In a new interview with “Mistress Carrie” Sarao of The Mistress Carrie Podcast, Skid Row bassist Rachel Bolan was asked to name a song from any other artist that he thinks is “perfectly crafted”.
He responded (as transcribed by blabbermouth.net), “There’s a couple. Lido Shuffle [by] Boz Scaggs. There’s nothing that isn’t amazing about that song as a body of work. Every time I listen to it, I’m, like, ‘Wow, where did this come from?’ I don’t know if I would be able to create something like that. And then the other is Breakdown by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers. That’s just one of those songs, even though it has that false start which kind of makes it even more amazing and beautiful — the structure of that song is so bizarre. It’s almost like it’s unfinished. But it’s such an incredible song ’cause from the minute it starts, it’s like, ‘Yep, breakdown. Cool.’ And then, before you know it, it’s gone. But that’s one of those songs that I wish I wrote. Simplicity.”
After Mistress Carrie noted that the hardest songs to write are usually the simplest ones, Bolan concurred. “I agree,” he said. “I write simple. And I guess that’s just the stuff I listen to. Most of the stuff I listened to was three-chord rock: KISS, AC/DC, Ramones, Sex Pistols, for the most part. And so that is kind of in my wiring to write like that, I guess. And that’s the only thing I know…”
[Dana’s comment: I will have to think about this, since there are so many great songs, but as of my typing this, The Beatles were the kings of writing catchy, simple songs.]
25 Responses
I’m a hard rock/punk/metal guy but the Train song “Drops of Jupiter”, I think that song could be taught in college if there was a class Songwriting 101, the dynamics, the breakdown, bridge, chorus etc…If you wanted to dislike that song I don’t think you could, too “perfectly crafted”.
And one other that just popped into my head is My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade”. Epic Queen’ish ballad & rocker all in one.
“Perfectly crafted” to me kinda feels like it hits that sweet spot of both production & performance, the song & the recording. So there ya go. If ya start really thinking about this subject ya might go down a wormhole & not come back for days, lol…