There’s something special about a song that strikes such a deep chord with fellow musicians. John Hartford’s “In Tall Buildings” is a perfect example. Its gentle folk melody carries words that speak to the quiet heartbreak of all that’s lost when life becomes consumed by work in “tall buildings.”
I was introduced to the song by the late NYC group Jones Street Station. Below is their performance, followed by additional versions by Gregory Alan Isakov, Sam Bush, Molly Tuttle, and Billy Strings & the Jon Stickley Trio. Closing us out is Hartford himself.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.