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My five - Debanjan Dutta

Metallica

The third track from Metallica’s second album Ride the Lightning. Composed by Cliff Burton, James Hetfield, and Lars Ulrich, the lyrics are based on Ernest Hemingway’s novel of the same name. The chromatic introduction, often mistaken for an electric guitar, is in fact Cliff Burton playing his bass guitar through distortion and wah-wah. The intro was written by Burton before joining Metallica; Burton first played it in a 12-minute jam at a battle of the bands with his first band Agents of Misfortune. The guitars and bass in the song are tuned slightly sharper than standard on this performance (and sharper than the other tracks on the album).

This song is from the hit album Powerslave released in 1984, which also features other hits like Aces High and all-time favourites such as 2 Minutes to Midnight. The song is inspired by the famous Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem, Rime of The Ancient Mariner. The poem is retold musically in the signature Iron Maiden style. Simply adorable.

Clapton wrote this in 1976 while waiting for his girlfriend (and future wife) Pattie (ex-wife of George Harrison) to get ready for a night out. Pattie Boyd recalled later that Clapton “was sitting round playing his guitar while I was trying on dresses upstairs. I was taking so long and I was panicking about my hair, my clothes, everything, and I came downstairs expecting him to really berate me but he said, ‘Listen to this!’” In the time she had taken to get ready, Clapton had written the song. This is perhaps one of the most romantic songs ever, and features on almost every album that comes out for Valentine’s Day.

You’re Beautiful is the classic story of unrequited love, an almost universal experience that has been the inspiration for countless artists throughout history of music. Blunt’s lyrics tell of a guy who sees a beautiful woman on a subway and, while the encounter is brief, it seems to stir up some buried emotions that need to be addressed. In several interviews, Blunt has explained that the “angel” the song describes is actually a former girlfriend of his. This one has everything from Blunt: amazing vocals, a sweet rhythm and superb lyrics.

Released as part of the 2003 album Meteora, Numb played a big role in getting Linkin Park to where it is today. A song about children who are sick of living up to the high expectations of their parents. The line, Every step that I take is another mistake to you, says it all. This one has been a big hit because it got its listeners (especially youngsters) in touch with the familiar feelings of frustration and disappointment.

The Killers: Human

Linkin Park: New Divide

Iron Maiden: Paschendale

Bon Jovi: You Give Love A Bad Name

(Debanjan Dutta is a 22-year-old Engineering graduate from Secunderabad. )

[Readers may contribute to MyFive at

myfivecolumn@gmail.com. Submissions must have a full address and telephone number. Publication is at the discretion of The Hindu MetroPlus Weekend.]

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