The Ten Other Songs by Jill Sobule You Must Hear

A lot of people are arguing the merits of the real "I Kissed A Girl" by Jill Sobule verses the other, recent version. Well let me say it, again, Jill is the best songwriter working today. I never miss an opportunity to prove that. Now seems like a grand time to celebrate a hero to nerdy girls and guys everywhere.

I see her like a friend with an honest, funny way of looking at things. I can't wait to read her blog at (http://www.Jillsobule.com). She never seems forced, arty or handing me B.S. -- unless handing me B.S. is part of the joke.

She can take the saddest, most heart breaking idea and catch me off guard with her wicked sense of humor. To me, she is amazingly playful and positive. No matter how sad the song may be, I always feel so much better after listening to it.

So here are ten other songs of Jill's that you MUST hear:

10. "Nothing to Prove" (California Years 2009)
A screamingly funny song written by Jill while on morphine. She probably needed it as she wrote about the decline and fall of the record empire.


9. "Super Eight" (Happy Town 1997)
This is a vivid, touching look at a child's birthday party. Watching an old film of the seemingly happy party, Jill begins to recall what really happened.


8. "Big Shoes" (I Never Learned to Swim 2001)
Jill had to wear corrective shoes and leg braces for most of her childhood. Her feet are now perfect. Her heart? Not so much. She details the damage with such wit that it's only after the song is over and you stop laughing, that you think, "That would be hell."


7. "Jet Pack" (Underdog Victorious 2004)

Jill takes a comic image and then shows an outsider dreaming. That describes most of Jill's work. The song soars in rapture (flying to her lover in the good part of town). But then the song ends very much on the ground;

.

I don't have a jet pack.

I don't even have a car

I just have this token 

And a head full of stars...

.

I can't think of any lines that describe Jill's magic as well as that.

6. "Rock Me to Sleep" (Pink Pearl 2000)
Not having someone to love can be hardest late, late at night. Lonely images swirl about Jill with such a real, yet poetic touch that you want to email her and ask; "Hey, are you okay?" A devastating adult lullaby.


5. "Karen By Night" (Jill Sobule 1995)
How this wasn't a hit song stuns me. It is such an infectious rocking song about a girl who follows her seemingly bland boss around to see what she REALLY does at night. And her boss isn't like the fat Marlon Brando...


4. "Strawberry Gloss" (Underdog Victorious 2004)
This song piles on images of teenage happiness. It perfectly captures a warm, innocent time. And then corrupts it with the reality of the situation. As Jill said, "Did ANYONE have a happy 7th grade?" She didn't.


3. "Mexican Wrestler" (Pink Pearl 2000)
This is a song about the person who you first fell in love with and they don't love you back. And you are screwed up to this day. It starts out very funny and quirky -- then swings around to the tragic. The effect is touching and beautiful.


2. "Houdini's Box" (Jill Sobule 1995)
The perfect song to listen to late at night. On one hand it is a dream about being trapped under water. On the other, it is about being in love. The song is hypnotic, comforting and frightening -- just like love.

1. "Somewhere in New Mexico" (Pink Pearl 2000)

"Palm Springs" (California Years 2009)

These songs will always hold a special place for me. I was feeling so lonely and awful riding a bus home from work through a black Minnesota winter. "Somewhere in New Mexico" played on my CD player. It changed me. It was the most beautiful song I'd ever heard. Perhaps only the Beach Boys' "Warmth of the Sun" comes close. It is a very holy song about not having faith. It is a very funny song about feeling so empty and alone.


I recently heard a live MP3 of "Palm Springs" and it is the next chapter in Jill's search for something more. These two songs go together like the first two chapters in a great novel. My favorite novel.


Jill's ability to weave images and complexed emotions is unsurpassed today. I really think only Dylan or Randy Newman in there prime were better at that kind of lyric writing -- although in the end, they are not as friendly -- not as endearing. You don't feel they are your BFF.

You can find Jill's CDs at

THE JILL STORE 

http://www.jillsobule.com/store