John Sebastian played this song at Woodstock, in 1969. His performance there was just guitar and vocal, although the studio recording was considerably lusher.
It's one of those songs that meant little to me until I reached the point in life so vividly captured and conveyed by the composer. Hearing it as a parent was like hearing it for the first time. Sebastian wrote the song when I was a kid, and 35 years later, it fit my experience more richly and deeply than anything contemporary. Nice work, John. This is one of the truly great songs for parents.
I love his original studio version and didn't try to vary much in my interpretation. I was working on my lead guitar skills, and wanted to record something emphasizing things I'd learned. Also, I'd been listening to more jazz, and wanted to try a touch of that. Those are the main distinguishing features of my version.