Ten Favorite Bodies of Water Songs: Out to Sea (#2)

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Here comes another one of those songs on my list of favorites that have a body of water mentioned in the title. From ocean to bayou to bay to lake, we move on to the sea for the final two. Here's today's song. #2: Out to Sea - J.D. Souther Yesterday it was Ronstadt. Today, it's her one-time boyfriend and one of her most frequent go-to songwriters. She covered a boatload of his songs over her career...but she sadly skipped doing this masterpiece. I saw J.D. Souther -- finally -- in 2009. When I met him after the show I thanked him for this song. He thanked me. Souther's first solo album, sort of, came out in 1972 when Asylum was signing everyone out of L.A. who had a guitar or piano and a notepad on which to write songs. Other members of the Asylum stable in the 70s included Steve Goodman, Tom Waits, Jackson Browne, David Blue (who wrote the Eagles' "Outlaw Man"), Warren Zevon, Jackson Browne, the Eagles, Ronstadt, and...well, you get the idea. Back then they called the southern California scene the "mellow mafia," and Asylum was its headquarters. And yes, it's "sort of" a solo album. His first album was 1969's Longbranch/Pennywhistle, released on Amos Records, which was a duet with fellow Detroit native Glenn Frey. This album, although under Souther's name alone, has Frey all over it. You can clearly hear him singing harmonies on this song (and others, such as "Run Like a Thief"). Man, oh, man, what a song. I've had this album since 1978, and "Out to Sea" almost immediately became my favorite song on the album, and it remains far and away my favorite J.D. Souther song. And I do wish Ronstadt had put her unique stamp on this song by covering it. Out to Sea Written by J.D. Souther Recorded by J.D. Souther From John David Souther, 1972 We will bathe in the white foaming water: