http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWvEXChflEE As we get further up the list, two things are happening - the lines between love songs and songs of heartbreak are getting really blurred, and the strength of feeling is getting stronger we're truly into acceptance territory but what's fascinating about the top three is that they could all be read as straightforward love songs the fact that they're not shows how powerful they are. 'Fade into you' is a song that deservedly propelled one of the most awkward bands of all time to some level of fame, and it's as a sad a song as you'll ever hear. Mazzy Star were (and are) masters of the sound of disappointment. This is another song of unrequited love, but what makes this so fascinating is that the singer sounds completely confused about the object of her desire. "I want to hold the hand inside you; I want to take a breath that's true. I look to you and I see nothing, I look to you to see the truth". There's been a lot of debate about the literal meaning of this song, but one of the many brilliant things about music is that interpretation is incredibly personal, and for me this song is the sound of heartbreak. Slow, tender, hurt and without aggression. 'Fade into you' is the sound of someone retreating to their bedroom, trying to understand what's just happened to them and then realising that they need to stay in bed a little longer. Songs of the heart take time to understand, almost as much time as it takes to twig the situations that inspired the songs themselves.
What makes music fantastic? Star quality, amazing music, breathtaking lyrics and the ability to bring something new to the table, even if that means a new take on the classics. That's what I love to listen to and write about.
As well as writing for What Culture, I occasionally write a blog http://tedney.blogspot.co.uk and sometimes use Twitter, but sparingly @TedneyNash