(Cross the) Heartland: Pat Metheny, “It’s For You” (1981)

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While I do tend to think of music in terms of albums, there are certain songs that for a variety of reasons get pulled away from their original context. In my mind, “It’s For You” no longer lives with the rest of the As Falls Wichita album. In 1985, it was used to great effect in the film Fandango.

If you’ve never seen the movie, it’s one of those truly American coming of age/road trip things, starring both Kevin Costner and Judd Nelson. It’s full of the usual road trip hijinx and becomes something of a mess midway through. The first time I showed this one to TheWife™, I turned to her at one point and assured her that “All of this is going to come together.”

And come together it does. Without going into too much about the plot, let’s just say that the right people get together in the end, culminating is one of the most touching wedding scenes I’ve ever witnessed. You’ll see in the video embedded below. When Nana sings those descending notes, you just know everything’s going to turn out alright.

Next up: Estupenda Graca


Mark Saleski