WHAT SONG TOUCHES YOUR HEART THE MOST?
“Now That Weren’t Not a Family”, by Canadian singer Lisa Brokop. In the mid-90’s, I had gone through a painful divorce and then I heard this song — It tore me up. https://youtu.be/2kx4edfl3GY |
"God Only Knows". Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, sung by The Beach Boys; Carl Wilson the melody, the others the harmonies in the choruses and the lovely counterpoint at the song’s conclusion and fade-out. The vocals and orchestration tend to mask the song’s superb chord progression, one of the best ever written. There is a YouTube video in which a pianist sits at his keyboard, methodically leading the listener through the song’s structure, the unaccompanied piano revealing the majesty of the very sophisticated chordal relationships and movement throughout the song. "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted". Written by William Weatherspoon, Paul Riser, and James Dean (a different JD ;-) , sung by Jimmy Ruffin (Joan Osborne does a great version in the documentary about The Funk Brothers, the Motown Records house band). The song’s chord progression is simply astounding, absolutely glorious. The song features a fantastic electric bass part played by a master of the instrument, James Jamerson, Jr., the player Paul McCartney credits with opening his eyes to the potential of the instrument. Listen for Jamerson’s fantastic use of inversion at various points in the song. Hair raising! "A Whiter Shade Of Pale". Music by Gary Brooker and Matthew Fisher, lyrics by Keith Reid, performed of course by Procol Harum. A fantastic song in it’s own right, raised to another level by Fisher’s employment of a J.S. Bach motif at the song’s beginning (as well as later in the song), as much of a hook as is the song’s melody. Fisher left the group after their third album---A Salty Dog---his departure imo marking the end of their greatness. In his absence, guitarist Robin Trower moved to the front of the stage, turning Procol Harum into just another British Blues band. IMO. To hear more of the kind of music heard on the first three PH albums, look for Matthew Fisher’s two solo albums on RCA (1st) and A&M (2nd). Pretty darn good. "The Weight". Written by J.R. Robertson, performed by The Band. Unique in having three lead singers: drummer Levon Helm singing the first verse, pianist Richard Manuel the second, bassist Rick Danko the third, and all three the fourth in harmony. The song has been recorded by dozens of others, none coming close to this original version. The song is also notable for Levon Helm’s remarkable drum part, one that sent shock waves through the drumming community, having a huge impact on many players. Both Jim Keltner and Steve Jordan cite that part as a game changer. I’ll close with "No Time To Cry". Written and sung by an Angel sent from Heaven: Iris Dement. I learned of Iris from Merle Haggard, who also recorded the song (his version pales in comparison to hers). This song is the most deeply moving of any I have ever heard. Heartbreaking, a shattering experience. I can’t play another record after listening to this masterpiece of a song. The song is found on Irises second album, My Life. Released by Warner Brothers records on CD only in 1994, My Life was finally issued on LP in 2013 by Plain Records. If you missed it back then, copies go for $60-$80 on Discogs and ebay, and is well worth that price. |
