Song Of The Day: Dec. 13, 2018

Filed in Arts and Entertainment by on December 13, 2018

You all know this wonderful song. The story behind this song, or more specifically, the man behind the song, is equally fascinating. From No Depression:

Ric O’Barry, the founder and director of the Dolphin Project, was Neil’s best friend. O’Barry, with help from Neil and Stephen Stills, started the Dolphin Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the welfare and protection of dolphins, on Earth Day in 1970 in Coconut Grove, Florida.

Neil’s love of dolphins stemmed in part from his experiments in communicating with the animals through music, says O’Barry, who worked as a dolphin trainer. Neil played his 12-string guitar for the dolphin who played Flipper in the popular TV series of the same name, and, when he played certain chords, the dolphin swam up, studied the instrument, and tapped it. The dolphin touched the strings, followed them up the fretboard and actually “chimed” them, O’Barry says. “In a scene of role reversal, Fred became the observed, and Flipper became the observer.”

Neil was “one of the pioneers who changed public opinion about dolphin captivity,” O’Barry adds. “He was very reclusive and shy and never wanted to be mentioned in the Dolphin Project press releases. He was truly humble.”

Oh, the song:

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  1. nathan arizona says:

    Great song. The Tim Buckley version is also worth a listen.

    https://youtu.be/LtU-9EMSYu0