10 Greatest Love Songs On The Magnetic Fields '69 Love Songs'

3. Papa Was A Rodeo

A sad-eyed country duet that sees Shirly Simms and Stephin Merritt crooning at each other across the sticky bar of some disreputable late night watering hole.

Caught in the grip of attraction, Merritt gives “Mike” fair warning that he’s not the settling down type, having been raised on the road.

Not many of us live the itinerant lifestyle described in the song but we can recognise the aching pathos here. And maybe when we’re stuck in traffic we can still sing along and pretend to be one of life’s restless road warriors for whom, “Home was anywhere with diesel gas/love was a trucker’s hand/never stuck around long enough for a one night stand.”

Of course the whole thing leads to the comedic pay off, lest anyone accuses Merritt of being entirely sincere. “What a coincidence, my Papa was a Rodeo too.”