Items14The creator’s order
- 1
So Far AwayKing sounds tired of moving around, but what she wants is modest. She’d like to see someone turn up at her door. The piano lets the thought take its time, and the line about another song about the highway makes you hear the difference between being busy on the road and actually getting somewhere…0 - 2
Kathy's SongThe singer watches the rain and thinks of someone in England. Hear how the picking gives a familiar outdoor sound someplace to settle while his thoughts travel. The recording stays close and quiet enough to feel like what it describes, an ordinary stretch of time in which you can think of little…0 - 3
Un beso y una florA kiss and a flower are small things to carry away from the place and the person he loves. Nino Bravo makes the farewell sound expansive, opening his voice as the singer pictures a life beyond the sea. There’s room in it for the pain of leaving and the excitement of what might be ahead.0 - 4
Don't Forget to Remember MeA mother puts a few things in her daughter’s hands as she’s leaving, including money and a map. Later the daughter has a place and bills of her own, and calling home feels different on that side of the move. Underwood lets both women ask to be remembered, making this as much a song about the parent…0 - 5
Long DistanceA photo in a frame has to stand in for someone she wants in the room. Brandy keeps her voice contained at first and then keeps bringing the question back in fuller harmony. The voices fill more of the recording each time, which makes the room she describes feel all the emptier.0 - 6
FaithfullyA touring musician knows the road by heart and has to get to know the person at home all over again. Steve Perry builds from an intimate voice over piano to a declaration the whole band can carry. The big sound suits someone who needs to make himself heard from a long way away.0 - 7
TransatlanticismA rising sea puts an ocean between people who could once reach each other. The piano starts with a few unhurried notes, and the repeated request for closeness grows until it fills the recording. Choose it when the feeling is too big for a song that gets to its point quickly.0 - 8
GalvestonA soldier thinks about a woman by the sea. The beat moves brightly while the words jump between her face and the fear that he may never see it again. Campbell’s clear, even voice lets both feelings stand, which makes the memory more poignant every time the town’s name comes back.0 - 9
Come Back From San FranciscoThe singer stays home and imagines a lover finding better company in San Francisco. The request to come back can sound teasing, and then a little less sure of itself. It’s a good pick when missing someone comes with the slightly embarrassing urge to know what they’re doing every minute you’re away…0 - 10
Miss YouA school relationship stops being part of everyday life when one person leaves for college. Aaliyah sings the questions almost to herself, then puts more weight into the recurring admission that she feels lost. The small change in delivery is worth hearing if you’ve ever kept wondering about…0
