4 Incredible Songs Written by The Band’s Richard Manuel

He’s known for having one of the most moving voices in rock history. The guy could go way down low and deliver earthy bluster. Or he could soar to pluck some ethereal high notes out of the sky.

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But Richard Manuel of The Band was more than just a standout singer and keyboardist. He also proved a scintillating, albeit infrequent, writer. Here are four of the best songs that Manuel penned.

“Tears Of Rage”

Manuel’s writing credits diminished as The Band’s recording career progressed. Some blame his shyness, while others cite the fact that his abuse of drugs and alcohol doused some of that drive. Whatever the case, it’s a shame that it happened, because Manuel excelled as both a composer and lyricist. He only came up with the music for “Tears Of Rage”, which was written in the Basement Tapes era. Bob Dylan heard Manuel’s plaintive melody and came up with heart-wrenching lyrics about a father watching his daughter slip away from him. Manuel then sealed the deal on this all-time ballad by giving it a tender, emotive vocal. It served as the lead track of The Band’s debut album Music From Big Pink.

“We Can Talk”

Manuel delivered three solo writing credits on Music From Big Pink, and they’re all wonderful songs. The soothing “In A Station” didn’t make the cut here, but only for the sake of space. We couldn’t omit “We Can Talk”, however. The Band demonstrated pretty much right off the bat in their recording career that they had a handle on just about every type of American roots music. This Manuel track gives them a chance to show off their gospel chops. It also offers a great example of how the three main vocalists of the group (Manuel, Rick Danko, and Levon Helm) could intermingle their voices in mesmerizing fashion. As Manuel’s lyrics claim, “One voice for all/Echoing around the hall.”

“Lonesome Suzie”

Read any account of The Band, and you’re likely to find references to Manuel’s struggles with a kind of innate loneliness. And you can hear some of that quality seeping out of “Lonesome Suzie”. Technically, the song is a character sketch, so Manuel is able to hide behind that technique to some extent. By the end of the song, however, he starts to drop the façade. “I guess just watching you,” he sings. “Has made me lonesome too.” His voice is typically chill-inducing. Manuel also benefits from the luscious folds of sound that Garth Hudson creates around him on organ and saxophone. This song casts a lovely, melancholy spell, with Manuel at the heart of that magic.

“Whispering Pines”

Manuel didn’t earn a solo credit on The Band, aka The Brown Album, in 1969. That’s when Robbie Robertson took over as chief songwriter and helped push the group to an undisputed masterpiece. But he couldn’t have come up with the lyrics to the achingly beautiful “Whispering Pines” without Manuel. First, Richard came up with the music, which evokes sorrow before finding a peaceful oasis as the song reaches the refrain. On top of that, Robertson tried to channel aspects of Manuel’s character in the lyrics. What other vocalist could do proper justice to lines like “If you find me in a gloom, or catch me in a dream/Inside my lonely room, there is no in between” besides Manuel?

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