http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knTvHRz_qnU And at number one is the sound of the great black hole that can be fallen into at the end of a love affair 'I want you' is Elvis Costello's most, brutal, vicious and regretful song - and that's saying something. It's one of those songs that when you first hear it you know it'll stay with you forever, and whilst it deserves to be right up there with the greatest songs about heartbreak, it's certainly not easy listening. One of the things that makes it so affecting is the way the musical arrangement changes to suit the wild mood swings of the lyrics, this is a story that moves from tender love to raging jealousy, contempt and finally to pleading. Going to back to the five stages of grief, this song certainly hasn't reached acceptance. Starting with just voice and acoustic guitar, on first listen you think this is going to be a sweet and tender ballad, but the sound lulls you into a false sense of security and the sweetness doesn't last long, the abrupt twang of an electric guitar is the signpost that the song is headed in a completely different direction. The music continues to ebb and flow with his to mirror his anger and hurt. With his voice seemingly at breaking point there's a short deliberately out of tune guitar refrain, showing how out of sorts the narrator is. Then the jealously kicks in, and his love sounds unsettling, making himself think of his partner being with someone else, and not asking why she's left in in the first place, but instead taking her to task for who she's chosen instead 'Did you call his name out as he held you down? Oh no my darling, not with that clown, I want you.' The story is punctuated with the words 'I want you' after virtually every line, and whilst his intent is clear, the song describes such a broken relationship you wonder why on earth he wants his ex back so badly? The answer is that this is a tale of obsession, pure and simple and the way Elvis Costello tells it is utterly stunning, there's no such thing as a 'winner' in a list of this nature, but 'I want you' is off the chart.
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