Another one that I kept going back and forth about - the "I'll never say happy anniversary" section is so fantastic, but what held me back is Stephin's singing on the chorus - I think he could have used one of his stand-ins to handle the "hear-ar-ar-ar-art" parts, which need a little more suppleness than he has in him vocally.
I also still love Charm of the Highway Strip the best. 100% with you on "Love Is Like a Bottle of Gin," maybe the cleverest thing Merritt ever wrote (from a guy who's definitely in the all-time top-10 for cleverness). Can't believe you'd omit "The Night You Can't Remember, The Night I Can't Forget" (maybe his all-time best title?) or "Death of Ferdinand de Saussure" (for the final rhyme if nothing else) or "Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits" (for the part where he goes to the dictionary looking for a rhyme for "rabbits" that refers to a person who would be opposed to sexual fecundity and comes back with "abbots, Babbits, and Cabots") or "Busby Berkeley Dreams" (I just really like that one).
I love "Zebra" a whole lot, and I think it's a great way to end the set--especially with that apropos-of-nothing key change at the very end! I also have a real weakness for "Acoustic Guitar" ("Or Charo, or GWAR").
There is at least one song that didn't make the cut for 69LS--a very tiny one (literally a haiku) that I saw Merritt perform when the album was in the works. It went "What a moon! Poets/All over the world must be/Writing songs of love."
Oh c'mon. Great list but.. I Think I Need a New Heart
Another one that I kept going back and forth about - the "I'll never say happy anniversary" section is so fantastic, but what held me back is Stephin's singing on the chorus - I think he could have used one of his stand-ins to handle the "hear-ar-ar-ar-art" parts, which need a little more suppleness than he has in him vocally.
I also still love Charm of the Highway Strip the best. 100% with you on "Love Is Like a Bottle of Gin," maybe the cleverest thing Merritt ever wrote (from a guy who's definitely in the all-time top-10 for cleverness). Can't believe you'd omit "The Night You Can't Remember, The Night I Can't Forget" (maybe his all-time best title?) or "Death of Ferdinand de Saussure" (for the final rhyme if nothing else) or "Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits" (for the part where he goes to the dictionary looking for a rhyme for "rabbits" that refers to a person who would be opposed to sexual fecundity and comes back with "abbots, Babbits, and Cabots") or "Busby Berkeley Dreams" (I just really like that one).
Several of those were in contention, especially Busby Berkeley Dreams.
I love "Zebra" a whole lot, and I think it's a great way to end the set--especially with that apropos-of-nothing key change at the very end! I also have a real weakness for "Acoustic Guitar" ("Or Charo, or GWAR").
There is at least one song that didn't make the cut for 69LS--a very tiny one (literally a haiku) that I saw Merritt perform when the album was in the works. It went "What a moon! Poets/All over the world must be/Writing songs of love."
Oh, now I am going to forever miss the haiku!
Alfred Soto responds to my list and Lindsay's in his blog post here: https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2024/04/15/im-the-luckiest-guy-my-69-love-songs-picks