My 20 favourite songs - Boo Hewerdine
Originally published in Mojo
This is of course very difficult. Tomorrow, twenty other songs will leap into my head and I'll think "of course". So, here is today's big list.
1. Wichita lineman - Glen Campbell.
Who would have thought that a song about a telephone engineer could be so moving? The "need you more than want you" part does me in every time.
As a record it's pretty perfect too. Glen's understated performance, the six string bass and the Morse code strings; brilliant. I'm also keen on
"Galveston" performed by Jimmy Webb himself. James gets a bit overwrought and the intro is, frankly, a bit odd but I still love it. I once bought
a bourbon for Mr Webb. Impressed? I think the lineman will be in a few people's charts.
2. How can you mend a broken heart? - Al Green.
Say the BeeGees to most people and they'll smirk and do something like that hands round the face thing that Steps did in their "Tragedy" video
or perhaps the falsetto in a wind tunnel routine. Well just play them this and watch them hang their heads in shame. Fab tune and great chords
(that major seventh at the start of the chorus). Those Gibbs have written good stuff (I started a joke, Run to me, etc) and how many Clive Anderson
songs did Al Green record?
3. Julia - The Beatles.
The orthodox view is Paul was good at tunes and John did Rock and Roll. To me John's melodic sense and use of chords were often more original
and ahead of their time. This song doesn't sound like something that's gone before. Paul's songs often referred backwards (When I'm 64) or
copied a current style (Got to get you into my life). I always feel that John pushed the Beatles music forward (Tomorrow never knows).
In Julia, John has found his own voice as a writer. It couldn't be anyone else and that is part of its beauty.
4. One hand, one heart - West Side story.
Probably the least well known song from this incredible collection. "America", "Somewhere","Tonight" all brilliant. But this one seems to have
a direct line to my heartstrings. And that's why it's on this list.
5. Mumblin' guitar - Bo Diddley.
Not a song at all. Just a man, running his hand up and down the neck of his guitar for a couple of minutes, while some people thump in the
background. However many times I made this list, though, it wouldn't go away. Sorry.
6. I say a little prayer - Aretha Franklin.
Too obvious? I don't care, it's fantastic. Burt + Hal + Aretha = Extremely Good. Guaranteed to put a spring in your step. You never feel that Hal
gets enough credit. It's noticeable that after their split Burt took to wearing appalling jumpers and hanging around with Christopher Cross. You
could fill this whole list with Bacharach/David.
7. Moonbeam Song - Nilsson.
Probably the best song to have the line "bits of crap" in it. I heard this when I was a kid and it took me years to find out what it was.
Um, I just like it.
8. Baby, let's play house - Elvis Presley.
Pure sentiment here. This is my five-year-old son's second favourite song. I would have picked his top choice but there's no way I could let
"Greased Lightning" appear on this list.
9. Beeswing - Richard Thompson.
A few years ago I toured with Richard Thompson as his opening turn. This was my pick of his many superb songs. I played a live tape of this to
a friend while he was driving and he had to pull over. Not many people write narrative songs anymore. It's all baby this and baby that these
days. Pah. On my way to visit producer John Wood I noticed the next village was called Beeswing. "Ah", I thought, "that's where he got it from".
10. Surf's up - the Beach Boys.
Well it's quite good isn't it?
11. (You make me feel like) a natural woman - Aretha Franklin.
Are you allowed two by the same singer? Carole King always seemed to invest her pop songs with an added spoonful of yearn. This joyful thing is a bit
of a nuisance if I'm wearing Walkman headphones and I have a bit of an involuntary singalong.
12. Why won't you stay - American Music Club.
I heard this playing over the PA in a dingy club in Atlanta, Georgia. I loved it at once and have followed Eitzel's wonky career ever since. He uses
language so well and his band was ace. All these songs are here for personal as well as "isn't it great" reasons. This song fits into both categories.
I bought him a drink once too.
13. Night and Day - Fred Astaire.
Cole Porter, he wasn't bad either. His writing was clever (internal rhymes and such) and disciplined. Every note was where it should be in the correct
form. And yet the result could be very touching. Also, lovely though Michael Bolton and his ilk are, sometimes it's nice not to have someone emoting
their bollocks off. Fred's under-understated take on "Night and Day" does just the job.
14. There she goes - the La's.
So simple, so brilliant, so unlike Cast.
15. First time ever I saw your face - Roberta Flack.
I was in a band called the Bible with Neill MacColl. His dad wrote this. Just three verses, each one going further than the last. A fantastic piece
of writing. Stephen Citron in his book "Songwriting" said that this a practically perfect song except for the "my love's" at the end of each verse.
He also said , " No kind of song has to be unsalable. None. Some unsavoury subjects like rape, cannibalism, diseases, and the like appear unsuitable,
but handled sensitively, nothing that you feel deeply about should be taboo." Blimey. This one has been given a good kicking by, amongst others,
Celine and Elvis. It's not the song's fault.
16. Man of the world - Fleetwood Mac.
I used to work in a record shop. Up stairs it was all Stiff little fingers posters on the ceiling and the latest Discharge album. Downstairs were
the second-hands. I kept a little pile of singles that I liked by the record player. Mary Wells - you beat me to the punch, Bob Dylan - I want you,
the Damned - New Rose& MOTW was my fav though, on the mysterious immediate label and not a bit bluesy. Great, world-weary working in a basement, stuff.
The b-side was "Someone's going to get their head kicked in tonight" by Earl Vince and The Valiants. Oh.
17. Birds are leaving - Me.
I know, it's awful isn't it. When people do this on desert island discs you can't even look at the radio, it's so embarrassing. I'm not in any way
comparing this to the greats. It's just that after making up loads and loads of songs, with this one I thought, "it's not too bad". So in my personal,
subjective list I wouldn't mind having one thing that reminds me of what I've done. Oh God, it's a ,"has he no shame", Sue Lawley moment. Forgive me.
18. Up the ladder to the roof - the Supremes.
I always preferred them without D Ross. I'm sure there are a thousand "better" soul songs to put in this list but sometimes you just like something.
Where's Smokey, Marvin, the Temptations, Dozier and the Hollands? They're in tomorrow or the day after's top twenty.
"Come with me
And we shall
run across the sky
And il-lum-inate the night"
19. Theme to the Likely Lads.
As a ten-year-old kid I'd hear thirty seconds of this and be left thinking "yes, whatever happened to you and me". I've no idea who sang this and maybe
it couldn't sustain itself for more than half a minute. I've never owned it and don't particularly want to. But when I hear it, every now and then,
it works.
20. Black dog - Nick Drake.
You feel like a voyeur listening to this. He's a troubled man. The despair in this song is tangible. Even when I've heard it performed by others it
still does something. It's repetitive and probably unfinished. But if the most you can expect from a song is that it changes the way you feel, well...
That's today's twenty. I can feel tomorrow's queuing up already.
Boo Hewerdine.
