#158) In Another World" by Joe Diffie - A left turn for country music, In Another World is not a typical break-up song, nor a typical Joe Diffie song. Its melody has a kind of elastic, dreamy quality that suggests (just suggests, never actually says...) nothing is simple, never quite as it seems, even in supposedly quiet and 'sleepy' small towns.
It's especially remarkable, given a typical Joe Diffie song at the time ran more along the line of Third Rock From the Sun, John Deere Greene, and Good Brown Gravy. Here, he admirably steps out of his safety zone, even altering his singing style for the occasion - replacing what seemed to be an obligatory 'a-hyuck! a-hyuck!' defining his contribution to 1990s country (I don't necessarily mean that in a negative way...) with a more serious, monotone delivery, slightly anxious, but steady as a rock. It does the oddly compelling melody and arrangement of In Another World justice.
"There you are with your hair all down, and your feet are bare, and your cotton gown..."
#159) "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" by Bruce Springsteen - It's too bad that when people think back on Bruce and his career, they're most likely to remember Born in the USA first. Though he was already a virtual legend in the eyes of savvy rock and rollers by the time it was released in 1984, Born...(in the USA...not ...to Run) was the album that secured his place amongst Top 40 royalty, that poster of him in his jeans in front of the American flag becoming as iconic to the 1980s as anything. All of it much to the chagrin of Bruce purists who had been digging his musical vibe since the early 70s, and may not have liked having to acknowledge his artistic growth, since his artistic infancy was so solid. Imagine being fortunate enough to have caught him playing somewhere along the Jersey shore when he was still unknown, in days when the Jersey shore meant something other than the place where Snooki puked up tequila and corn chips on the boardwalk. (er, you know...)
I don't think Bruce's mainstream success in the 80s is quite the lame selling out that some do, but it's certainly not the entire story. The Boss's lasting greatness is simply not to be found in the tired, middle age resignation permeating Born in the USA, but instead the wild-eyed certainty in the face of uncertainty that marked his early stuff - the boundless and earnest energy and enthusiasm that powered four-hour concerts back in the day - music for kids that weren't bad, weren't rebels, exactly...just restless, and uncompromising.
That's the interesting thing about Bruce's early music. As poetic and romantic as it was, as uniquely 'Bruce' as it came across, there was no posturing to speak of, no carefully calculated style evident. It was completely organic and effortless, encompassing the collective 'style' of all young people everywhere - young people restless and uncompromising, and blessed with an entire summer before them. And knowing it.
And really, what better accompaniment to such a fantastic state of affairs as the start of summer than Rosalita? Bruce's lyrics, Weinberg's drumming, Bittan's piano, the Big Man's sax...There's nothing else I can say about any part of this song that doesn't pretty much speak for itself.
And for everyone, at some point or another. If they're lucky.
"And my machine she's a dud, out stuck in the mud, somewhere in the swamps of Jersey..."
