Gather convo on “Room In Your Heart”, my EP’s requisite love song, and my top 10 love songs
Here’s a posting I wrote on Gather.com concerning one of the songs on my Decca EP, “Room In Your Heart.” If you want to see the fascinating comment conversation that follows, and a list of a lot of people’s favorite love songs, click here.
Though I wrote “Room In Your Heart” especially to sing with Ema (whom you can hear on the EP), there was never any target for the sentiment of the song. It’s one of very few love songs I’ve written without anyone in mind. It makes me wonder how many songs that we assume are written from this really personal, emotional place, are actually just bits of theater—characters that the singer is taking on for the duration of the song.
Then again, I think all love songs are about the people we’ve loved, even if we’re not singing about them directly. When I sing along to my personal favorite love songs by other musicians, I’m always picturing someone in my mind, even though I know the song was written for someone I’ve never met. Here are ten love songs (in no particular order) that have gotten me through rough times:
1) “Dinner at Eight” by Rufus Wainwright (actually about his father, but still counts)
2) “The Light in the Piazza by Adam Guettel (from The Light in the Piazza, the musical)
3) “Love Ridden” by Fiona Apple
4) “Red Right Ankle” by The Decemberists
5) “Waltz #2″ by Elliott Smith
6) “Sea of Love” by Tom Waits/Cat Power
7) “Love Is Like A Bottle Of Gin” by The Magnetic Fields
8)”In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” by Neutral Milk Hotel
9) “The I Love You Song” by William Finn (From The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee)
10) “There, There” by Radiohead
Anyone else have what it takes to create a top ten best love songs? I’ll make it easier: Top five. One person who gives me a list will win a free copy of my EP. Try listening to it while in love!
-tommy
Posted in music, news, writing on January 27th, 2009 | | 2 Comments
Alice Smith
Says:April 12th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Oh my god.
I loooooooove your music soo much!
The rithm, the speed… everything!!!
My top 5 best love songs?
1. Can’t take my eyes off of you.
2. Can’t take my eyes off of you.
3. Can’t take my eyes off of you.
4. Can’t take my eyes off of you.
5. Can’t take my eyes off of you.
adam
Says:February 4th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
No. 1, without much competition, is Annie’s Song by John Denver:
You fill up my senses like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses come fill me again.
Come let me love you, let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter, let me die in your arms
Let me lay down beside you, let me always be with you
Come let me love you, come love me again.
No. 2, Yaz’s Ode to Boy, which may be infatuation more than love:
when he moves i watch him from behind
he turns and laughter flickers in his eyes
intent and direct when he speaks, i watch his lips
and when he drives i love to watch his hand
white and smooth almost feminine, almost american, i have to watch him.
in his face age descends on youth, exaggeration on the truth
he caught me looking then but soon his eyes forgot
and everything he seems to do reflects just another shade of blue
i saw him searching into you and ached a while
i watch his lips caress the glass,
his fingers stroke its stem and pass
to lift a cigarette at last, he dries his eyes
No. 3, I’ll take VU’s Pale Blue Eyes for sure:
Sometimes I feel so happy,
Sometimes I feel so sad.
Sometimes I feel so happy,
But mostly you just make me mad.
Baby, you just make me mad.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Thought of you as my mountain top,
Thought of you as my peak.
Thought of you as everything,
I’ve had but couldn’t keep.
I’ve had but couldn’t keep.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
If I could make the world as pure and strange as what I see,
I’d put you in the mirror,
I put in front of me.
I put in front of me.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Skip a life completely.
Stuff it in a cup.
She said, Money is like us in time,
It lies, but can’t stand up.
Down for you is up.’
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
It was good what we did yesterday.
And I’d do it once again.
The fact that you are married,
Only proves, you’re my best friend.
But it’s truly, truly a sin.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
from a shadow by the stair
i watch as he weeps unaware
that i’m in awe of his despair, but i am there
No. 4, probably the Swirlies best song: One Light Flashing I Love You
something surmounted me
took away the will from me
made me lose myself
somewhere there’s a place for me
somewhere in this big city
people still get a thrill
was i too cynical
reparations could be made
but this island has lost face
slipping with each wave into the ocean
brown faces turning old
the sand was wet with kisses as we lay and dazed for hours against the sand where it is warm and laughed between our eyes and held each other in the moment as we watched it go
No. 5, is a tie between the Damned and the Cure both with (what else?) Love Song:
Cure:
whenever i’m alone with you you make me feel like i am home again whnever i’m alone with you you make me feel like i am whole again whenever i’m alone with you you make me feel like i am young again whenever i’m alone with you you make me feel like i am fun again however far away i will always love you however long i stay i will always love you whatever words i say i will always love you i will always love you whenever i’m alone with you you make me feel like i am free again whenever i’m alone with you you make me feel like i am clean again however far away i will always love you however long i stay i will always love you whatever words i say i will always love you i will always love you
Damned:
I’ll be the ticket if you’re my collector
I’ve got the fare if you’re my inspector
I’ll be the luggage, if you’ll be the porter
I’ll be the parcel if you’ll be my sorter
Just for you here’s a love song
Just for you here’s a love song
And it makes me glad to say
It’s been a lovely day
And it’s okay
I’ll be the mail, you’ll be the guard
I’ll be the ink on your season ticket card
I’ll be the rubbish, you’ll be the bin
I’ll be the paint on the sign if you’ll be the tin