Anne's Adventures (not just in New Hampshire)

I go through music obsessions, and then, I rediscover a song, and I fall in love all over again. So far today, it's been:

• The Next Messiah - Jenny Lewis ft Johnathan Rice (On Acid Tongue)

I remember when this album came out in September 

or October 2008 and I kept listening to it 

on the way to and from work. It inevitably 

reminds me of New Hampshire and the campaign, 

and fall, and the fantastic fall foliage. 

It also reminds me of one of the synagogues 

in Manchester, and the Currier museum that 

I never visited. I went to that synagogue once, 

for a debate, so logically, the song and the 

synagogue are connected in my mind. 

Favorite part:

around 5:17 when Johnathan starts singing lead

and Jenny joins in singing backing vocals, and

then in that sultry voice of hers, she

sings "I want to tell you I love you". 

It's very 1970s. This part lasts till 7:40 and 

then it gets progressively more upbeat and country

and the first part of the song (the one about the 

next messiah) resumes for a while. 

• It Wasn't Me - Jenny Lewis (On Rabbit Fur Coat)

Favorite lines: 

"It wasn't me, I wasn't there

That was not my love affair

that is not my lover, that's not even my friend

it wasn't me, I wasn't there

I was stone drunk, it isn't clear

and it doesn't count cause I don't care

But I'll use a pop song to clear my name"

Favorite part: 

the opening chords are just mesmerizing. They're 

very simple but they pull you in. 

• The Ballad of Sean Foley - Maria Taylor

It's a pure Oberstian song, the one where you

can just hear his influence on every single note. 

It flows like an Oberst song, but Maria's voice 

makes it absolutely enjoyable. I've never been sure

how to describe her voice. It's pure and clear and fresh and yet warm at thesame time. It's the kind of voice 

that's difficult to associate with someone who's 

so involved in the Bright Eyes scene. 

Favorite lines and part: 

"Learned how to be selfless, how to love 

what wasn't there but dwell upon it

just embrace what's everywhere

people busking in the subway,

MCs freestyle in the park,

heard a kid from Martha's Vineyard

made him turn around his car"

• Everything About You - Steve Poltz (On One Left Shoe)

I "discovered" Steve Poltz when I was 17. Back then,

I was a huge Jewel fan, and one day, I found his 

album "One Left Shoe" in the sales bin at my

usual record store. I thought the name sounded 

familiar, so I bought it, and when I got back home, 

I knew I'd found a gem. It made me laugh, almost 

made me cry,and above all, it made me sing. 

Everything About You is and isn't at the same time

your typical love song. It's lovely, it's got 

silly lyrics. In other words, it's very Poltzian. 

Steve Poltz has such great lyrics as 

"A hundred dollar phone bill, and it's

multiplied by five, you look like a phone to me,

hey, are you still alive?"

(Good Morning, Waking Up With You)

and "You can keep most of the records, leave me

the Motown and the Stax" (Stax)

Favorite lines: 

"I love sneaking up behind you

when you're looking in the mirror

the way your eyes lock into mine, dear

without guilt and without fear

I love everything about you"

• Till Death Do Us Part - Madonna (On Like A Prayer)

I've never been a big Madonna fan. I just don't

get the appeal. When I was 13, a friend lent me 

the Like a Prayer album and instead of being drawn by, 

well, Like a Prayer or Express Yourself, it was Till Death 

Do Us Part and Cherish that captivated me. 

Favorite parts and lyrics:

"You need so much but not from me

turn your back in my hour of need

something's wrong but you pretend you don't see

I think I interrupt your life"

and "they never laugh, not like before"

I just realized that I love the first and 

fourth line of each verse. The way they're sung, 

the more upbeat sound and higher, more girly delivery, 

but also the more brutal lyrics. 

• Uh-Huh - Munchausen By Proxy, aka Zooey Deschanel (Yes Man OST)

Okay, I hadn't listened to this one in a 
very short while. It's one of my guilty 
pleasures. It's hard to pick a favorite part 
because the whole song is absolute lyrical 
genius. It's impossible to keep a straight face 
listening to it. But since I must choose, 
I'm going to choose several. 

Favorite lines: 

"Hey, have we met before? Oh yeah, I think

we have, because we only dated for four 

and a half years, no big deal"

and "It's so weird because when we used to go out, 

you never even liked the TJ wantons and now I have 

to drive all the way to Mar Vista..."

and "So remember all the stuff you forgot, 

the Fender Stratocaster you just bought,

I'd like to see the look on your greasy face, 

it sold for sixteen hundred on eBay,

you said 'I know you, I know you'"

Now that's some great songwriting skills. 

You can't beat that. 

Favorite part: 

This is my absolute favorite part. I just love

her tone. I worship the ground Zooey Deschanel walks 
on, but still, I have so much love for this song and

this verse, it's insane. I can't help but sing along. 

"Hey, did you ever meet my friend Ian?

he's a computer hacker. He helped me erase 

your MySpace page, and your band's MySpace page

and your Facebook page. Happy networking asshole".