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MUSIC MATTERS

My Five - Jinju S.

Bette Midler

An emotional ballad that’s a heartfelt tribute to the people who uncomplainingly remain in the backstage — helping, encouraging and supporting despite their contributions almost always going unnoticed by others — while you bask in all the glory on the stage of life. Written by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley in 1982, this beautiful song became hugely successful through Bette Midler’s powerfully evocative rendering of it for the soundtrack of the film “Beaches”, winning the Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1990. ‘Did you ever know that you’re my hero/And everything I would like to be/ I can fly higher than an eagle/ For you are the wind beneath my wings.’

Released on Tracy Chapman’s self-titled debut album in 1988, this song was a hit both in the U.S. and the U.K. and won her a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1989. It tells a heart-rending tale of broken hopes and dreams, about a girl who fails in her earnest attempt to rise above the life of poverty and misery into which she is born. The extremely haunting guitar riffs, the simple yet catchy tune and Chapman’s powerful vocals which heighten the pathos of the well-written lyrics, all combine to make this song unforgettable.

“A universal, timeless theme song of unity and diversity,” in Jon Bon Jovi’s own words, this song from Bon Jovi’s 2005 album Have a Nice Day stands out for its amazing mood-lifting and morale-boosting capacity. Richie Sambora, David Bryan and Tico Torres also excel on the guitar, keyboard and drums respectively. It’s a song of affirmation and self-acceptance that goes: ‘Be who you want to be, be who you are/ Everyone’s a hero, everyone’s a star/ When you wanna give up, and your heart’s about to break/ Remember that you’re perfect, God makes no mistakes.’

This is a really romantic pop-ballad classic about lost love and the accompanying feelings of loneliness and emptiness. It reached Number 2 in the U.S. in 1980. Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock complement each other perfectly in this song which tugs at the heart strings: ‘Please love me or I’ll be gone, I’ll be gone.’

Recorded in 2004 by Kelly Clarkson for the soundtrack of the film “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement”, this song was included in Clarkson’s second album, also named Breakaway. It holds the record for being the longest-running Number 1 from a film soundtrack on the U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart. Its astounding popularity may be attributed partly to the universal appeal of its theme: ‘I’ll spread my wings and I’ll learn how to fly/ I’ll do what it takes till I touch the sky.’

Those that almost made it

Bryan Adams: Summer of ‘69

Hoobastank: The Reason

Sick puppies: All the same

Savage Garden: The Animal Song

Bryan Adams: Have you ever really loved a woman

(Jinju. S is an English Literature student from Thiruvananthapuram)

[Readers may contribute to MyFive at myfivecolumn@gmail.com. Submissions must have a full address and telephone number. Publication is at the discretion of Weekend Metroplus.]

My Five is a personal list of the five greatest tracks in popular music

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