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Song of the Day #921: ‘Oh Yeah, You’re Gone’ – Brad Paisley

Today’s song, a slow beauty from the back half of Brad Paisley’s wonderful American Saturday Night, falls into a category I like to call “Dead or Dumped?”

The lyrics are sufficiently vague and the tone sufficiently somber to support the theory that the woman Paisley is singing about left him not by choice but because she dropped dead.

I’ve encountered other songs with a similar make-up, though I can’t for the life of me think of any of them right now. If you can, please add them to the comments.

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Song of the Day #920: ‘So Like Candy’ – Elvis Costello

In the late 80s, Elvis Costello struck up a songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney that proved successful for both men.

Among their compositions were McCartney’s hit ‘My Brave Face,’ from his Flowers in the Dirt album and Costello’s hit ‘Veronica,’ which appeared on Spike.

Critics liked to draw a comparison between Costello and John Lennon, saying that McCartney was at his best when his saccharine tendencies (and unparalleled gift for melody) were paired with a more cynical and downbeat partner. And while Costello/McCartney never really approached the quality of Lennon/McCartney, it was by all accounts a successful pairing.

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Song of the Day #919: ‘The Other Side of Summer’ – Elvis Costello

It seems like I just started the Elvis Costello Weekends. I can’t believe I’ve already arrived at Mighty Like a Rose, his 1991 follow-up to Spike.

I consider this album the bridge between Costello’s classic years and the more wide-ranging experimental work he did later in his career. And I guess the real surprise is that this album is now nearly 20 years old, and he’s recorded more albums since its release than he did beforehand.

It’s not the Elvis Costello Weekends that are moving quickly… it’s my whole life!

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Song of the Day #918: ‘Belinda’ – Ben Folds

Best Songs of 2010 – #1

It’s probably not a surprise that my number one song of the year comes from my number one album, Lonely Avenue, the collaboration between Ben Folds and novelist Nick Hornby.

This meeting of the minds of two of my very favorite artists in their respective genres was destined to make me happy, but it wound up surpassing my expectations.

Folds composed his most consistent and enjoyable batch of tunes in years and Hornby delivered a dozen character sketches that dive deeper than the average pop song has a right to.

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Song of the Day #917: ‘The Things That Everybody Does’ – Tift Merritt

Best Songs of 2010 – #2

Tift Merritt is one of those special finds who remains pretty much invisible to the rest of the world even as she continues to knock my socks off with release after release.

I don’t know if this is a case where Merritt would be the biggest thing since sliced bread if only she got enough exposure or if she just has a certain chemical appeal for me that would be lost on most others.

Some Web surfing reveals a bit of both, with plenty of fans describing her as the second coming and just as many dismissing her as another in a long line of forgettable singer-songwriters. I suppose that’s probably the case for most artists.

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