your song

Coming in to work this morning, I heard “Uptown Girl” on the radio. I love Billy Joel, I love that video, and I love that the song itself was written for his then-wife Christie Brinkley. How great to be immortalized in music! And then I got to thinking (dangerous)…If I could pick an artist to write a love song about me, which one would I choose? Here are a few I considered and why…

Paul McCartney. And no, not just because he is a Beatle and pretty much the coolest man alive. There’s a reason his concerts still sell out today, upwards of 40 years after the start of Beatlemania – his music just holds up over time. And he wrote “Maybe I’m Amazed” with Wings, many years after the Beatles broke up, about his wife, Linda, whose death I’m convinced he’s still not over.

Van Morrison. My friend, Alexa, commented to me once in high school that Van Morrison wrote the best love songs. And she was so right. “Crazy Love?” “Brown-Eyed Girl?” “Moondance?” Fuhgeddaboutit.

Otis Redding. If you’ve ever seen Pretty in Pink, this selection should come as no surprise. What girl wouldn’t want someone to lip sync “Try a Little Tenderness” in a record store? Not to mention “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.” Doesn’t it just speak to your soul?

Ray LaMontagne. Y’all know I love him, and the man can write a song. Ok, so “Meg White” is kind of creepy, considering it was written about another musician’s wife, but still. Pretty much all his music is amazing, but “You Are the Best Thing” would make any woman swoon. I know I do.

James Taylor. Again, totally timeless. One of my favorite things about James Taylor: he sounds exactly the same live as he does on his albums – the mark of a true, clean, real talent. Nothing beats “Something in the Way She Moves.”

Dave Matthews. Dave and I go through phases. There was no one I adored more in junior high and high school, then in college he started playing electric guitar and lost his luster to me. I’m coming back around, and it’s mostly due to “You and Me.”

Al Green. Who wouldn’t want to hear “Let’s Stay Together” on the radio and know The Rev wrote it about you? Come ON! Seriously, check out The Rev’s greatest hits album, and tell me you wouldn’t want any of those songs. I dare you.

So, these are just a few that popped into my head this morning; it’s certainly not an exhaustive list, and I’m sure I could come up with many, many more. Who would you add to the list?

And yaya, please don’t say George Strait.