My favorite songs of the decade - Part 5

“God Give me Strength” by Bette Midler

This song, the result of a collaboration between Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, was written for the musically inaccurate movie “Grace of my heart” and has been much lauded and recorded. But, even though it’s good, it’s a very odd and unnecessarily complicated tune (even for Burt) that’s almost impossible to pull off. It’s like the Star Spangled Banner; if you don’t start low, you’re never going to make it. This version is probably the best one I’ve heard, mostly because she has a light touch in the right places and the pipes to knock it out of the park.

“What’s a guy gotta do” by Joe Nichols

Utter simplicity. It’s just a straight forward country song that grooves along on brisk zydeco beat. Feel good music about feeling bad.

“David” and “Respectable” by Nellie McKay

Show business is filled with fatheads, that is, people who get so caught up in their artistic vision that they become delusional centers of their own universe. Hey, I know the creative process is about self-absorption, there’s no way around it. But, there’s that cringe inducing crossing the line where like pornography, you can’t really describe it but you know it when you see it. That’s what happened with Nellie McKay. After her first well-received and pretty damn astounding first album, she zoomed over to fathead status. She got into a big fight with her label because she wanted her next album to be a double and they said no. She wouldn’t budge on the matter. Finally, they dropped her, she released it through a lesser label and it hardly sold anything. (I think Sony was right. It wasn’t even that good as a single record.) Now, if she had just sucked it up a little instead of being a fathead, things might have turned out wildly different. Let that be a lesson to you, kids. The quickest way to burn out is to believe you have your own gravity. Still, that first album (Get away from me) makes me think we haven’t heard the last of her. Although, I think someone said that once about Terrence Trent D’Arby.

“What a wonderful world” by Joey Ramone

One of the best farewell statements. Ever.

“Cinnamon Park” by Jill Sobule

One of the last concerts I went to (I’m not good with crowds) was a stellar lineup. Sandra Bernhard opening for Cyndi Lauper. (half the hood was there) But, opening up for both of them was Jill Sobule who in my opinion blew them both off the stage with her one guitar and voice. Frankly, I had no idea she was that good. “I kissed a girl” is nothing compared to the rest of her stuff. This song, which I managed to find as a download, is about taking mushrooms for the first time at a battle of the bands. It’s built around the piano riff from “Saturday in the Park” (which is probably why it wasn’t released) and it’s amazing. More summery than the sample from which it’s taken.