On the Western Skyline features: Bruce Hornsby (accordion, vocals, dulcimer, synthesizer); George Marinelli (guitar, backing vocals); John Molo (drums, percussion); Joe Puerta (bass, backing vocals); David Mansfield (guitar, violin, mandolin)
This is one of the earlier tunes in what bassist Joe Puerta called our “bucolic rock” style. I think Bruce originally wrote the music just for the fun of it and had some sort of music theater project in mind, not really a pop song.
Lyrically, I tried to set up the rush of feelings you can get around sundown on a Saturday evening when you look west at the sunset and all the rooftops and trees and phonelines of the town. You know that the whole weekend celebration has started rolling somewhere, and you get this strong urge to do something about it.
The loneliness sets in when you start thinking about just what is gong on out there. There are lovers on the shore, parties in rundown rented cottages, a dance at the Navy Officer’s club, and you hear the local night-club ads on the radio.
The line about the kite is my attempt to set the point of view at early teenage when your expectations are flying and you spend a lot of time wondering what goes on in those shiny Cadillacs after the dance.
This sticks with you a long time – the speculating and wishing that you could be there.
John Hornsby
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On the Western Skyline > Mellow Yellow
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George, WA
July 26 1996