Songs Of The Decade: Amy by Ryan Adams

It took the better part of the decade but I finally saw what others claimed to see in Ryan Adams, even if it was only for 3 minutes. Amy is all tender heartbreak and yearning, bundled neatly in a gentle arrangement of acoustic guitars, sweeping strings and aching vocals.

Ironically, I stumbled across the song on the Mark Ronson covers extravanganza, Version, where his 60's soul take on the song was almost hidden in between bombastic dancefloor reimaginings of Coldplay and The Smiths, and big star turns by Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen. I was shocked to learn that this buoyant version was actually a cover of Ryan Adams. Yep, I was actually enjoying a song by the tiresome, over-prolific, alt-country "superstar" who had burned me when I blindly purchased Gold solely based on the ecstatic press it received. (I know, rock critics were wrong about something? Go figure.)

I decided to track down the original and wow, it's a beautiful gem, and one of the few unabashed love songs on my Decade list. Although it's not in the tip-top of my Best Of list, I dare say that Amy might be a rarity in that it should appeal to everyone that might be reading this.

And just in case you don't feel sappy today, check out this nutty cover of Pretty Green by the Jam by Mark Ronson and Santo Gold (or whatever she wants you to call her now.)