Photos: Then & Now: The softer side of rock
Smooth English balladeer who dressed down his adult ballads — fit equally for a beach party or a LASIK office — as synthesizers or keyboards usually stand behind an acoustic guitar. The tone of a lovesick puppy marked much of Blunt’s hits, but his military past proves he’s no softee.
Sample lyric: “I saw your face in a crowded place / And I don’t know what to do / Because I’ll never be with you.” (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)
The king of mid-1970s soft rock, Fogelberg is probably responsible for many an unplanned pregnancy in the years from ’75 to ’85. The cover of his “Nether Lands” record captures the essence of the subgenre: a close-up of a thoughtful (bearded) man staring at something far, far away — or at an emotion buried deep inside his heart.
Sample lyric: “Stronger than any mountain cathedral / Truer than any tree ever grew / Deeper than any forest primeval / I am in love with you.” (John Fung / Los Angeles Times)
Tim Heidecker is best known as one half of the comedy duo Tim and Eric, but he has expanded his creative life to take on soft rock with writing partner Davin Wood. On their forthcoming debut full length, “Starting From Nowhere,” the sincere duo craft perfectly imagined should-be classics such as “Grandest Canyon,” “Wedding Song” and, best, “Cross Country Skiing.”
Sample lyric: “Sun is on my pillow / But I am not in bed / I’m out in the country snow with a ski cap on my head / Coffee in my belly / Will surely keep me warm / A mountain lunch packed in my sack / Of raisins, nuts and corn / We’re going cross-country skiing.” (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
