There but for Fortune (song)
Encyclopedia
"There but for Fortune" is a song by Phil Ochs
, a U.S.
singer-songwriter
from the 1960s. Ochs wrote the song in 1963. He recorded it twice, for New Folks Volume 2 (Vanguard
, 1964) and Phil Ochs in Concert
(Elektra
, 1966). Joan Baez
also recorded "There but for Fortune" in 1964, and her version of the song became a chart hit
.
One of Ochs' biographers wrote that, "of all the songs that Phil would ever write, none would show his humanity as brilliantly as the four brief verses of 'There but for Fortune'".
The song's title was used as the name of the 1989 compilation album There but for Fortune, which featured material taken from three albums Ochs recorded for Elektra Records
between 1964 and 1966. Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune was also used as the title of Michael Schumacher's 1996 biography, as well as Kenneth Bowser's 2011 documentary
on the singer's life.
New Folks Volume 2. The 1964 recording was reissued on the 2000 compact disc
The Early Years.
In 1966, tapes were made of Ochs's concerts at New York
's Carnegie Hall
and Boston
's Jordan Hall
. They were released as Phil Ochs in Concert
. One of the songs on In Concert was "There but for Fortune". Ochs introduces the song by saying it was written for him by Joan Baez, an ironic reference to her hit single.
. It was released in the U.S. as a single
in June, 1965, with "Daddy, You Been on My Mind", a Bob Dylan
song, as the B-side
. In July, it was released as a single in the U.K., where its B-side was "Plaisir D'Amour".
The single became a Top Ten hit in the U.K., reaching #8. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award
for "Best Folk Recording". In the U.S. it peaked at #50 on the Billboard charts
— a good showing, but not a hit.
By coincidence, Joan Baez in Concert, Part 2
became a #8 hit in the U.K. at the same time "There but for Fortune" did.
on May 11. At the rally, Ochs and Baez sang a duet of "There but for Fortune".
by more than a dozen performers besides Baez, including Chad and Jeremy, Eugene Chadbourne
, Cher
, The Gretchen Phillips Experience
, Françoise Hardy
, Jim and Jean
, The Mike Leander Orchestra
, Peter, Paul and Mary
, The Spokesmen
, and Sammy Walker
.
Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
, a U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
from the 1960s. Ochs wrote the song in 1963. He recorded it twice, for New Folks Volume 2 (Vanguard
Vanguard Records
Vanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary...
, 1964) and Phil Ochs in Concert
Phil Ochs in Concert
Phil Ochs in Concert was Phil Ochs' third long player, released in 1966 on Elektra Records. Contrary to its title, it was not entirely live, as several tracks were actually recorded in the studio, owing to flaws in the live recordings made in Boston and New York City in late 1965 and early 1966,...
(Elektra
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
, 1966). Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
also recorded "There but for Fortune" in 1964, and her version of the song became a chart hit
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
.
The song
"There but for Fortune" consists of four verses, each one of which ends with the line "there but for fortune may go you or I". The first verse is about a prisoner. The second verse describes a hobo. The third verse is about a drunk who stumbles out of a bar. The final verse describes a country that has been bombed.One of Ochs' biographers wrote that, "of all the songs that Phil would ever write, none would show his humanity as brilliantly as the four brief verses of 'There but for Fortune'".
The song's title was used as the name of the 1989 compilation album There but for Fortune, which featured material taken from three albums Ochs recorded for Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
between 1964 and 1966. Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune was also used as the title of Michael Schumacher's 1996 biography, as well as Kenneth Bowser's 2011 documentary
Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune
Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune is a documentary film on the life and times of folk singer-songwriter Phil Ochs. The film, released theatrically in January 2011, was written and directed by Kenneth Bowser...
on the singer's life.
Ochs recordings
Ochs recorded "There but for Fortune" twice. In 1964 he recorded it for the Vanguard compilationCompilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
New Folks Volume 2. The 1964 recording was reissued on the 2000 compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
The Early Years.
In 1966, tapes were made of Ochs's concerts at New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
's Jordan Hall
Jordan Hall
Jordan Hall is a 1,019-seat concert hall in Boston, Massachusetts, the principal performance space of the New England Conservatory. It is one block from Boston's Symphony Hall, and together they are considered two of America's most acoustically perfect performance spaces...
. They were released as Phil Ochs in Concert
Phil Ochs in Concert
Phil Ochs in Concert was Phil Ochs' third long player, released in 1966 on Elektra Records. Contrary to its title, it was not entirely live, as several tracks were actually recorded in the studio, owing to flaws in the live recordings made in Boston and New York City in late 1965 and early 1966,...
. One of the songs on In Concert was "There but for Fortune". Ochs introduces the song by saying it was written for him by Joan Baez, an ironic reference to her hit single.
Baez cover
In October 1964, Baez recorded "There but for Fortune" for Joan Baez/5Joan Baez/5
Joan Baez/5 is a 1964 album by American folk singer Joan Baez. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200 chart. The single "There But for Fortune" reached number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100.-History:...
. It was released in the U.S. as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in June, 1965, with "Daddy, You Been on My Mind", a Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
song, as the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
. In July, it was released as a single in the U.K., where its B-side was "Plaisir D'Amour".
The single became a Top Ten hit in the U.K., reaching #8. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for "Best Folk Recording". In the U.S. it peaked at #50 on the Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
— a good showing, but not a hit.
By coincidence, Joan Baez in Concert, Part 2
Joan Baez in Concert, Part 2
Joan Baez in Concert, Part 2 was a second installment of live material, recorded during Baez' concert tours of early 1963. It peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.-History:...
became a #8 hit in the U.K. at the same time "There but for Fortune" did.
Baez-Ochs duet
The Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975, and a "War Is Over" rally was held in New York's Central ParkCentral Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
on May 11. At the rally, Ochs and Baez sang a duet of "There but for Fortune".
Other cover versions
"There but for Fortune" has been coveredCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by more than a dozen performers besides Baez, including Chad and Jeremy, Eugene Chadbourne
Eugene Chadbourne
Eugene Chadbourne is an American improvisor, guitarist and banjoist. Highly eclectic and unconventional, Chadbourne's most formative influence is free jazz. He has also been a reviewer for Allmusic and a contributor to Maximum RocknRoll.Chadbourne started out playing rock and roll guitar, but...
, Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
, The Gretchen Phillips Experience
Gretchen Phillips
Gretchen Phillips is an American singer-songwriter known for her humorous and topical songs. Phillips has been openly gay throughout her life and her lesbianism has inspired much of her material.- Background :...
, Françoise Hardy
Françoise Hardy
Françoise Madeleine Hardy is a French singer, actress and astrologer. Hardy is an iconic figure in fashion, music and style. She is married to the singer and movie actor Jacques Dutronc.-Biography:...
, Jim and Jean
Jim and Jean
Jim and Jean, composed of Jim Glover and Jean Ray were an American folk music duo, who performed and recorded music from the early to the late 1960s....
, The Mike Leander Orchestra
Mike Leander
Michael George Farr professionally known as Mike Leander was an arranger and record producer for Decca Records in the 1960s and Bell Records in the 1970s and worked with such artists as Marianne Faithfull, Billy Fury, Marc Bolan, Joe Cocker, The Small Faces, Van Morrison, Alan Price, Peter...
, Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio whose nearly 50-year career began with their rise to become a paradigm for 1960s folk music. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers...
, The Spokesmen
The Spokesmen
The Spokesmen were an American pop music trio. They scored a hit single in the U.S. in 1965 with the tune "Dawn of Correction", which was a patriotic answer record to Barry McGuire's protest song, "Eve of Destruction". The song was written by the group's members, John Medora, David White and Roy...
, and Sammy Walker
Sammy Walker
Sammy Walker is an American singer-songwriter. Influenced by the folk and country sounds of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams, Walker emerged in the mid 1970s with two albums for the Folkways label and two albums for Warner Brothers...
.