Mister Can't You See
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| "Mister Can't You See" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Buffy Sainte-Marie | ||||
| from the album Moonshot | ||||
| B-side | "Moonshot" | |||
| Released | 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 3:19 | |||
| Label | Vanguard | |||
| Songwriters | Mickey Newbury Townes Van Zandt | |||
| Producers | Norbert Putnam Buffy Sainte-Marie | |||
| Buffy Sainte-Marie singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Mister Can't You See" is a song written by Mickey Newbury and Townes Van Zandt that first appeared on Newbury's 1968 debut album Harlequin Melodies. Newbury's original version was slow and dominated by strings and a very simple drumbeat, with his voice telling a tale of nature's power and beauty. The actual title of the song comes from the line "can't you see the river flowing".
Buffy Sainte-Marie Cover
[edit]- "Mister Can't You See" is best known, however, as recorded by Buffy Sainte-Marie on her 1972 album Moonshot, where it was the final track and second single. Sainte-Marie's version is much shorter than Newbury's original and is more straight-ahead rock with the Memphis Horns especially prominent. Owing to a major promotional campaign by Vanguard Records, eager to make up for losses incurred with past Sainte-Marie albums, the label promoted the single vigorously and as a result it became Sainte-Marie's only single or album to reach the Top 75 on Billboard. It peaked at #38 on the Pop Singles chart and #29 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 213.
