Welcome to the song of the day, where we feature a single track, whether its brand new or older than us, overlooked or overplayed, our favorite or no one’s favorite; as long as its interesting, it can be the song of the day.
In the seven-year gap between Warren Zevon’s first and second albums, he was struggling as a performer and a songwriter, but he had a friend in Jackson Browne, who would play his songs sometimes to bring attention to Zevon. This was recorded in 1975 and is featured on the live album, Live at the Main Point. It was recorded outside of Philadelphia in Bryn Mawr, which is why we are treated to later verses of the song with Browne howling “werewolves of Bryn Mawr,” “werewolves of Greater Philly,” and “Werewolves of Pennsylvania.”
Zevon would eventually record his major label debut, a self-titled album with collaborations from a wide range of musicians, including Browne, Phil Everly, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Lindsey Buckingham, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Nicks, and Carl Wilson. The proper studio version of “Werewolves of London” wouldn’t appear until Zevon’s third album in 1978. Zevon would go on to have an outstanding creative career, releasing a total of 12 albums before his death in 2003. It’s nice to think that those little shout-outs and pushes from Jackson Browne helped that all come to fruition.
Header image courtesy of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.