Back in my college days, I read T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” and wondered how it would sound if sung. Eliot’s reading of the “Love Song” is chant-like, melodious in its own way, but not musical. My own arrangement (the “Love Song” is in the public domain) is narrative, with a sung refrain, “The women, they come and go, talking of Michelangelo” — note, slightly changed from the original. My interpretation of the “Love Song” fits into a broad catalog of original and interpretive music:

1. Scarborough Fair (arrangement) — A traditional song, popularized by Simon & Garfunkel. It consists of a series of impossible and symbolic requests.

2. When We Were Young (original) — About passing from childhood to adulthood, and what happens to our dreams.

3. Fortress (original) — Being closed in, isolated from the world. Thematically, in the same vein as Simon & Garfunkel’s “I am a Rock.”

4. I For You (original) — A reply to “Fortress” — about not giving up on a friend.

5. Amazing Grace (arrangement) — This hymn has an extensive history, written by a former slave trader and popularized in hymn books and modern performances (Judy Collins & Aretha Franklin). My arrangement is folksy with a country edge.

6. I Need You (original) — This song is popular in some of the pubs I’ve played. A song about love.

7. Old Man Jack (original) — About a troubled war vet, and the deputy he tries to shoot down.

8. I’ll Press On (original) — A declaration. About pressing on through whatever life throws at you.

9. Highways Heading Home (original) — About getting lost, and hoping someone is still there for you.

10. We Never Said Goodbye (original) — A lament. A song for a friend who passed away some years ago.

11. I Was Writing This In The Cafe (original) — Lyrics based on what happens when one thinks about life and its challenges.

12. Saved By Zero/All Along the Watchtower (arrangement) — Dylan’s “Watchtower” can be accomplished in two chords, so it fits nicely with just about any song, including The Fixx’s “Saved by Zero.” Both are apocalyptic.

13. Blowin’ In The Wind (arrangement) — Just about everyone sings Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind.” My arrangement departs from the original melodically.

I played three of these at The Ugly Mug in Soquel:

Set: Fortress, I For You, I Need You