Songs that Have Changed My Life: Part 1

21st December 2007

This post was written by Benji

posted in David Gray, Sufjan Stevens, Wilco |

Seeing as it is the end of such a wonderful 2007, and I’m in a nostalgic mood, I thought it might be nice to do a series on songs that have changed the way I think about my life and the music to which I listen. Brief commentary to accompany songs. In no particular order.

Sufjan Stevens - Chicago

When I first heard this song, everything suddenly just made sense. I realized that there was a whole different way that artists could approach writing and making music. Lyrically phenomenal, and musically irresistible, the whole Illinois album could’ve made it in this feature. Indeed, one day there will be a college course on this song alone.

Wilco - I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Wilco was really one of the first lesser known bands (at the time) that I listened to, and I gobbled up Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in the hopes that the songs within would do justice to the awesome album title. “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” came on, with the esoteric ringing, then a captivating bassline, then Jeff Tweedy’s aching vocals, and then the piano-heavy bridge. That bridge still gets me every time (around 4:21)–the song becomes a part of me, enveloping me in a blanket of a pure sonic ecstasy. Intriguingly inspirational, this song was even more miraculous when I heard them perform it live.

David Gray - White Ladder

I became immediately enamored with David Gray upon my first listen to White Ladder. It was still before he came stateside so I had that “best-kept-secret” feeling when I heard the album. Of course “Babylon” and “Please Forgive Me” are great songs that certainly got their airplay even in the US, but when I heard Gray’s croon over the lazy guitars and the mysterious rhythmic bangin on “White Ladder”, I was busting (props to George Costanza).

More to come later so stay tuned.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 21st, 2007 at 10:56 am and is filed under David Gray, Sufjan Stevens, Wilco. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

There are currently 2 responses to “Songs that Have Changed My Life: Part 1”

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1 On December 27th, 2007, Beverly said:
I feel the same way about “I am Trying to Break your Heart”. I was 14 when YHF came out, and I don’t think I’ve loved any other album so consistantly for so long. Now after 5 or 6 years, after hearing their whole discography, I still love my first Wilco song the best. It really creates an entire atmosphere all its own.

Don’t ask me what bandaids have to do with touchdowns, though. I still have no idea. =)

posted on December 27th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
2 On December 27th, 2007, Benji said:
Beverly-
The lyrics to this song still don’t entirely make much sense to me either! For that matter, what is an American Aquarium Drinker?
I think part of it is the genius of Tweedy himself. What I mean is that this song is a regretful lament about letting a lover go. He’s not really trying to break his lover’s heart, it’s more satirical and sardonic. He doesn’t quite have the words to truly express what he feels, so he comes up with jumbled phrases like “toe-tied lightning” and ‘band-aids’ and ‘touchdowns’.
The truth is the he still loves this other individual. Indeed, as Tweedy croons, “I’m the man who loves you”. I know some people don’t really like Tweedy as a lyricist but this song really puts him up there in my book.

posted on December 27th, 2007 at 10:26 pm

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