4 Wonderfully “Wasted” Songs

What do you say we all get wasted?  Easy, it’s not what you think. We’re actually referring to the surprisingly high number of outstanding songs that contain that specific word in the title.

What is it about that word that makes it catnip to songwriters? Maybe an analysis of these four “wasted” songs will provide some answers.

“Wasted Days & Wasted Nights” by Freddy Fender

1975 was especially kind to country artists crossing over to the pop charts. Freddy Fender was at the epicenter of all that thanks to his chart-topper “Before The Next Teardrop Falls”. “Wasted Days & Wasted Nights” was the follow-up single, and it was a song that was quite familiar to Fender. He wrote it and first recorded it back in 1959 when he was a young artist trying to ride the rockabilly wave. His career hit hard times in the 60s, a decade that also included a prison stay for him. When he returned to music in the 70s, it was as a demo singer for producer Huey Meaux. But one of those demos turned into “Before The Next Teardrop Falls”. That success led to Fender’s spirited rehash of “Wasted Days & Wasted Nights”, a No. 8 pop hit.

“Wasted Time” by Eagles

It’s always interesting to hear how a band can be influenced by something that, when filtered through their own musical sensibilities, comes out sounding wholly different. Don Henley and Glenn Frey wrote “Wasted Time” as their own take on the Philly Soul sounds that were so prevalent in the mid-70s. Hearing the finished product, a lot of that gets lost in translation, although Henley’s singing is at its most soulful for sure. What’s left is an exquisite melody that hosts lyrics about missed opportunities and the quickly-moving calendar that’s engulfing both the narrator and the girl to whom he’s singing. Eagles’ classic album Hotel California just wouldn’t be the same without it.

“Wasted On The Way” by Crosby, Stills & Nash

Graham Nash wrote “Wasted On The Way” for a project he was working on with Stephen Stills. Nash was thinking about Crosby, Stills & Nash when he wrote the song, specifically how their personal differences kept them from making more music in their primes. When the record company heard the stuff that Nash and Stills had been doing, they were excited. But they also recognized that the best way to promote the music was if it was released under the CSN banner. As a result, David Crosby was quickly rounded up to reunite the trio. Crosby came aboard too late to contribute to this bittersweet track. Instead, Timothy B. Schmit of Eagles helps to fill out the vocal blend.

“Long And Wasted Years” by Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan continued his late-career brilliance with the 2012 LP Tempest. It was a typically adventurous affair, including the title track, which wildly retold the story of The Titanic, and “Roll On John”, an off-kilter tribute to John Lennon. Musically, “Long And Wasted Years” might be the most out-there of the bunch. It consists of minimalist backing outside a descending guitar riff. Dylan pops up in between those moments with some intense lines that, as is typical of his later work, capture a wide range of emotions. There’s no chorus to the thing at all. But it’s quite mesmerizing, in large part thanks to the conviction behind Dylan’s vocal performance.

Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns

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