Healing – Todd Rundgren (1981)

January 3, 2025

Todd Rundgren’s prolific run in the 1970s – both as a recording artist and producer – has to go down as one of the best of all time. In addition to releasing his final album with Nazz, he put out eight albums as a solo artist and five as the frontman of Utopia. His 1972 double album, Something/Anything?, is not only his magnum opus, but also one of the best albums of the entire decade. His releases ranged from pure pop to soft rock to psychedelia to prog rock, and featured Rundgren as not only the lead songwriter and vocalist, but also taking on many of the instrumental roles throughout each of the albums. And if his own releases weren’t astounding enough – he also produced seventeen albums for other artists that included releases by the Band, Badfinger, Sparks, New York Dolls, Grand Funk Railroad, Hall & Oates, Meat Loaf, and Patti Smith. This man undeniably had one of the biggest imprints on rock music in the 1970s, and deserves so much more credit than he gets.

Although Rundgren found himself at the peak of his powers as a songwriter, musician, and producer at the dawn of the new decade, he had also experienced some turmoil in his personal life. He had not only separated from model Bebe Buell and discovered that he was not actually the biological father of Liv Tyler (who was obviously genetically tied to a different legendary rock star), but he also had his home invaded and was tied up while a group of armed men burglarized his house (mistakenly assuming it would have large quantities of cocaine). So what does a musical genius known for his sonic experimentation and spiritual lyrics do when he faces emotional problems in his life? He creates 1981’s Healing. 

Rundgren with Bebe Buell and a young Liv Tyler

As the title suggests, Healing is Rundgren’s most overtly spiritual record that focuses on the trials and struggles of the human condition. Songs like “Healer,” “Pulse,” “Flesh,” “Compassion,” and “Shine” all dive into both the mystical and the deeply personal, and involve dream sequences, spiritual visitations, journeys to other realms, and explorations of what it means to try to find fulfillment as a human being. The album’s high point is undoubtedly the three-part suite, “Healing,” which comprised the entire B side of the original release. It is twenty straight minutes of some of the most pure and enjoyable music you could ever hope to hear, featuring Todd’s calming voice delivering soothing lyrics over a steady drum beat and bassline, while also incorporating pure pop synthesizers, guitars, and saxophone along the way.

And in addition to some of the more ethereal tracks on the album, we get a clear-cut look into Todd’s feelings on what he’s experiencing in the material world. “Golden Goose” appears to delve into his frustration with being in the public spotlight, as he complains of “people camping in the yard” with “their ears pressed up against the wall,” being harassed at his door by paparazzi from People magazine, and getting a phone call requesting that he “advertise designer jeans.” These lyrics overlay what can only be described as circus music, which is  likely a good indication of what Rundgren thinks of fame. Todd also includes a clear-cut break up song with “Time Heals” – the vocals of which could easily be mistaken for Daryl Hall – where he dives into the silent suffering that comes as “your hell goes unspoken” at the end of a relationship.  (Author’s Note: Apple Music credits Rundgren and Johann Sebastian Bach as co-writers of “Time Heals.” I cannot find any explanation of this on the internet and would appreciate it if anyone could fill me in on what’s going on there.) And finally he concludes the album with the bonus track, “Tiny Demons,” which shows him as a man who is still haunted despite all of the healing he seeks.

Rundgren performing live at the Central Park Music Festival

Healing is about as good of an album as any for somebody going through a difficult time. Despite the fact that it would be easy to write off a lot of the spiritual lyrics as cheesy, this album will legitimately make you feel better every time you listen to it. There have been countless times I’ve played it since the first time I heard it, and I can genuinely say it has helped every single time. From break-ups to lost loved ones to just generally shitty days, Todd is here for you on this album. He’s been there, he’s seen it, and knows that we all have too. This album is consistently excellent; it is innovative; it is thought-provoking; it is a clear-cut demonstration of the one-man band that is Todd Rundgren; and yes, it is healing.