wife, the model Phyllis Major, died in 1976, some songs he'd written before became mysteriously about the tragic event. After writing "For A Dancer" about a friend who died when he was living with Major, it gradually became about her. "That's how songs work," he told Mojo magazine. "They migrate into other parts of your life and other experiences."

Comments: 9

• Cpg from Hickory NcI’ve often said that Jackson Browne wrote the soundtrack to my life…Late For the Sky at the end of my marriage, now this one suddenly reappeared as I’ve learned to live with the death of my son.
  
  “The Pretender”, “Bright Baby Blues”… his acoustic album was playing in the background as my grandchildren were born.
  
  Even “Lawyers in Love”…
  
  Too many lines that just “fit”.
  
  He and I have a great relationship… he keeps on putting out albums, and I keep on buying them and sometimes re-buying them because I’ve worn them out.
  
  Excited to see him for the sixth time in Vegas in November!
• Stargazer from KentuckyThis song has nothing to do with Phylis Magers death. It was about a Renaissance man who was a friend of his. Just ask Jackson.
• Redhookkid from BrooklynIn 1980 it was known he wrote the song after his girlfriend’s suicide after he broke up with her. She was heartbroken after she found out he was seeing another woman. Now the script has flipped. The statement was published in an article, circa 1980, in Rolling Stone magazine. What Gives?
• Paul Dreher from Ballwin MissouriSuch a beautiful and touching song. There are not many songs that can bring me to tears... but this is one of them.
• Jim Thomson from Clifton, VaJB also sang this song at the Nicolette Larson tribute concert in February, 1998.
• Tony Carfagno from Cherry Hill NjSince the late 60's his music, his words, his sound captured and healed every emotion i had. Still to this day, i know where i was, what i was doing and thinking, with each tune he recorded. You could feel the ups and downs in his life, as if it were mine. Jackson is a very special person, he truly lived his life through his songs. As i have many times before, i send my best to you and your Family and may God Bless you. Thanks for the healing of the lives of many
• Bruce from Spokane, Wa, UsaJB is one of the best song writers in American rock music. His words and music and yes, his voice speak loudly and soulfully to me and millions more. I’ve leaned on his music to help me through some tough times and to help me understand the full beauty of life around me. I’ve been listening to his music since the early 70s and continue to listen today. Thank you Jackson for your gifts! If you are unfamiliar with his work, check it out. It’s amazing and stands the test of time for remaining relevant.
  
• AnonymousI love Jackson Brown, his songs touch my soul always has a way of making me think of life and it’s meanings.
• Andy from Osa Península, Costa RicaAll of JB’s songs were instrumental in getting me through troubled times or relationships as I matured. Interesting how I’m finding solace with his music again during this pandemic.
  Gracias hermano!

More Songfacts:

TrueSpandau Ballet

"True" by Spandau Ballet has some lyrics based on parts of the Vladimir Nabokov novel Lolita, including "Take your seaside arms," which in the book is "That little girl with her seaside limbs."

Light My FireThe Doors

"Light My Fire" was the first song Doors guitarist Robby Krieger wrote. Looking for a universal theme, he decided to write about one of the four elements (air, earth, water, fire).

Groove Is in the HeartDeee-Lite

One of the last hits with a track made up almost entirely of uncleared samples is "Groove Is In The Heart" by Deee-Lite in 1990. Soon after, courts ruled that samples needed to be cleared.

Pork and BeansWeezer

The video for Weezer's "Pork and Beans" features YouTube stars Chris Crocker, The Chocolate Rain Guy, The "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" Banana, and the Star Wars kid.

RoyalsLorde

Lorde was 16 years and 11 months old when "Royals" topped the Hot 100. In doing so she became the youngest ever solo artist to write and perform a #1 hit.

Tainted LoveSoft Cell

"Tainted Love" started as a 1964 soul song by Gloria Jones, became a huge hit when Soft Cell covered it in 1981, and was the basis for Rihanna's 2006 #1 "S.O.S. (Rescue Me)."

Editor's Picks

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")Songwriter Interviews

Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.