Misery
Whilst ‘Greer 2.0’ (The Dominion Post’s god-awful dating blog) doesn’t really deserve ‘mad props’, I did rather like the idea of a recent post, (http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/entertainment/blogs/greer-2-0/3279716/When-the-musics-over) where the eponymous writer (or perhaps the pointless Second Life avatar in her homepage button) had created a list of her favourite break-up songs.
I’d actually created a ‘Misery Playlist’ several months ago to accompany a series of films that we were due to watch at my ‘Misery Birthday’ event.
I’ve edited this extensive and rather varied list down and included some recent favourites.
As Rob Fleming might say: ‘My all time top 10 songs about misery and loss’:
- Ben Harper “Another Lonely Day” (from ‘Fight For Your Mind’)
This actually came out at a time that I wasn’t heartbroken and the song hasn’t subsequently been related to any heartbreak that I’ve suffered (so by rights really shouldn’t be on this list) but, hey, it’s such a great, simple little song that it’s worth adding. Off Harpers second and best album. It was steadily downhill from here.
- The Byrds “Set You Free This Time” (from ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!)
The Byrds first two albums (this is off of the second) are largely made up of Bob Dylan covers and other standards, but there are some fantastic original tracks written by then lead singer Gene Clarke, whom left the band in 1966 due to his fear of flying. The lyrics are fantastic and stumble over each other beautifully. I’ve loved this song since before I was old enough to experience any of the feelings that it expresses. Great harmonica solo from Clarke over the coda too.
- Florence + The Machine “Cosmic Love” (from ‘Lungs’)
The most recent entry with a bullet. This is epic. Florence Welch is an unbelievably precocious talent and unarguably worth the hype. Yes, some of the album strays worryingly close to the Kate Bush school of eccentric idiosyncrasy but Welch’s range and ability to throw her voice against her palette is undeniable. “No dark, no day, I’m always in this twilight, in the shadow of your heart”. I thought that getting older had made me more guarded emotionally. How little I knew. I’ve been shown after a ten year gap that you never learn. You just grow to avoid people that make you feel a certain way. Maybe one day I’ll meet someone whom makes me feel like this again. A big part of me hopes not.
- My Morning Jacket “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Part 1” (from ‘Evil Urges’)
I was initially attracted to MMJ by comparisons with Band of Horses (whom will appear later in this list) in the press. I don’t feel that the bands actually share that much, as it happens and I must admit, bar this song, I don’t particularly like them. This is included as it, for me, is one of those songs that defines falling in love, and then grows with you to also define the heartbreak once it’s over.
- Akron/Family “River” (from ‘Set Em Wild, Set Em Free’)
As is this. A beautiful, sweet song, carried along on a melody that reminds me of African Hi-Life bands and has some of the most individually romantic lyrics I’ve ever heard, referring to a love being like water. Changing from a river, “And you are now vast and open sea. And my mind travels you endlessly. And you beckon, toss and turn and swallow me”. The sound of me falling in love, then standing at a gig I bought two tickets to on my own in the realisation that things weren’t gonna work out.
- Whiskeytown “Turn Around” (from ‘Strangers Almanac’)
Ryan Adams later had critical and commercial success as a solo artist, but I missed all that (I was off on a ten year dance music crusade). I remember him as the youthful but drug & drink addled leader of Alt-Country band Whiskeytown. They enjoyed cult success and released three albums (this is from the middle one) with David Ryan Adams (as he was then known) and Singer/Fiddle Player Caitlin Cary being the only constant members. This as heavily ‘Alt’ Alt-Country as they got, with a hugely emotive guitar solo in the middle. It got played in my first year of Uni repeatedly after I really let myself down with a girl. My Mums best piece of advice ever, “everyone makes a fool of themselves in love at least once” came from this period. Three times (and counting) in my case.
- Deftones “Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away)” (from ‘Around The Fur’)
Deftones took the mid nineties Nu-Metal template, added a healthy dose of Shudder To Think and punk attitude and made two snarling albums before totally losing their way. This (ironically) sounds very similar to Far, one of their major influences and has been covered live for many years by Jonah Mantrega (Far vocalist)’s One Line Drawing project. As melodic as Deftones ever got, they never (in my experience) managed to properly carry this off live. The righteously indignant side to the same break up as Whiskeytown.
- Damian Rice “The Blowers Daughter” (from ‘O’)
It’s an interesting realisation when the dust settles and you realise that you had totally fallen in love with a figment of your own imagination and the object of your affection bears no resemblance to whom you actually thought she was. This didn’t make it easier to be alone at the time. Which is ironic, because I wasn’t. In essence, a broken heart through longing for something that didn’t exist. Confused? So was I. Drugs, eh?
- Band of Horses “Detlef Schrempf” (from ‘Cease To Begin’)
My hearing was pretty shot anyway when I started working at Thekla (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thekla_) thanks to being in a band in my teens. The boat’s steel walls, the fact that we never wore earplugs behind the bar and Nick (the soundman)’s deafness really didn’t help. Virtually every weekend, without exception, for the best part of four years, I either stood the bar, on the dancefloor, or behind the decks. When the ‘entrepreneurs’ behind the Social chain (http://thesocial.com/) took over and refurbished the venue, they killed something very special. They did however, start booking proper bands; something the venue hadn’t seen in years. (Apart from Scissorfight, whom randomly played one Saturday night before Espionage and were awesome). I went back in on a Sunday night to see Kristian (the Manager, and younger brother of my then girlfriend) to drop off a roast dinner and noticed a poster on the wall. At that point, I hadn’t bought a record by a ‘guitar band’ in about six or seven years. The poster featured a black and white photo (http://www.last.fm/music/Band+of+Horses/+images/2497207) of a band, a name, and in the bottom right hand corner, a Sub Pop logo. That was all I needed to know that they would be awesome, and totally restore my faith in songwriting. I’m not telling you who this makes me think about. Time will tell if she deserves it. Why it’s named after a German Basketball player – I have no idea.
- Bob Dylan “It Ain’t Me” (from ‘Another Side Of Bob Dylan)
Because it also hurts when you’re the one that ends things. I wrote a song in my early twenties which (unwittingly) plagiarised this heavily. “I will not be the one to come when you call, I will never catch you when you fall” was the catchy refrain, as I remember. When I first sang it to the bandmate whom co-wrote the music, he just went, “Hmm. Angsty.” It’s probably a bit teenage, but I still think that it’s one of the best things I ever came up with. The girl I wrote it about always chastised me for never writing about her. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I often did. There’s also amazing versions by Joan Baez and Johnny Cash & June Carter. Bob’s regarded as the civil rights songwriter, but he’s got some great relationship songs too.
