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Song of the Day #617: ‘Wrapped Up in Books’ – Belle & Sebastian

I last featured Belle & Sebastian on this blog during a theme week more than a year ago. Actually, that marked the beginning of my regular theme weeks dedicated to single artists or groups. And at the time I restricted myself to five songs regardless of the group’s discography.

As a result, I had to skip over several of the band’s albums, including 2003’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress. I think Belle & Sebastian is ripe for another theme week sometime soon, one that gives each of their albums its proper due. But for now I’ll just highlight one song from this excellent album.

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Song of the Day #616: ‘Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You’ – Bob Dylan

A few years before Nashville Skyline was released, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash struck up a friendship that blossomed into a collaboration. Cash wrote the liner notes to Nashville Skyline, which took the form of a crackerjack poem celebrating his friend’s unique career.

Sample verse: “This man can rhyme the tick of time / The edge of pain, the what of sane / And comprehend the good in men, the bad in men / Can feel the hate of fight, the love of right / And the creep of blight at the speed of light.”

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Song of the Day #615: ‘Lay Lady Lay’ – Bob Dylan

In 1969, following the stripped-down acoustic approach of John Wesley Harding, Bob Dylan threw his fans for another loop with the straight-up country album Nashville Skyline. But the musical genre was only half of the surprise… the real bombshell was Dylan’s velvety voice, a laid-back croon that was a far cry from his oft-imitated trademark whine.

I remember being told as a kid (thought I don’t remember by whom) that Dylan had gotten into a motorcycle accident and emerged with this new singing voice. That was close to the truth, chronologically, but it gave me the creepy impression that the accident itself had physically altered his vocal chords.

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Song of the Day #614: ‘Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) (Live)’ – Jay Z, Rihanna, Bono & The Edge

So far as I know, the only song performed at the Hope For Haiti Now telethon that was written specifically for the event was ‘Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour).’ It also boasted the star-studded night’s star-studdiest lineup, with Jay-Z joined by Rihanna and U2’s Bono and The Edge.

Now there’s a collection of people I never would have guessed I’d see on the same stage. Rihanna and Jay-Z have been frequent collaborators, of course, but U2 has never been mistaken for a rap act (despite The Edge’s spoken-word vocal performance of ‘Numb‘).

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Song of the Day #613: ‘Lift Me Up (Live)’ – Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera’s appearance at the Hope For Haiti Now telethon may well be my favorite of all. It’s a lovely song (from her upcoming album, I believe) and one of the most breathtaking vocal performances of the night.

I’ve always been impressed with Aguilera as a vocalist. She pretty much blows all of her peers away and does it seemingly without trying. It’s hard to believe such a big voice belongs to a skinny white girl.

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