This Classic Rock Song by Spirit Set the Tone for All Songs About Environmental Concerns

You wouldn’t think that a song written in a few minutes before an artist was about to hit the stage would contain profound truths. Yet that’s just what we received from the song “Nature’s Way”, written by Randy California for the band Spirit, who recorded this classic song in 1970.

The song spoke to environmental concerns before the topic was a hot-button issue. California’s seemingly simple statements within the song still hit awful hard today.

California Dreaming

Casual music fans might only know Spirit from their 1968 hit single “Got A Line On You”. But the band was far more influential than just that one song might suggest. They blended many different styles into their music, not out of any calculated forethought, but just because that’s what came naturally to them.

The guy who helped start the band and who would go on to become their chief artistic force in their heyday was born Randy Wolfe. He earned his stage name from none other than Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix called him Randy California, after Wolfe’s home state, to distinguish him from another Randy in the band.

California wasn’t even old enough to drive when he played with Hendrix. Eventually he’d form Spirit with Jay Ferguson, Mark Andes, John Locke, and Ed Cassidy. Cassidy, the drummer, also happened to be California’s stepfather.

The “Way” Forward

“Got A Line On You”, penned by California, turned into Spirit’s calling card when it hit No. 23 in 1968 off their second album, The Family That Plays Together. But this band was always a bit too mercurial for mass consumption. Consider the fact that “Nature’s Way” appeared on an album titled The Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus.

The band created The Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus as a concept piece of sorts, with songs flowing into and out of one another. “Nature’s Way”, featuring California’s moody acoustic guitar working its way around some dramatic percussion, emerged as a single. It only reached No. 63 on the pop charts.

In fact, the entire Sardonicus album fell on deaf ears originally, leading to a few members of Spirit departing and forming the group Jo Jo Gunne. California also left the group briefly. But the album eventually started to sell belatedly when a groundswell of word of mouth labeled it as the classic it was.

Spirit continued recording albums into the 90s, usually with California and Cassidy as the stalwarts. Sadly, California died at age 45 in 1997, drowning in the Pacific Ocean after rescuing his 12-year-old son from the tides.

Behind the Lyrics of “Nature’s Way”

While the lyrics of “Nature’s Way” are somewhat minimal, each and every word packs a punch. California humanizes nature, making it the protagonist of the song. “It’s nature’s way of telling you something’s wrong,” he ominously begins, although he doesn’t specify the event that’s doing the talking.

In the second verse, he puts a finer point on the calamity. “It’s nature’s way of telling you, it’s in the breeze,” California moans. “It’s nature’s way of telling you, dying trees.” Nature attempts to both accept humanity (“receiving you”) and harness its worst instincts (“retrieving you”).

While California never defines the consequences, the somber melody and urgent musical backing imply that they’ll be dire. Spirit’s “Nature’s Way” demonstrates that the power of suggestion can be much more impactful in lyrics than spelling out every last detail.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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