Just Don't Ask Me What It Was: jtoomey

I heard Suzanne Vega's Luka on the way in to work today, and it reminded me of a conversation had with my friend Cathy recently, and I thought y'all might be interested in the premise as well. You can thank me later.

I had loaned her my The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne CD, and she had commented that it contained a rather high proportion of chill-inducing songs -- you know, the ones that hit the nail so perfectly on the head that it elevates the song from a mere tune to... something more. Something right, something exact. Something you wish you had written.

Luka's like that for me. I'm happy that I've never had to endure the trauma of domestic abuse -- and I'm even happier that I've never inflicted it on anyone else -- but Vega's description of the ennui induced just seems... exact. Perfect. Disturbingly accurate.

The Jackson Browne song that's particularly chill-inducing for me would be Sky Blue and Black. It's not at the top of his list, as sorted by popularity, but it's just got that certain something that makes me question what everyone else is hearing. How could you NOT love it?

See also:

Helicopters

In My Life

Still Fighting It

Don't Fear the Reaper

Ordinary World

Pussy Willow

The Ballad of Barry Allen

Pontiac

Thief

Family Snapshot

The Kid

American Tune

Kathy's Song

Crowing

Winter

These aren't necessarily my favorite songs, either. You'll note, for instance, a distinct lack of XTC, Steely Dan, They Might Be Giants, Billy Joel, Elton John, and many, many others I enjoy a great deal. They're just some of the songs that, for better or worse, feel... important. Special.

Exact, if that makes any sense.

Just Don't Ask Me What It Was

Never Forget

"The Seeker"?

See Also

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