3 Early Songs From Music Legends That Foreshadowed Their Decorated Careers To Come

Not very often does a musician make it big after a debut single or debut record. Rather, and like most things, it takes a couple of tries. However, by no means does that mean that their early work isn’t incredible; it just wasn’t seen. With all that in mind, here are three early songs from music legends that foreshadowed the decorated career to come.

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“Tomorrow Is Today” by Billy Joel

We are going to boldly say that Billy Joel‘s debut solo album, Cold Spring Harbor, is in the top three of his greatest albums. We are going to double down and say that “Tomorrow Is Today” is a top-five Joel song of all time. You can disagree, but if you haven’t heard the song, we are confident you are going to be right there with us after you hear it.

Released in 1971, Joel’s track “Tomorrow Is Today” is pure emotion. While it is musically nuanced, yes, it is just beautifully sentimental, melancholic, and an anthem for those in a despondent situation. In essence, it showed the world that Billy Joel wasn’t just a piano player, but a lyrical therapist who could truly connect with his audience on a level greater than music. And needless to say, he went on to do just that as one of the world’s biggest music legends.

“Song To Woody” by Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan‘s debut album was considered a failure following its release. Mainly comprised of cover songs, Dylan’s self-titled debut album featured two originals, “Talkin’ New York” and “Song To Woody”. Since Dylan became a living legend, both those songs have garnered their respective praise. However, there is something about “Song To Woody” that just remains left unsaid.

Dylan’s track “Song To Woody” didn’t just foreshadow his lyrical wit and linguistic skills. It also foreshadowed that this dreamer, from Minnesota, with an ambitious aim to tackle the subtext of the world, was going to, but not in an orthodox fashion. While that might seem all too vague, there is something about this Dylan song that prepares you for a storm, and that storm came.

“Over The Rainbow” by Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin was arguably one of the first performers (and eventual music legends) to completely demand an audience with merely her vocals on a massive commercial scale. However, before she was doing it on a commercial scale, she was doing it on a smaller one, and an album that perfectly articulates the power that led to Franklin’s rise is her 1960 self-titled album, and the cover of “Over The Rainbow”.

We thought the best rendition of this song was Judy Garland’s, but after we heard Franklin’s, well, our perspective switched. This might be a cop out, but this song is just pure perfection. Perfection that would then go on to be recreated time after time again during Franklin’s notable and illustrious career.

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