My appreciation and affection for Mandy Moore makes me loathe to spend blog time on Ryan Adams, the man who badly mistreated her during their 6-year marriage, even though he released some truly great music before his career was derailed by numerous accusations of misconduct.
So, while presenting a lovely track from Adams’ excellent 2000 album Heartbreaker, I will use this space to advocate for an Emmy nomination for Moore honoring her amazing work in the ABC show This is Us.
Moore is the emotional center of that powerful show, carrying scenes that span multiple decades, completely believable as both a bright-eyed woman in her 20s and an Alzheimer’s-afflicted mother of three in her 70s. Give this woman an award!
Well the pills I got, they ask me, “Let’s go out for a while”
And the knives up in the kitchen are all too dull to smile
Yeah, and the sun, it tries to warn me
“Boy, those wings are made of wax”
While the things I do to kill me
They just tell me to relax
But, oh, Cinderella
All dressed up in all your boots and all your charms
I’m not the fellow
To protect you or to keep you from all your harm
[Chorus]
And I don’t know which is worse
To wake up and see the sun
Or to be the one, be the one that’s gone
[Verse 2]
And the empty bottle, it misses you
Yeah, and I’m the one that it’s talking to
And with you and I just barely strangers
I’m pretty much just left a fool
Damn, don’t the streets feel empty, though?
Just wandering ’round here without you
Oh, the empty bottle, it misses you
And I’m the one it’s talking to
[Chorus]
And I don’t know which is worse
To wake up and see the sun
Or to be the one, be the one that’s gone
Meet Me In Montauk 
I agree wholeheartedly! Give Mandy Moore her long overdue Emmy!