Wednesday, January 19, 2011

goodnight, elisabeth

favorite songs entry #2 is counting crows with "goodnight, elisabeth".   counting crows became popular when i was in high school, but i never really got into them much then.  i was too busy listening to my angst filled music - you know, nirvana, pearl jam, weezer and more rap than i can remember.  but when i got to college, i started listening to them more and more and they became one of my favorite bands.

"goodnight elisabeth" is my favorite crows song.  there are others i think are unbelievable, but there's something about this one.  it's definitely slower than most of their others and has a mellow, almost depressing vibe.  but i think that's what really draws me to it; when i'm depressed, i listen to it and i always start to feel better.  it's tone is plaintive, but it has a soothing and ultimately healing effect on me.

i know many of my peers are too cool to listen to counting crows.  they will dismiss them as posers, hipsters or whatever other term they deem appropriate.  they are definitely not hard rocking band.  what they are is melodic, cohesive and smart.  frontman/songwriter adam duritz is underrated as a lyricist and knows how to work his words.  but i will admit, his dreads are terrible.

on to my favorite lyrics of the song, two lines which really stand out to me.  "we couldn't all be cowboys, some of us are clowns" - that just about sums it up for me.  we all have a place and purpose.  it may not be what we want, but it's what we've got and we have to try to make the best of it.  my favorite lyric is "me, i just say my prayers and i just light myself on fire and walk out on the wire once again."  we keep going and we live to fight another day.

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