Thursday, April 26, 2007

The Best Of What's Around

The Best Of What's Around by Dave Matthews Band

There isn't a tone of love for Dave here on this blog… but he does have a few good songs and this is the best of his few goodies. It's a fun song, uplifting, 'good times being had by all' type song. It's catchy, Dave's voice doesn't totally kill it, and the band isn't trying to hard to sound like something you've never heard before (aka covering up for the fact that they're just Phish for frat boys). In other words, this song works. But you want to know why I love this song? Because in my life, I've come across my fair share of DaveLovers - the types that will tell you that Dave is the greatest musician of our age, how his lyrics mean so much, and how he's just effin' amazing. These people also tend to pretty much only listen to Dave, which is cool, but just don't go around telling me his the best of our age when you couldn't tell me the difference between Stephen Malkmus and Jeff Tweedy. WHERE WAS I? Oh yes, why I love this song. At the very end of the song, between the ho-ho hey-la's Dave sings out, just barely, "Oh, to be alive! Oh, to be alive!" (this happens at the 3:47 mark of the song). I love this. Absolutely love this. In fact, this is one of my favorite moments in all of music. I'm not sure why... maybe it's just a great reminder... maybe it's just a great line. It's joyful, but also some what somber. "Oh, to be alive!" And you know what? Two of my better friends in life, both of whom are huge Dave fans, never noticed this before. And they love it too.

Listen:

2 comments:

eotter said...

i don't remember that Wilco backyard incodent. sorry if i ofended you in any way. I really like what you said about Dave. I have to agree with you, even on the "Oh to be alive" thought. jolly good.

Otter said...

I never even liked DMB until I saw them in concert.
But I agree with you about the "I only listen to "blah blah" group, I knew/know a lot of Dead Heads and it's like come on man listen to something else, broaden your horizions.