The three hundred and ninety-seventh song: Evie - Stevie Wright
As a song in three parts, this is a number you have to judge in three parts. The first, a passionate rocker from the start of a relationship, really sounds like AC/DC and sounds great - it is catchy and energetic. The ballad that follows is weaker, Stevie Wright's sound doesn't seemq utie right for it, but it leads nicely into the disco song that is in odd contrast to the lyrics about the loss of Evie. It's interesting how it sets up a story in three parts like that, as a decent experiment in story telling through song.
The three hundred and ninety-eighth song: Free Man in Paris - Joni Mitchell
There's a happy tone to this jazz song about a record executive, taking a holiday in Paris - an upcoming destination for us, and here it sounds like a land of freedom, away from the buzz of everyday life. It's happy, grateful and enjoyable, as the holiday would be.
The three hundred and ninety-ninth song: I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton
While Whitney Houston's cover of this song is more famous, its message is notably different in the different ways they are performed. Dolly Parton's version is tender and more broken, a lot more sadness in the voice - one where she has to let her lover go, but with great difficulty. She's not over it, but knows she has to be, and that comes through in every part of this song.
The four hundredth song: The Grand Tour - George Jones
I'm not sure now if I might be done with country. This is said to be one of the finest, but the vocals and the sound bore me. It's a shame when compared to the lyrics, which feel a bit more innovative guiding you through the house, most things still there after this wife divorced him, but I can't quite make myself appreciate it.
The four hundred and first song: Withered and Died - Richard and Linda Thompson
This isn't a very cheery bunch of songs... a slow folk rock ballad describing what feels like the loss of ambition, everything around the singer slowly drifting and falling apart with little to do. It's a depressed somg, not having anywhere to go anymore.
The four hundred and second song: Louisiana 1927 - Randy Newman
From personal problems, we go to bigger ones, the floods in Louisiana in 1927 that left hundreds of thousands of people homeless. It's both a sad story and a tribute to the people who stuck around through all of it. It's a slow song, taking its time, but one that has power in it, a strength of people that lets them persevere through it.
The four hundred and third song: You Haven’t Done Nothin’ - Stevie Wonder
I guess we've shifted to political anger in the line up now, with this too taking aim at them - here at Nixon, who is told he doesn't hear their views - in a catchy song that does well getting the message across. The fact that the Jackson Five appear on here - their first on the list - is more an interesting footnote than anything that matters, as the brass instruments and Stevie's voice does the work here and it does it well, while retaining the blues doo wop base.
The four hundred and fourth song: This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us - Sparks
The tonal whiplash is visible in the room right now, as this song is upbeat, without as much of a clear message but a lot of joy in creating something different. Glam rock can feel tedious when done wrong, but here it creates a fascinating piece, with gunshot sound effects and an unwavering falsetto that drives things forward. A weird masterpiece that seems to be forgotten these days.