Don McLean is a special sort of one-hit wonder. For one thing, he had two hits. ‘Vincent (Starry Starry Night),’ his ode to Van Gogh, was in fact his biggest international success.
Stateside, of course, he is best known for ‘American Pie,’ a song that is not so much a hit as an iconic part of the culture. Chronicling the deaths of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper in a plane crash, the song is packed with coded imagery that serves as a tour of the 60s’ musical landscape.
This week of personal songs comes to an end with a very moving track about the end of life. Tift Merritt wrote this track from 2010’s See You On the Moon about her grandfather, who lost his wife of many decades.
I’ve obviously never faced this situation myself, but it speaks to me powerfully. One of the scariest things about being in a strong, loving relationship is the knowledge that one day one of you will leave.
Today’s SOTD is one of my very favorite songs. I’ve already featured it on the blog in its studio form so today I’ve chosen a live version that mirrors the original.
The first three songs I’ve written about this week discussed adolescent romance, adult romance and married life. Today’s song has many meanings but it fits into the narrative I’m going for this week because it focuses on children.
Author Nick Hornby (one of my favorites) teamed up with Ben Folds (likewise) on the 2010 album Lonely Avenue.
Hornby penned a bevy of powerful, emotional songs — along with some very funny ones — but the one that feels the most familiar to me is ‘Practical Amanda.’
Of all the songs I’m writing about over the next couple of weeks, this throwaway pop hit by Hootie & The Blowfish is the one that I most felt was written with me in mind.
In 1994, I was a couple of years into my relationship with the woman who would become my wife, and this song became our unofficial anthem because it so eerily described us.
