Before Mr. Dave disowns me
Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge over troubled water
One standard that continues to crop up year after year. Its hard to move away from Simon's arrangement on this one as its bare-bones harmonics know how to get out of the way, but however its being down, it brilliant.
Tom Waits - Diamonds & Gold
I chose this one because I feel that its one that paints a scene and people inject their own direction with it. Not the biggest hit, on the biggest album. But this one should hold on just fine against time.
Bruce Springsteen - 4th of July, Asbury Park
Bruce paints a picture of youth, a decidedly 70's youth, but he captures in that time some lasting emotions.
"And me I just got tired of hangin' in them dusty arcades, bangin' them pleasure machines. Chasin' the factory girls underneath the boardwalk where they all promise to unsnap their jeans. And you know that tilt-a-whirl down on the south beach drag
I got on her last night and my shirt got caught. And they kept me spinnin' baby, they didn't think I'd ever get off."
Tracy Chapman - Telling Stories
For anyone who's ever been burned in love by a fraud. This one will always speak to a scarred heart.
Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
I think this one will get better with age. Its not that its a lyrical masterpiece, but when the specter of Gacy is gone, and it seems like he's just painted a monster, this song will carry a weight comprable to the fat **** himself.
Warren Zevon - My Ride's Here
This is a masterpiece like no other. Its stunning what he did lyrically, and for a real tribute, check out the Bosses version done 3 days after Zevon caught his final lift.
White Stripes - Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
I'm fairly certain that no ones going to cover this one note for note, but Jack Whites real strength on this one comes from the lyrical testimony.
Ryan Adams - Oh my Sweet Carolina
Adams is a hell of a S/S but this one makes him something of a novelist. A great American story.
Norah Jones - Back to Manhattan
Jones tends to be a little less direct, and a lot closer to the original Songbook than any peer, but on this one she seems a little more personal.
Iron & Wine - Trapeze Swinger
One of the best songs to come from the last decade. An epic masterwork that's as sprawling as his graffiti covered gates of Heaven.
Langhorne Slim - Sunday by the sea
Not the biggest S/S out there, and this may not be the most stunning piece, but simplicity is a hallmark of good writers, and Slim nails it.
John Prine - Sam Stone
No fan of Prine, but Laura Cantrell proves that good writing transcends. The sorrow will drag you as deep as Stone himself.
Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley - Pure Imagination
Nothing much to say about this one. Wonderful.
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