Songs With a Payload

Music that lands an emotion hard

S’up.

I know, it’s been a minute. Been a lot going on this summer, of various types, and while navigating that, less has fallen into my head to say here. I’m sure it’ll swing back, and in the meantime I’d rather not clutter up your inbox with labored “Christ, I should Substack something” material or — worse still — add to the mountainous genre of people writing long Substack posts apologizing for not having Substacked.

I’ve been finding myself drawn to a certain type of music recently — songs that come on upbeat or lightweight but then clinically deliver an emotion that stops you in your tracks. I thought it was started by the first song in this list (which I’ve been playing a lot)… but I realized when looking through old playlists (the Apple watch I use in the gym seems to be going through some issues, and has summarily deleted a lot of more recent music to serve up older choices instead) that it’s evidently always been a thing for me. Anyway, here’s a few great examples you may not have heard.

Good Luck Babe — Chappell Roan

This came out — by my standards — recently, and has been on heavy rotation while I work. The combination of pitch-perfect upbeat pop with the message of the middle eight is pretty fantastic.

By odd co-incidence, there’s a party for a bunch of eight-year-old girls happening next door as I’m putting this Substack together, and this song’s just come on. I’m assuming they’re completely unaware of the deeper message of spurned same-sex romance, but they seem to be enjoying it and bopping along. Some songs operate on more than one level at once.

Bloody Motherfucking Asshole — Martha Wainwright

A growing howl of… everything, somehow contained within folk music of beauty.

“I will not pretend, I will not put on a smile, I will not pretend to be alright for you…”

Hello in There — John Prine

From his first album in 1971, written when he was just twenty five, this is one of those songs that make you realize — and this is kinda the point of it — that age is just a number. Prine was one of Dylan’s favorite songwriters for a reason.

So if you’re walkin' down the street sometime
And spot some hollow, ancient eyes
Please don’t just pass ‘em by and stare
As if you didn’t care
Say, “Hello in there”.

Oof.

And by the way, if you’re a Prine fan, check out this fun live version of Lake Marie.

TV — Billie Eilish

One of those tracks that viscerally reminds you of what it’s like to be in your early twenties, and sincerely glad you’re not any more.

Maybe I’m the problem.

I Drink — Mary Gauthier

Holy cow. As a frank, spare, and nihilistic outlining of a family history and state of mind, this is exceptional. Warning: it’s strong beer — pun intended.

Heaven When We’re Home — The Wailin’ Jennys

Totally aware that most of the above songs are not exactly “Yo, let’s get up on the floor and dance!” material, so I’ll end with this. Which isn’t a dance number either, but hopefully you’ll see my point. It doesn’t quite meet my vague initial criteria, but I do in fact make the rules here, and I love this song for the way it conjures an emotion rarely honored: that of cautious, practical optimism… playing with the notion that who knows, maybe everything is going to turn out okay after all?

“It’s as good a place as any / And it’s probably where we’re best off anyway.”