The Greatest

Several months ago, I got Rhett Miller's The Interpreter: Live at Largo.  It's an album of him covering a bunch of songs that probably are particular favorites of his.  The recording is live, so you get a bit of concert banter introducing some of the songs.  I have no idea what Largo is/was, but based on the banter, it sounds like this sort of performance was typical: established musicians performing covers.


What I find interesting about it, apart from Rhett's gorgeous, lovely voice, is the songs that he chose.  I had no idea, until I listened to it, that he's a Bowie fan.  (Recently, he wrote a piece in Salon in which he explains to his children why Bowie's Hunky Dory is a great album: Trust me on this: David Bowie's "Hunky Dory")  The Bowie song he covers is "The Bewlay Brothers" and, having never heard it before, I assumed it was a Dan Bejar song.  Rhett also performs songs written by Tom Petty, Elliott Smith, Elvis Costello, The Pixies, The Ramones, Roddy Frame, The Beatles, Dylan, and Robyn Hitchcock.  


I will forever be grateful to Rhett Miller for this album because it introduced me to the song "California Stars."  This is a song that was on Mermaid Avenue, a collaboration (of sorts) among Wilco, Billy Bragg, and Woody Guthrie.  Apparently, Guthrie left behind many lyrics without music and Wilco and Bragg put them to music.  "California Stars" is simply beautiful and, even though I am a mild fan of Wilco and I loved Billy Bragg's Talking With the Taxman About Poetry, I probably wouldn't ever have heard it if it weren't for Rhett Miller.  Thank you, Rhett!  


I was surprised to hear him say, in his intro to "Waterloo Sunset," that it was "the greatest song ever written by a human being."  It is a great song, but I wouldn't call it the greatest song ever written.


This got me wondering what song I would call the greatest song.  This is really such an impossible and pointless exercise that I must try it.  Here is a list of contenders, in no particular order:

• "Every Line of a Long Moment"
• "God Only Knows"
• "Caribbean Wind"
• "Thunder Road"  (I do love a big gesture.)
• "The Whole of the Moon" 
• "Care of Cell 44"
• "A Fond Farewell"
• "Wild Horses"  (I prefer the version by The Flying Burrito Brothers.)
• "Walk Away Renee"
• "The Bleeding Heart Show"
• "Freeze the Saints"
• "Thousands Are Sailing"