10 Best Wilco Songs

In 1992, Woody Guthrie’s daughter Nora contacted Billy Bragg and asked him to put some of her father’s unused lyrics to music. Bragg in turn asked Wilco to join the project, and six years later the result was two albums, Mermaid Avenue volumes 1 and 2, with songs roughly split 50/50 between Wilco and Bragg.

California Stars was one of the ones Wilco tackled and, just pipping Bragg’s Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key, it’s the best thing on either volume.

Deliberately not an attempt to emulate Guthrie’s music, it instead sets his lyrics atop one of Wilco’s most straightforward musical compositions. The gentle acoustic rocker uses a lap steel guitar to great effect, but trims away any excess fat, giving Guthrie’s lyrics top billing and allowing them to really shine.