Second in my series of songs featuring interesting metaphors is a track from Tift Merritt’s 2010 album See You On the Moon.
‘Papercut’ compares a former lover to one of those nasty little cuts that shouldn’t bother us as much as they do. It’s a fine metaphor for a break-up that continues to tear at us for no good reason.
Today’s song is a bit of a cheat, in that the most popular version of the track was itself by a woman covering a man. So does that make this version a woman covering a woman covering a man, or just another woman covering the same man? Ah, a little philosophy on a Thursday morning.
At any rate, I’m certainly not going to post Anne Murray’s version of the Kenny Loggins tune ‘Danny’s Song’ when I have a Tift Merritt version at my disposal.
Loggins wrote this track for his brother Danny to celebrate the birth of his son. It was recorded for the 1971 debut record of Loggins and Messina. Murray recorded it a year later and put it on both the pop and country charts.
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.
Top Ten Female Vocalists – #6 – Tift Merritt
Four of my the ten women on this list are tied to the country genre in one way or another. The first was Alison Krauss and now we have Tift Merritt. I’m not sure why the genre lends itself to this exercise… perhaps because country songs are more likely to feature the voice front and center while rock or pop, say, tend to bury the vocals in the mix?
At any rate, Merritt’s connection to country music is a tenuous one. Her 2002 debut, Bramble Rose, was her most country-influenced record but she quickly began to branch out. 2004’s Tambourine was nominated for a Best Country Album Grammy but was ironically more of a 60s soul record. 2008’s Another Country and this year’s See You On the Moon were even bigger departures, more in the vein of Carole King and Joni Mitchell.
I was something of a mixtape master earlier in my life. I made compilations galore for family, friends and girlfriends, putting loads of time and effort into coming up with the perfect musical blend.
The best mixtapes are just that — tapes — and for me the emergence of the recordable CD killed off the practice. You’d think I would have jumped at the chance to produce musical mixes in a flash with iTunes and a stack of CDs, but it was quite the opposite. I think I’ve made one mix CD in my time compared to dozens on cassette. Of course, it could also have a lot to do with where I am in my life now (kids, a more demanding job) compared to in my heavy mixtape days.
Meet Me In Montauk 