** Please read the post below if you don't want to be confused.
** *I tend to write way too much.
****Also overuse disclaimers. Okay done.
There Is a Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths
My obsession with The Smiths begins and ends with this song. As far as love songs go it doesn’t get any better than this one. It is a dark, moody song that grabs you the first time you listen to it. I am not sure whether it is to everybody’s tastes though; lyrics like “To die by your side is a heavenly way to die” may not make most of us sigh with heartfelt delight. But it has to be these lyrics set against the almost pop-ish music that makes me like it so much. There is a desperation, a pathetic plea in this song that most of us may not want to admit feeling. Listen to this song for Morrissey’s uncompromising lyrics, his melancholic voice filled with conviction and for the memory it evokes in you: when you were in love, foolishly enough to go off driving with that person by your side.
Song For You by Alexi Murdoch
Alexi Murdoch is one of those artists who's very non invasive. He is not one of the most compelling artists. Very understated, he takes you not by surprise, but there is quiet wonder as you realise you love his calm unhurried avowal of love and pain. Song for You is one of those songs dedicated to all kinds of relationships, as well as the struggle it is to remain in one. But it is the calm after the storm( to spout a cliche), that point when you realise that all the things that make up the conflict and struggle in a relationship can be worthwhile when suffered together. But even this is too intense an explanation for a song and an artist who seems to take nothing too seriously. There is no desperation here, only lovely intention.
"So I'm trying to put it right
Cause I want to love you with my heart
All this trying has made me tight
And I dont know even where to start
Maybe thats a start"
At My Most Beautiful by R.E.M.
Gosh I wish I could talk about why I love this song so much but I can't. But I'll say this: any song that makes stalking sound beautiful and desirable will always be high up on my list. This song always finds a way to make me smile. And it mentions eyelashes-a really underrated body part (I feel) when it comes to professsing love.
Jealous Guy by John Lennon
Actually, something about this song always makes me a little uncomfortable. I have never been able to figure out why. I love how the simple piano and Lennon's slightly nasal voice meld together. And the lyrics: how much more straightforward and simple can they get? "I was feeling insecure, you might not love me anymore". I love how apologetic he is for hurting her (no prizes for guessing who!*sigh*) "I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm sorry that I made you cry... I'm just a jealous guy" but at the same time how he doesn't apologise for who he is. He is after all just a jealous guy. A simple song that excuses possessiveness-quite perfect for most of us!
Same Stars by Sawgrass (now James Moore Harris)
So I got this song from S a couple of days ago and it's all I can listen to. Please keep a lookout for this guy-James Harris Moore He is amazing and I am a little in love with him- as anyone would be after listening to his songs. This one in particular, is really sweet and just won't let go of your brain.
Something by The Beatles
Okay having this song on my list can be a cliché but to tell you the truth I haven’t always loved it. It has made its mark only recently. My favourite fact about this song, George Harrison wrote it. I think that makes me like it even more. Harrison’s always been tragically underrated. But that has also been his selling point. Widely known as the underrated and under estimated Beatle he has gathered fans for this reason as much as for his song writing capabilities. A well known joke about this song is that Frank Sinatra called it the best Lennon/Mcartney composition written. Coming to why this song is on my list, again I will refer to the Harrison-esque quality of all his songs. He lends a mystical character to whatever he writes. Okay maybe that is too obvious but you always feel the presence of something greater when you listen to his songs. As if he is a channel for some greater message. In "Something" he tackles that unknown quality in a person that makes us fall in love. So go his lyrics "Something in the way she moves, attracts me like no other lover, Something in the way she woos me" It is that indefinable all important something. He takes it to a level that connects us to the Universe and to all other beings who know this "something".
Dearest by Buddy Holly
Oh gosh how sweet and lovely this song is. It is a letter, a poem, a note stuck in your bag to put a smile on your face. From the first time I heard him sing "Dearest" in that reedy quavery voice I have loved Buddy Holly and will continue to do so.
Wonderwall by Ryan Adams
Okay I know this song is originally by Oasis but come on! I don't think anyone who has heard this version will remember who Oasis is. Adams invests emotion into this song and takes it to a place that is darker. I've always felt like the original sounded a little whinny and frankly a little bored with itself. Not this one.
The Past and Pending by The Shins
This is my favourite song of The Shins. I know most people are crazy about New Slang or Caring is Creepy but this song always reminds me of so many idle evenings, many of which I spent on my terrace watching the sky. It is a love song and it's not. It's about so much more. It is looking at some big picture that we often fail to see. I remember being on that terrace and often getting a flash, some insight into everything and then losing it tragically, a second later. I court that feeling more than anything else, more than love even and that's why I love this song.
Okay so that's it. Special mention for "The One I love" and "Casimir Pulaski Day " by Sufjan Stevens; Pink Bullets by The Shins; Scarborough Fair by Simon and Garfunkel; "Girl" by The Beatles, Too many by The Beatles Okay maybe I should do a part 2.
