Rod McKuen
Rod McKuen (born April 29, 1933) was a bestselling American poet, composer, and singer, instrumental in the revitalization of popular poetry that took place in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Born Rodney Marvin McKuen in Oakland, California, McKuen ran away from home at the age of eleven to escape an alcoholic stepfather and to send what money he could to his mother. After a series of jobs, from logger, ranch hand, railroad worker to rodeo cowboy, throughout the west, McKuen began in the 1950s to excite audiences with his poetry readings, appearing with such well-known poets as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg; during this time, he often used the pseudonym "Dor".
McKuen moved to New York City in 1959 to compose and conduct for the TV show The CBS Workshop. By the 1960s he had achieved fame, far surpassing in sales the works of the Beat poets who preceded him. During the early 1960s he spent most of his time in France. This began his project to translate the work of legendary singer/songwriter Jacques Brel, into English. After Brel died he said, "As friends and as musical collaborators we had traveled, toured and written - together and apart - the events of our lives as if they were songs, and I guess they were. When news of Jacques’ death came I stayed locked in my bedroom and drank for a week. That kind of self pity was something he wouldn’t have approved of, but all I could do was replay our songs (our children) and ruminate over our unfinished life together."[1]
He became an icon across college campuses for his ability to capture in verse the feelings of anxiety, love, confusion, and hope that were common during the Vietnam era. His public readings had the drawing power of a rock concert.
McKuen's commercial success is unparalleled in the field of modern poetry. His poetic works have been translated into a dozen languages and sold over 65 million copies. Throughout his career he has continued to enjoy sell-out concerts around the world and appears regularly at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall.
Edward Habib's liner notes for McKuen's Amsterdam Concert album make the often-repeated claim that Rod McKuen is the best-selling and most widely read poet of all time. This claim is probably rooted in the fact that McKuen's works -- unlike those of Shakespeare or Dante Alighieri -- are copyrighted, and his total sales can be more readily quantified.
As a songwriter, he contributed to the sale of over 100 million records. His material has been recorded by such artists as Frank Sinatra (who in 1969 recorded A Man Alone, an album of McKuen's songs), Johnny Cash who (just before his death) recorded McKuen's "Love's Been Good To Me", Waylon Jennings, The London Philharmonic, Greta Keller, Perry Como, and Madonna. Perhaps his most well-known song is "Jean", recorded by Oliver in 1969 for the soundtrack to the film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. In 1959, McKuen released a novelty single on the Brunswick label called "The Mummy". Bob Mcfadden and Dor was listed as the artist.. In 1961, he had a hit single titled "Oliver Twist".. McKuen has proven to be a prolific songwriter, penning over 1500 songs. He collaborated with a variety of internationally renowned composers, including Henry Mancini and John Williams, and a highly successful series of albums with Anita Kerr. His symphonies, concertos, and other classical works have been performed by orchestras around the globe. His work as a composer in the film industry has garnered him two Academy Award nominations.
Throughout his multi-award-winning career, McKuen paired his artistic endeavors with a spirit for social reform. Before a tour of South Africa in the 1970s, McKuen demanded “mixed seating” among white and black concert-goers, opening the doors for successful tours by a variety of African-American performers, including Sammy Davis, Jr. and Ella Fitzgerald. He also spearheaded efforts to raise AIDS awareness and fund charities for children and senior
“Theres no misery in not being loved,only in not loving”
“Thank you for the sun you brought this morningeven though the sky was full of clouds.”
“Love is a sweet thing caught a momentand held in a golden eye.”
“For every star that falls to earth a new one glows. For every dream that fades away a new one grows.When things are not what they would seemyou must keep following your dream.”
“I'm not the first man or the last who had a thirst to leave the past.”
“Sorry no one could see how beautifully happy we were.”
“Crowded rooms and lonesome tunes and very little sky.”
“Now is next to nothing compared to where I've been.”
“Ideas are fewanother might not come by soon.”
“I want to see the world within the circle of your arms and sail the wide sea of your thighs.”
“It happens just because we needto want and to be wanted too,when love is here or goneto lie down in the darknessand listen to the warm.”
“It's nice sometimesto open up the heart a littleand let some hurt come in.It proves you're still alive.”
“Eternity sneaks in her arms full of wild promises.”
“Did you think of party dressesand high school playsor hallways full of lovers not yet met?”
“These long years later it is worsefor I remember what it wasas well as what it might have been.”
“I will not ask you where you have been tonightI'll only say helloand hope.”
“How can we be sure of anythingthe tide changes.The wind that made the grain wave gently yesterdayblows down the tress tomorrow.And the sea sends sailors crashing on the rocks, as easily as it guides them safely home.I love the seabut it doesn't make me less afraid of itI love youbut I'm not always sure of what you are and how you feel.”
“I've been going a long time nowalong the way I've learned some things.You have to make the good times yourselftake the little times and make them into big timesand save the times that are all rightfor the ones that aren't so good.”
“I was rich in those days, for a week I had everything. I wish I'd known you then.”
“Be gentle with me, new love.Treat me tenderly. I need the gentle touch,the soft voice,the candlelight after nine.There's been so many who didn't understandso give me all the love I see in your timid eyesbut give it gentlyPlease.”
“This is the way it was while I was waiting for your eyes to find me.”
“Who is not a love seeker when December comes? Even children pray to Santa Claus.”
“No map to help us find the tranquil flat lands, clearings calm, fields without mean fences. Rolling down the other side of life our compass is the sureness of ourselves. Time may make us rugged, ragged round the edges, but know and understand that love is still the safest place to land.”
“Looking back few friends had webut I've got him and he's got me.And when the golden minute comeswhen we no longer wake to smellthe river where the wild swans sailedthe orchard where the blossoms fell,we'll smile a little thinkin' of that.Me in my shirt-tails, him with his whiskersme and the cat.”
“Cats have it all - admiration, an endless sleep, and company only when they want it.”
“I have fallen in love with the worldAnd I am aware that I have chosenthe most dangerous lover of them all.”
“Always I glance both ways.Why chance missing lovewherever she or he may lurk?”
“I went back to look for you.Not understanding the language of hello,I thought I’d speak it just the same.”
“Laws and machines are shaped to fit the classes.”
“Unless you call attentionto your presencewho will know you're there?Even a countryhas to weave and wave a flagas proof of its existence.”
“I had a pet raccoon that took my tooth brush once,But only to another room.”
“The journey back is always longer than the forward run.”
“Strangers are just friends waiting to happen”
“and if the world breaks down, I'll be around.”
“We will all wake up semi-angels, If we wake at all.”