Watch the video.

Play this on the jukebox and listen to a lot of other versions too.
You can also download all the different musical versions, in the order they went up.

Check Steve’s website for more info.
Check out Turn Up For Recovery for more info.

From Janis: Steve Gadd. If you know his work, you’re already blown away by the mention of his name. And here he is, supporting this project. My turn to be blown away. 

I’ve known Steve since the mid 70’s. I’ve seen him passed out on the control room floor when he was fighting his addiction, and I’ve watched him open a bleary eye when we recorded with 20+ pieces and say “Bar 79. Someone’s playing an F#. Should be an F.” Even in the midst of his struggles, he was brilliant. He’s been in recovery for about 25 years now, and more power to him, because that’s a long, hard road. 

To my mind he is the best drummer in the world. Steve knows how to listen. And he knows that “less is more”. Once, I asked him to do a fill on a song called “Ruby”. I had a whole bar set aside for it, and I assumed he’d play through the bar. But the “fill” he did was just one sweeping stroke of brush on snare head. With that quick movement, perfectly timed, he created space and silence all in one, as the rest of us watched with our mouths hanging open. 

Like so many artists, he is a generous soul. So when I invited him, and he asked if I’d give a shout out to Turn Up For Recovery, it was a no-brainer. 

Do me a favor. Don’t listen to his “vocalizing”, because he’s not a singer. Listen to his time. That’s the secret of great singing, anyway. Knowing where to start, and when to stop. 

You’re encouraged to create your own version of this song, and remember – as much a “pro” as Steve may be, all it takes to make music your own is to sing and play it yourself! 

And please help support Turn Up For Recovery,  a charitable movement trying to raise awareness of abstinence-based recovery, tackle the stigma of addiction and help make treatment affordable to people struggling with addiction.

BETTER TIMES WILL COME
(Janis Ian)

Better times, better times will come.
Better times, better times will come.
When this world learns to live as one,
oh, better times will come

When we greet each dawn without fear
knowing loved ones soon will be near
When the winds of war
cannot blow any more
Oh, better times will come

CHORUS

Though we live each day as our last
we know someday soon it will pass
We will dance, we will sing
in that never-ending spring
Oh, better times will come

CHORUS

Words & music by Janis Ian; © 2020 Janis Ian. All rights reserved; used by permission.