More "Perfect" Tunes
Plus, my new favourite music podcast
Pop Quiz:
Which one of these phrases did I seriously consider getting tattooed on my arm in my early twenties?
A) “Never underestimate the power of one song”
B) “Without music, life would be a mistake”
C) “Poets cry out in agony, and people say ‘what beautiful music’”
Reply in the comments below with your guess!
I was reminded of “the power of one song” while listening to the podcast One Song on my work commute recently. It was an episode about “London Calling” by The Clash, a song I’ve always enjoyed but never thought much about. One Song is a mix of commentary, music history and nerd-level analysis. The insights from this particular episode taught me that “London Calling” is an amazing, perhaps even perfect, song.
P.S. Sometimes the hosts try too hard to be funny, which I find highly annoying — the intro to this episode is a good example of that. Skip to 1:15 to avoid it. Trust me, the rest of the episode is great.
One Song made me ponder: what other songs have been right in front of me — heard dozens, even hundreds, of times — but I never fully appreciated?
Of the eight ten-song playlists I’ve made for this Substack thus far, under the series 10 Tunes, the most recent one, back in early Feb, was the most challenging. I spent far too many hours stewing over whether a song was “perfect” in my estimation, whilst attempting to curate ten tracks with a semblance of unity and flow. I’m not sure if I nailed it, highly subjective as the term “perfect” is, but I enjoyed the challenge.
Ultimately, if this Substack has made one person discover a new favourite song, or get more meaning and/or feeling from a song they’ve previously heard, then: mission accomplished. Perhaps that's the mission of all music analysis and criticism? The podcast One Song is my newest favourite, but there are innumerable shows, channels, books, and articles attempting to accomplish this. For decades before starting this Substack, music appreciation has been a life mission of mine.
While agonising over that initial 10 Tunes, I started compiling a second playlist, focussing on ballads. I had a debate over Whatsapp with my music critic mentor, Cousin Dann, about what constitutes a ballad. He said, “80 bpm or under, and usually in a minor key.” Translation: slow and sad music.
For me, it’s a feeling — conjured by the lyrics more than the tempo or key, although I agree with Dann that ballads are usually in a minor key. I like to describe and categorise music, but what makes a song a ballad is hard for me to articulate. I know it when I hear it. Case in point: “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star.
The music1 is slow and meandering. The lyrics are mysterious and wistful. It doesn’t make me feel sad, but it does put me in a contemplative frame of mind. I think that makes it a ballad? More importantly, what makes the song “perfect” is that nothing is extraneous or out of place; every choice by the songwriters, musicians, and producers serves the whole. Nothing sounds overthought or overplayed or contrived. I never get sick of hearing it.
Emotionally and tonally, the opposite of “Fade Into You” is this epic from 1984:
My favourite memory of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” is singing it at a girlfriend’s birthday party, in a makeshift karaoke bar above an Italian restaurant in Soho. My best mate Des and I duetted, pumping our fists during the choruses, arms over each other’s shoulders in mock ecstasy by the end. It’s still the most fun I’ve ever had doing karaoke2. My performance with Des was over-the-top because the song produced those actions; it is intentionally overwrought. That is what it is, unapologetically so, and that makes it perfect.
If Foreigner’s hit is ultimately uplifting, producing fist-pumping and shouted choruses, how could it be a ballad? Is the journey from the melancholy vibes at the start, to the triumphant children’s choir at the climax, the exact quality that makes it amazing? Ballads or not, the key similarity in Mazzy Star’s and Foreigner’s songs is that the journey of listening is emotionally stirring every time for me. Both are perfect in execution; powerful in different ways.
I could spend more time analysing and debating what makes a song perfect or a ballad or neither, but I’ll leave that to the experts, like Cousin Dann and the hosts of One Song. These ten songs are perfect to me. Enjoy.
It is in the key of A major, but that’s an, ahem, minor point.
Admittedly, there aren’t many contenders, as I usually fucking hate it — unless I’m in Asia, in a private room and drunk, then I can get into it.
My guess is A.
Plus, "Fade Into You" is also my pick for the perfect song.
Also, I don't recognize "I Want to Know What Love Is" and music. It's more of a jingle to promote some product or something, most likely a crappy beer.