#321) "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues" by Elton John - Elton John is one of those artists whose career is so long and far-reaching, it's debatable which era he is/will be best known for. Though in the end, he's most likely to be remembered for the glammy outfits and crazy glasses in which he made a name for himself in the 1970s, the relatively staid 80s Elton John produced much better music. He ushered in the decade with "Little Jeannie", which set the bar pretty high, and followed it up with a string of hits that valued substance over flash. Although it could be argued that Elton John is Sir Elton John because his music was substantive from the beginning, even when he was on stage dressed like Donald Duck.
In terms of vocals and musical structure, "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues" is among John's best songs, and also among his most durable, sounding just as fresh today as it did in 1983. "Bennie and the Jets" (for instance), always seems dated to me, as does "Little Jeannie" for that matter (which is saying something, seeing as it's far and away my favorite song of his). But "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues" is fairly timeless, which makes it a song that can lend itself to another artist's repertoire without that interpretation seeming like an affront to the original. That's really saying something for me, because I generally don't care for covers. A song has just two lives, in my opinion: its life in the time it was recorded/released, and its life in the time I first heard it. Although I know that in the end, it's all subjective; I know for a fact there are young people in our midst who know only (and/or prefer) "Landslide" sung by the Dixie Chicks.
Poor little bastards.
"Laughing like children, living like lovers, rolling like thunder, under the covers..."
#322) "Reminiscing" by The Little River Band - Reportedly among John Lennon's favorite songs at the time his death, "Reminiscing" is one of those I had to mature a little (okay, a lot), before I could appreciate fully. For years, in my youth and young adulthood, it remained just another dismissible eye-roller from what I was pretty sure was a one hit wonder band (I was wrong about that of course, although much of that time, I didn't realize the song was by The Little River Band).
Then one day, fairly recently, for no reason at all, I heard it on the radio somewhere, and also for no reason at all, I actually listened, and started realizing just what is going on there. It's simply gorgeous, just right in every way....and really, not "simple" at all.
"How to tell you girl / I want to build my world around you..."
#323) "Baby Come Back" by Player - Here, also, we have a song that remains forever in danger of being dismissed as an FM lite hits sludge nugget, but give a second listen and you realize that nothing could be further from the truth. The bass line, the ringing guitar, and the vocal harmonies all contribute to a quite lovely whole that is worth much more than its parts. "Baby Come Back" is a clean-burning ballad that carries on solidly 40 years after its release.
A bit dated in its sound, perhaps, but none the worse for wear.
"There was something in everything about you..."
