''Watching My Life Go By'' is the third studio album by

Michael Hedges Michael Alden Hedges (December 31, 1953 – December 2, 1997) was an American acoustic guitarist and songwriter. Early years The son of Thayne Alden Hedges and Ruth Evelyn Hedges Ipsen, Michael Hedges was born in Sacramento, California. His l ...

released in 1985.Nomad Land official web site entry for ''Watching My Life Go By''.
Accessed May 11, 2009. After two solo instrumental albums, Hedges sang on all the tracks on this release.

Reception

Music critic Jason Anderson, writing for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, wrote of the album "Subdued, almost uncharacteristically restrained, Hedges the singer/songwriter doesn't quite live up to Hedges the avant-garde or self-proclaimed "violent acoustic" guitarist... A bit of a learning experience, Watching My Life Go By might not be Hedges' finest offering; however, the record still features plenty of great performances of heartfelt material."

Track listing

All compositions by Michael Hedges except "All Along the Watchtower" by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. # "Face Yourself" – 4:43 # "I'm Coming Home" – 4:14 # "Woman of the World" – 4:17 # "Watching My Life Go By" – 3:16 # "I Want You" – 4:00 # "The Streamlined Man" – 3:46 # "Out on the Parkway" – 2:58 # "Holiday" – 5:14 # "

All Along the Watchtower "All Along the Watchtower" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his eighth studio album, ''John Wesley Harding'' (1967). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. The song's lyrics, which in its original vers ...

" (Bob Dylan) – 3:01 # "Running Blind" – 4:54 "Holiday" ends with Hedges singing the first verse of "

My Country, 'Tis of Thee "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)" is an American patriotic song, the lyrics of which were written by Samuel Francis Smith. The song served as one of the ''de facto'' national anthems of the United States (along with songs like "Hail, Columb ...

", which is not credited in the liner notes.

Personnel

*Michael Hedges – guitar, vocals, bass ("I'm Coming Home", "Running Blind"), flute ("Woman of the World"), synthesizer ("I Want You", "Holiday"), harmonica ("Holiday"), wine glasses ("Out on the Parkway") *

Michael Manring Michael Manring (born June 27, 1960) is an American bass guitarist from the San Francisco Bay Area. Biography Michael Manring was born in Annapolis, Maryland,Tom Mulhern, ''Bass Heroes: Styles, Stories & Secrets of 30 Great Bass Players : from ...

– fretless bass ("Face Yourself", "I Want You", "Out on the Parkway") *John Hanes – drums ("I Want You") *

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...

– chant and solo vocals ("The Streamlined Man") *Hilleary Burgess – wine glasses ("Out on the Parkway"), production coordination *

Elliot Mazer Elliot Mazer (September 5, 1941February 7, 2021) was an American audio engineer and record producer. He was best known for his work with Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, The Band, and Janis Joplin. In addition, he worked on film and telev ...

- engineer *Bryan Lanser, Marty Atkinson, Wes Weaver, Neil Janklow - assistant engineers *Anne Robinson - album design *Irene Young - cover portrait *Carol Erlich - photo tinting *Ruth Carroll Hedges - liner photo

Production notes

*Produced by Elliot Mazer *Engineered by Elliot Mazer, Michael Hedges *Mastered by George Horn *Design by Anne Robinson *Photography by Irene Young

References

1985 albums Michael Hedges albums Albums produced by Elliot Mazer Windham Hill Records albums {{1980s-electronic-album-stub