- Why?
- ...because, the oft dropped third verse really makes the song make sense
...because Gray's voice has a beautiful emotive quality to it
...because the melody is in a rather compressed vocal range, yet still seems to soar
- ...to the lyric, "Let go your heart, let go your head, and feel it now" -- one of my favorite descriptions of breaking through an emotional wall
2) Band on the Run - Paul McCartney and Wings
- Why?
- ...because I love the transition from the initial brooding lyric to the liberated body of the song
...because the chorus is so hooky, it should be illegal
...because there's some great lyrical imagery to unravel: we fell into the sun? What?
- ...to one of the best songwriters in the history of Rock and Roll stretching out a bit
3) Beautiful Freak - Eels
- Why?
- ...because you may have limited (read: Novocaine for the Soul) experience with Eels, and, in that case, you're really missing out
...because E carries a tune well while still sounding like somebody took a belt sander to his vocal cords
...because too few people sing about freaks without sounding like, say, Marilyn Manson
- ...to the awesome juxtaposition of simple, traditional-style melody and lyrics with a message of acceptance of the bizarre
4) Behind Closed Doors - Charlie Rich
- Why?
- ...because I'm sick of hearing about people who "listen to everything except country and rap," or who think that country only means Shania Twain and/or that jackass who sings about putting a boot in the ass of foreign powers
...because Rich was a great, but terribly flawed, non-conformist in an age when country music was not very tolerant of differences
...because Rich always sounds like he means exactly what he's saying; if I were to choose a second version of America the Beautiful to push, it would be his
- ...to the soft touch of The Silver Fox on the piano -- classic country keyboarding