What a news cycle we have had these past couple of weeks! Palin resigns. Franken is a senator. Obama visits Russia.
And a lot of famous people died.
The ubiquitous Michael Jackson coverage has taken over the attention of the entire country, and no matter what his sins may or may not have been, there has been a lot of genuine, heartfelt love for MJ and the music that he made. But with all of the grieving and memorializing that has been going on, it’s interesting that there hasn’t been more coverage of the real star of this recent news cycle: Death.
The grim reaper is back, folks, making an unexpected comeback in the public eye and healthier than ever, it seems. To give the devil his due, The Post-Rockist decided to put together a short mix of our favorite songs concerning the greatest equalizer.
Paul McCartney - That Day is Done (from Flowers in the Dirt)
I’m still not sure what the overarching narrative of McCartney’s Flowers in the Dirt may be, but I know that it’s there and that it has to do with a love story and a death. Possibly the weirdest and most touching song on this very good album is “That Day is Done.” From what I can tell, the singer has died and is watching his own funeral and particularly his lover in the procession.
One of my favorite songwriting tricks in music is when the writer uses the album title in the lyrics of a song. There are many great cases of this that I can’t currently think of, but when McCartney sings “She sprinkles flowers in the dirt” I always get chills. I really don’t think it makes total sense, but McCartney somehow gives us us a complex and weirdly supernatural narrative and still is able to wrench our hearts. It’s a convoluted, beautiful song.
The Decemberists – O Valencia! (from The Crane Wife)
If any band has been really good at imagining death (and making it happen in their songs), it’s the Decemberists. A few months ago, Paste Magazine did a great job of tabulating the extent of Colin Meloy and Co.’s blood thirst, so really the question wasn’t whether or not to include The Decemberists, but which song?
I decided on “O Valencia!.” Why? Because it’s fun. Duh. The idea behind this mix is already kind of depressing and, to be honest, if I hadn’t already committed to the idea (or had another, better one) I would probably think otherwise and write about something happier. So tap your foot and bob your head to this sweet little pop tune about a lover taking a bullet and biting the dust. It’s just fun!
Jens Lekman – Your Beat Kicks Back Like Death (from somewhere on the internet. Buy Jens stuff here)
As we are wont to do, we’ll leave it up to Jens Lekman to round out this short little playlist into the morose and unmentionable. And in “Your Beat Kicks Back Like Death,” Jens mentions it. A lot.
I know there’s a lot of material out there, so feel free to let us know your favorite death songs. They’re part of life, after all.
One Comment
Wow, you know I read somewhere that MJ died. R.I.P., our private friend.