Sugar Ray has never been known for deep, sad songs. So its fitting that their upcoming album Little Yachty the bands first collection of new songs in a decade is packed with joyous tunes ready for a beach party. But when the groups frontman Mark McGrath got on the phone with Rolling Stone to talk about his favorite tunes by other acts, he went for the dark, heavy stuff, songs that he says cause a visceral reaction.
You could also say these are songs that make me cry, the singer adds. This is the manly way of saying they are tearjerkers. More than anything, these songs make you listen to them. No matter what you do, you are pulled into their aura, their being.
The Beach Boys, God Only Knows
This is the gold standard for all visceral reactions. The song is a religious experience and I pray to the church of the Beach Boys. When you first start hearing those French horns at the start of the song, you know that youre in for something special. I cant imagine hearing that in the mid-1960s when you were surrounded by the British Invasion and the bubblegum pop and the Beatles and the Stones and Hermans Hermits and all that good stuff and then God Only Knows comes out of Torrance, California? The layers of harmonies, the song structure its a religious experience. It truly sounds like the Bible is singing to me.
The first line of the song is I may not always love you and that really throws you at first. Its confusing, but its not. Some of these narrative songs are tearjerkers. They tell a story. Thats important because they get you in the music. Sometimes the lyrics are abstract and it leaves it up to listeners to make their own interpretations and makes it super visceral.
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Carl Wilson songs lead on it and he really has the voice of an angel, so theres so many religious components working in that. You have the voice of an angel. You have the production and creative songwriting of an angel and the harmonies that are so angelic. Its probably one of the most beautiful bridges of all time and Mike Loves baritone is in that. He gets lost sometimes in the Beach Boys story, but hes so important back then. He was a lot more important to the songwriting than I think history has told. That could only be Mike Love singing that part of the song. I promise you Brian told him what to do, but that is Mike Loves voice.
This song didnt blow peoples wigs off back then. It took years for people to appreciate Pet Sounds. They were like, This is either the worst record ever made or the best record ever. Time will tell. That was Melody Maker. Its timeless. Its genre-less. Its almost not even musical. Its beyond. Thats why its truly a visceral song.
Bonnie Raitt, I Cant Make You Love Me
If youve never fallen in love, you dont even need to turn this one on. If youre 16, 17 and listening to a little of this and a little of that, this isnt going to speak to you. But if youve ever had your heart broken once, this song will go right down Broadway and take you for a ride in a pedicab and hold you gently on your shoulder and go, I know exactly what youre going through.
Its so tender that I can almost cry thinking about it. And its one of those songs that I love because it really got me through a breakup. I love you so much, but I cant make you love me. Its simple words. Its frustrating, but the way she articulated it is so beautifully done. And the piano on that by Bruce Hornsby is such a beautiful accompaniment to Bonnie Raitts understated vocals. Shes got a perfect plaintive tone in the vocal and its so beautifully articulated. Its lying there and knowing its the last night of a relationship. Weve all been there. Basically, a beautiful way to say its over. It gets me every time. I didnt think this song would make me cry just talking about it. Thats the power of this song. Bon Ivers version is just as beautiful, sung in a falsetto.
Carl Thomas, I Wish
Im a 1990s R&B fool. You give me a little Jade, Brownstone, and all that that other early-1990s R&B stuff like Carl Thomas and Ginuwine The 1990s was just a heyday of R&B to me. The 1970s was great for R&B, but the 1990s production-wise took it to another level. Carl Thomas was on Puffys label and wrote a song called I Wish. Its such a beautiful and brilliant song. It actually makes you feel bad for a guy that is cheating on somebody! Thats how good the lyrics are. Hes like, But she cannot stay with me/She chose to stay at home/So they could be a family. The way he articulates those phrases makes me feel for the guy even though hes cheating! And I love the way he says family. He makes it like seven syllables.
It reminds me of Billy Pauls Me and Mrs. Jones and those 1970s suicide songs like Alone Again (Naturally) where the melody is nice and pleasant, but when you hear what the song is about youre like, Oh, my God, I want to kill myself.
Don Henley, The Heart of the Matter
This maybe isnt the hippest choice for a lot of people, but as a songwriter Don Henley is untouchable. If you ever want to hear the economy of lyrics in music, it is Heart of the Matter. It is a perfectly written song. Not a lyric is wasted. Its another song resigning to the fact that a relationship is over, but thinking its about forgiveness even if you dont love me anymore.
That song was written around the same time as I Cant Make You Love Me and I was involved with the same person. My relationship was over and this song really spoke to me. Listen to it. Its telling a story the entire time. Its very literal. Glenn Frey was more, Lets do some peyote at Joshua Tree and see the stars. But Henley was the guy that was like, Im angry. He was an angry, salty dude. But this song really shows the heart that he had. Who knew that Don Henley would say, at the end of it all, when people break up, its about forgiveness? Someone has to give up. Its so perfectly articulated. When I hear that augmented D chord Im into that song the entire time. No matter where I go when I hear that song, I will stop and listen to it. I have to stop myself from crying. And the bridge! There are people in life who come and gone So perfect! Theres not a wasted lyric. That song to me, its a visceral joy.
Band of Horses, No Ones Gonna Love You
This is a little modern for me being 52 years old. And if I have to explain to you why this song is visceral, youve never heard it. Do yourself a favor and go download it and listen to the acoustic version as well the YouTube a video of them playing it acoustically. It is so powerful and so abstract. Its looking like a limb torn off Limb torn off? Is this Game of Thrones? Immediately I dont know what hes talking about. I dont speak his language, but I understand everything he is saying. Thats what makes a song visceral and great. Its not literal. That is his own story and his adjectives and his own metaphors in his vernacular and it speaks to all of us. Its just such a beautiful, soaring chorus. It just gets you. Its a simple song without a lot of chords.
Most of these songs are just two or three chords, but its in the lyrics. There are such abstract lyrics here. Ironically, when he sings things start falling apart at the seams, thats when it all came together for me in the song. I knew exactly what he was talking about. Its the power of music, man. And if I talked to you tomorrow, Id name five different songs.