Monday, February 28, 2005

The Perfect Song

As I have written before on this blog that I love NPR.org and All Songs Considered. I don't always have the time to listen to the entire program, yet the website offers highlights and full songs to listen to.

One of the programs that I was facinated with for awhile held very little facination for others as I tried to discuss this issue with them.

THE PERFECT SONG.

Is it possible to be a perfect song and if so, why is it a perfect song? I offer up my ideas today with little to no musical training, unless you count my stint as a band dropout and less than enthusiastic job as an alto in the high school choir. (I really only took these courses so I wouldn't have homework...I was stupid). I encourage you to disagree with me and/or offer your own suggestions.

I was glad to be affirmed by the listener's views of the perfect song since they stated that "God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys is considered a perfect song. Now, I realize with varied tastes and styles, we will all have different views on this topic, yet I believe there are many perfect songs. Not only are their perfect songs, but some groups/artists have multiple perfect songs in my eyes.

For example, Queen. Oh, I love Queen. There is something appealling to me when a group has such musical talent and variation in style and song. From the rockibilly styles of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" to "Somebody to Love" with its gospel take. So, I find many perfect songs with Queen. Those are just a few.

A perfect song to me has to be timeless in melody and lyrics. Not everyone pays attention to lyrics, but I do. Sometimes they are the most important part of a song to me, but then again...I like words. People who prefer music may place more emphasis on the music.

A few perfect songs...

  • Tangled Up in Blue-Bob Dylan
  • Take Me to the River-The Talking Heads
  • Into the Mystic-Van Morrison

That is just a start.

1 comment:

firedancerdancin said...

ah! music! one of my all time favorite topics. :-)

i too am a lyrics nut. whacko really. show me a good lyric and i'll be just...blown away. whiney boy with a guitar is also most often necessary, but can be overlooked.

some lyrics that make me melt--or whatever it is that my body does when i hear great stuff:

"you are a china shop, and i am a bull, you are really good food, when i am full..."---ani difranco she's got great lyrics and is great for an "i'm an angry chick" kind of day...

then there's damien: "Stones taught me to fly
Love taught me to lie
Life taught me to die
So it's not hard to fall
When you float like a cannonball"--damien rice.

god knows i love my whiney boy with a guitar. :-)

for me, it's a little of everything i guess. if some metal band was singing those lyrics up there in a head banging kind of way, i can guarantee i wouldn't enjoy it. I like music that invokes a physical reaction in a feeling--that's deeper than, "i'm gonna jump around and head bang" or whatever.

i'm a girl like that i guess.