The Wind (Warren Zevon album)

The Wind is the twelfth and final studio album by American singer-songwriter Warren Zevon. The album was released on August 26, 2003, by Artemis Records. Zevon began recording the album shortly after he was diagnosed with inoperable pleural mesothelioma (a cancer of the lining of the lung), and it was released just two weeks before his death on September 7, 2003. The album was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album, and "Disorder in the House", performed by Zevon with Bruce Springsteen, won the Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance (Group or Duo). Songs from the album were nominated for an additional three Grammys.

The Wind
Studio album by Warren Zevon
Released	August 26, 2003 (2003-08-26)
Recorded	September 16 – December 20, 2002 and early 2003
Studio	Various, including Billy Bob Thornton's Snakepit home studio[1]
Genre	Folk rock
Length	45:08
Language	English
Label	Artemis
Producer	Jorge Calderón, Noah Scot Snyder, Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon chronology
The First Sessions (2003) The Wind (2003) Reconsider Me: The Love Songs (2006)
Singles from The Wind
"Disorder in the House" Released: 2003 "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" Released: 2003

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)	A−[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
Rolling Stone	[5]
Uncut	8/10[6]

Recording and release

Upon learning of his cancer diagnosis, Zevon became determined to record a final studio album. His record label gave him a large budget to record, and he got assistance from several high-profile musicians and friends. Zevon was inspired to include a Bob Dylan cover after Dylan performed several of his songs in concert in 2002.^[7]

Critical reception

The record was regarded by Robert Christgau as "one of those nearness-of-death albums", along with Mississippi John Hurt's Last Sessions (1972), Neil Young's Prairie Wind (2005), and Johnny Cash's American VI: Ain't No Grave (2010).^[8]

Track listing

All tracks written by Jorge Calderón and Warren Zevon, except where indicated.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Dirty Life and Times"	Zevon	3:15
2.	"Disorder in the House"		4:36
3.	"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"	Bob Dylan	4:05
4.	"Numb as a Statue"		4:08
5.	"She's Too Good for Me"	Zevon	3:12
6.	"Prison Grove"		4:51
7.	"El amor de mi vida"		3:34
8.	"The Rest of the Night"		4:41
9.	"Please Stay"	Zevon	3:34
10.	"Rub Me Raw"		5:44
11.	"Keep Me in Your Heart"		3:28

Personnel

Adapted credits from the liner notes of The Wind.^[9]

"Dirty Life and Times"

• Warren Zevon – vocals and acoustic guitar
• Ry Cooder – guitar
• Jorge Calderón – bass guitar
• Don Henley – drums
• Billy Bob Thornton – backing vocals
• Dwight Yoakam – backing vocals

"Disorder in the House"

• Warren Zevon – vocals
• Jorge Calderón – bass guitar, acoustic guitar and percussion
• Jim Keltner – drums
• Bruce Springsteen – electric guitar and backing vocals

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"

• Warren Zevon – vocals
• Jorge Calderón – backing vocals, bass
• Brad Davis – electric guitar and backing vocals
• Steve Gorman – drums
• Randy Mitchell – slide guitar and backing vocals
• Tommy Shaw – 12-string acoustic guitar and backing vocals
• Billy Bob Thornton – backing vocals
• John Waite – backing vocals

"Numb as a Statue"

• Warren Zevon – vocals and piano
• Jorge Calderón – bass guitar, maracas and backing vocals
• Jim Keltner – drums
• David Lindley – lap steel guitar

"She's Too Good for Me"

• Warren Zevon – vocals and acoustic guitar
• Jorge Calderon – bass guitar
• Luis Conte – drums and percussion
• Don Henley – backing vocals
• Timothy B. Schmit – backing vocals

"Prison Grove"

• Warren Zevon – vocals
• Ry Cooder – slide guitar
• David Lindley – electric saz and backing vocals
• Jorge Calderon – electric guitar and backing vocals
• Reggie Hamilton – upright bass
• Jim Keltner – drums
• Jordan Zevon – backing vocals
• Bruce Springsteen – backing vocals
• Jackson Browne – backing vocals
• Billy Bob Thornton – backing vocals
• T Bone Burnett – backing vocals

"El Amor de Mi Vida"

• Warren Zevon – vocals
• Jorge Calderón – Spanish-language vocals
• Luis Conte – bongos
• Reggie Hamilton – upright bass
• Jim Keltner – drums
• James Raymond – piano

"The Rest of the Night"

• Warren Zevon – vocals and electric guitar
• Mike Campbell – electric guitar
• Jorge Calderón – bass guitar and electric guitar
• Luis Conte – drums and percussion
• Tom Petty – backing vocals

"Please Stay"

• Warren Zevon – vocals and keyboard
• Gil Bernal – saxophone
• Jorge Calderón – bass guitar
• Luis Conte – drums and percussion
• Emmylou Harris – backing vocals

"Rub Me Raw"

• Warren Zevon – vocals
• Jorge Calderón – electric guitar and bass guitar
• Jim Keltner – drums
• Joe Walsh – slide guitar

"Keep Me in Your Heart"

• Warren Zevon – vocals
• Jorge Calderón – acoustic guitar, bass guitar and tres
• Jim Keltner – drums

Technical personnel

• Bridgette Barr – executive Record producer
• Hugh Brown – art direction
• Jorge Calderón – production
• Steve Churchyard – engineering
• Greg Hayes – engineering
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering
• James Mitchell – engineering
• Matthew Rolston – cover photo
• Noah Scot Snyder – engineering, mixing, production
• Joe West – engineering
• Jordan Zevon – executive production
• Warren Zevon – production

Chart performance

Year	Chart	Position
2003	US Top Internet Albums	12[citation needed]
2004	US Billboard 200[10]	12
2004	US Top Independent Albums[11]	1

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year	Winner	Category
2004	"Disorder in the House"	Best Rock Vocal Performance – Duo or Group[12]
2004	The Wind	Best Contemporary Folk Album[12]

Grammy Award Nominations

Year	Nominee	Category
2004	"Keep Me in Your Heart"	Song of the Year[12]
2004	"Keep Me in Your Heart"	Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male[12]
2004	"Disorder in the House"	Best Rock Song[12]

Legacy

"Keep Me in Your Heart" has been frequently covered by various artists since Zevon's passing, with Jorge Calderón providing his own rendition on Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon in 2004.^[13] Eddie Vedder performed the song for David Letterman's award ceremony in 2017 for the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, with Vedder noting Letterman's role in introducing him to Zevon's music.^[13] Further covers of the song have included Christine Albert's 2014 album Everything’s Beautiful Now, Wesley Schultz on his 2018 album Vignettes, a 2023 single release by Fantastic Cat, and by Willie Nelson for his 2024 album Last Leaf on the Tree.^[13][14][15] Nelson's cover was noted by American Songwriter for capturing a similar retrospective view on mortality as Zevon's original performance, with Nelson's guitarwork with Trigger sounding similarly aged and "beat up."^[15]