Random Play: California Snow

If, when you see the picture above, your first thought is Gram Parsons... congratulations, you have passed the test. Feel free to keep reading. If you thought of someone else... shame.

Albert Hammond told us that It Never Rains In Southern California. It does, however, snow. At least that's according to Tom Russell and Dave Alvin who co-wrote today's song, one that's kept popping up on mixes of mine over the past few months. Russell explains over on Facebook that he wrote the song "in an attempt to get inside the head and conflicted feelings of a border patrolman. At the time a lot of folks were dying up in the border mountains because the weather changed so drastically up there." Unlike a lot of issue-based songs, this is a beautiful piece of music too, one that really sticks in your head, reminding me of both Tom Joad era Springsteen (lyrically) and the glorious Willin' by Little Feat (musically and lyrically).

I'm not sure which I prefer, Alvin's version or Russell's... so here are both of them. Enjoy.




And if that's not enough California Snow for you today, here's Weezer with a song of the same title from 2019's The Black Album. Very different to the tracks above, but it's fun if you like Weezer. Which I do. We are a broad church here at My Top Ten, embracing many different musical genres... except, probably, those of you who didn't think immediately of Gram Parsons at the top of the page. But stick around long enough and we will wash away the sins of your past...