Chords for Ray Charles w/ Michael McDonald, Willie Nelson & Van Morrison

[Dm] It's a very good year _ [F] for blue _ -blooded girls of [Eb] _
independent _ means.
Well, I think the song that he had [Bb] the most influence on was A [F] Very Good Year.
I said, [Bb] well, Ray, I thought you didn't want to do a Sinatra song.
He said, well, the lyrics [Am] are so great.
He said, and at this point in my life, I want to do It's A Very Good Year with Willie [A] Nelson.
He says, change the arrangement.
He figured if I changed the [F] arrangement, [A] the song was going to be different.
Even [C] now, I have a tough time listening to it, because it's so [D] emotional for me.
[Ab] I love him so much that I always felt that I had his confidence that whatever came out of [D] my wellspring was going to be cool [A] with him, and it usually was.
When [F] Ray heard the chart [B] that Vic did, he was so excited [C] he called me up [Bb] and said,
John, you've got to trust me on this.
[C] It's going to be amazing.
It's going to [Am] be incredible.
We've got to do this.
There was such conviction [Db] in his voice that I just said, [F] yeah, okay, let's [A] go.
Of course, we couldn't do a full orchestra session like that in Ray's studio, so we went to the Eastwood scoring stage at the Warner Brothers lot, which is a beautiful facility and _ was really an amazing couple of days there.
You just sing [Dm] it the way you feel it, man.
It ain't [Bb] like we in a hurry. _
See, I'm the one that's got to deal with the [Am] hurry part, because mine is in tempo, but you're not.
Okay.
You just do whatever [A] you feel, Melody.
That's why I wanted you and just you and the guitarist to just _ relax and sing it the way you feel it.
_ [Dm] When I was 17, _ _ _ _ it _ _ [C] was a very good year. _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] It was a very good year [Dm] for small town girls [Eb] and soft summer nights.
Well, this was Ray's Choice.
[D] _
_ I'd been a while since I'd heard the song, but I knew [C] immediately when he mentioned the title which one it was. _
[D] It went all the way back to Frank Sinatra, who is my favorite all-time singer. _ _
That recording was one of my [Dm] favorite all-time _ [Bb] recordings, that song.
_ When [Gm] Ray Charles wanted [D] to do it with me, [Bb] you know. _ _ _
[Dm] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [F] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ I'm fine, [Eb] _ okay. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ From [Cm] the [D] brim to the _ _ _ _ drums, _ _ _ and it _ _ [C] was sweet _ _ still. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] It was [D] a very _ good _ year. _ _ _
_ _ _ Today, with Ray [G] Charles, it was an extraordinary experience.
It was [D] a _ very _ good _ year.
_ That sounds nice, yeah.
_ _ [G] _ I'm running to her _ _ [C] like a river [G] song. _
She give me [D] love, [Em] love, [G] love.
_ [C] Breathe _ [D] it up.
She [G] give me the [Bm] life, [G] _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
_ man.
Got a fine sense of humor, [C] all right.
Well, I'm feeling low [G] down. _ _
_ _ _ [Em] Yeah, well, [G] I come to her [C] when the sun goes [G] down.
The Van Morrison piece comes from, he was being honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, [C] which I was the [G] producer of.
And when I had spoken to him in Ireland, he wasn't sure he was going to come or he could come.
_ And I said, it was so important to all of us, and the audience [Em] needs to see you.
And he said, [C] well, if I [D] did come, my dream is to sing with Ray Charles.
[G] _ They came in, and I felt the presence of [C] somebody behind me.
_ [G] And Ray was at the [D] piano, and I was talking to him as he was sort [C] of feeling out the [D] chords and using the [A] braille to learn [Gb] the lyrics [Em] to make sure.
[G] And Van came in, and he was _ like a little boy, just in the joy of it.
And then the two voices came together, and the [D] hairs on your arms stand up.
I mean, it's just [G] an [D] amazing _ [Gm] _ accomplishment of what those two voices.
[C] And that performance is _ standing ovation [G] time. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Bb] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Gm] Hey girl, _ [Dm] this [Gm] can't [Abm] be _ [Gm] true.
_ _ [Eb] How am [Bb] I?
_ Some of my [F] first great, great memories of _ pop music were riding in my [Dm] dad's car, an old Fairlane.
Ray Charles would come on.
My [Cm] dad would crank the _ radios, an old Delco radio.
And [Fm] the whole world would just fill up with [Cm] Ray Charles singing, I can't stop loving you, born to lose.
Good to see you, my [Fm] man.
Good to see you. _
[Bb] _ _ I didn't think you'd ask me.
I'm thrilled to be here.
[Dm] I don't know if even I know how much it means to me to [Bb] be here today.
It's [Db] almost like it's [C] going by too fast.
I can't [F] _ possibly make it slow up enough.
_ [Bb] Hey _ _ [F]
girl _ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ is the ingredient that makes this moment even more special for me, because I know how much Ray loves that song.
_ [Db] _ The first time I actually had a chance to talk to Ray, the first thing he said to me was, man I love that song.
Hey girl, he thought I wrote it.
I beg you [F] to stay.
_ _ I _ just gotta change some stuff here.
_ _ You got [Bb] the idea.
That's what it's [Gm] about, man.
_ [Eb] _ _
Hey girl, _ _ _ I'll tell you no [Gm] lie. _ _ _ _ _
[Dm] _ _ _ [Eb] Something deep inside of me is [F] going [Bb] to die. _
_ _ To be in [F] a room with Ray singing, [Cm] you know, [Gm] two feet away from him, live on a track [Cm] with orchestra is pretty huge, you know.
[Bb] Come run to me when you go.
_ _ _ _ _ _ The [Db] thought that I might ever get to even talk to him, I just get to know him and _ _ record a song with him, you know, is [F] pretty unbelievable really.
Hey _ _ _ girl.
_ [G] _ _ _
_ Hey girl. _ _ _
_ Ha ha ha.
_ _ [Ab] Come here.
[Db] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[E] He [Dbm] crossed every line there ever [Am] was.
[Bm] He never was [D] limited in any [Dbm] musical format or [A] any genre, [Dbm] so to speak.
So I think [Gb] that's, he leaves an everlasting [Eb] kind of musical statement.
[Abm] You'll never ever know.
[Db] _ _
The [Gbm] _ one who loves you [B]
so.
_ _ [E] Know _ _ _ [Db] you.
I think anyone who's a fan of Ray [Gbm] Charles is going [E] to love this album.
[A] I think _ [Ab] _
[Abm] Ray is just saying if you can sing what's [G] in your heart and [Gbm] keep [E] time, you [Gm] got it.
[Db] _ And this album is from Ray's [Cm] heart. _
[D] Some way, _ _ _ [Gm] _ _
_ _ _ [Bb] _ _ [A] _ _ _
[Ab] _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _ [C] _
way [Gm] up _ high.
_ [A] _ _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ [N] _ _