Off the Black & Townes Van Zandt

I happened to catch this little indie film on TV recently, attracted by Nick Nolte. Some of the reviews have called it slow and boring, but I'd call it slow and reassuring. It's a film that finds something to love in a man who has completely fucked up his life and thrown in the towel. Losers aren't necessarily worthless and uninteresting. Sometimes life is just too hard. In this case, a young man in danger of falling out of life is rescued by the last sparkle of humanity in an old drunk who uses the boy on his way out. What makes the film special is its subtlety. The characters blunder on, oblivious to their story.

At the end of the film came a song that broke my heart wide open. The last time this happened I discovered Tom Waits. This time I found Townes Van Zandt. The song was "If I Needed You." As the song credits scrolled past, I noticed the the same "written and performed by" on several, but I hadn't heard them. (I rarely do in the midst of a film.) I rushed to google him and get my hands on this amazing song and whatever else he'd done.

Thus I learned the sad tale of Townes Van Zandt and found a long list of albums, but every time I listened to "If I Needed You" it was sung in a whimsical, wistful, upbeat fashion with playful guitar. Nice, but I was looking for the slow, sad, heartbreaking voice of a lost soul that I'd heard in the film. I cannot find it! Where is it? Granted, I didn't hear every track of the song on every album that includes it; I lost patience. There must be another way.

The soundtrack of the film is apparently not available. The only thing I can think of to do is get the DVD from Netflix and hope the extras will tell me something. I'll also get a chance to hear the other songs.

Are there other Townes Van Zandt fans out there who can help me find the version of "If I Needed You" that I am desperate to get my hands on? Help!