After a lot of contemplation, I have come to the conclusion that “New York, I Love You” by LCD Soundsystem is my most favorite song and might just be the most perfect song ever.
It has
everything: lyrics that are humorous and melancholy at the same time, a classic
“bust out” section that makes you pound your fists, slap your hands on the
steering wheel and sing at the top of your lungs, a fake out ending followed by
another “bust out” (amazing), great instrumentation (a piano never sounded so good),
and James Murphy. Oh, that James
Murphy. His voice, despondent and
strained, yet so confident and resolute in the assertions he makes about the
city for which he croons. The song captures
how it feels to walk around the city’s streets on what I imagine would be a
cool spring day with a gray overcast and maybe a light drizzle. The fact that I love NYC might play into this
decision. “New York Cares” by Interpol
also tugs at me in a special way, but not quite like “New York, I Love
You.” When I go to the city, I feel lost
but also so at home. I relate to
Murphy’s lyrics because he is saying exactly what I am thinking and feeling,
and I think that is what he was thinking and feeling when he wrote the song.
I don’t really know why I felt the need to proclaim a
favorite song, but with all the top song lists of whatever year just passed and indiscriminate (and sometime really harsh) album ratings released by music
blogs (I’m looking at you, Pitchfork), I felt like I wanted to make my
statement and speak up for a song I don’t feel gets enough attention for how
good it is. But as weird as it sounds
(especially since I am now going to assign human properties to a non-human
thing), I feel like the song almost picked me. I have been moved to post links to unofficial You
Tube videos of the song twice on my Facebook page, which is something because
with all the music I listen to, why would I ever post a song twice? Only one other song shares this distinction,
and I don’t even remember what song it was at this point, so obviously, it
didn’t make that much of an
impact. But today marked the third time I
really wanted to post a link, so maybe this proclamation is just a way of
rationalizing my feelings or explaining myself to people who expect me to
expose them to new and different things.
(My friend Jessica called me her “musical guide for life” the other day,
so I obviously have a reputation to uphold)
And to make yet another confession, I have resisted the urge
on countless other occasions to post a link.
I just love the song that much. So
if I really am the over-sharer all my friends claim me to be, it might have
been on my page at least once a month, or at least whenever it was raining out.
This notion of this being the most perfect song was probably
solidified when I went to see “Shut Up and Play the Hits,” the documentary that
chronicled the weeks and days leading up to LCD Soundsystem’s final show at
Madison Square Garden. It was the last
song they played, and after singing two bars of what is simply a repeat of the
song’s title line, Murphy starts to choke up.
He makes a statement alluding to the fact that the severity of the
dramatic pauses is unintentional and is only a result of him realizing it was really
the last time. The band put that song at
the bottom of the playlist for a reason.
Watching Murphy, I got the feeling that it was almost like he was saying
goodbye to a best friend, a best friend he would never see again, his most
perfect song.
Brandon Flowers from the Killers once said he wouldn’t stop
making music until he made the perfect song.
Well, I am sorry, Brandon Flowers, you are as cute as a button, and I’m
glad you are going to be around until you die because the perfect song has
already been made.
What is the best, most perfect song in your life, and if you
dare to answer this question, you have to say why? Inquiring minds need to know.
