Providence, Rhode Island. There are many who remember where they were at when a notable event occurred. The majority of baby boomers recall specific details about their lives when President Kennedy was assassinated or when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. For me, a twenty-six year old, I generally recall where I'm at when I discover an artist or film that astonishes me. It was in Providence that I first heard "If You Ever Need A Stranger (To Sing At Your Wedding)" by Jens Lekman.
I might add that memories escape me rather easily, so it's not often I recall the specific track that served as my inception into the conscripts of a particular artists fanbase. There were the initial piano strains that softly whispered in my ears, the closing beauty of his female accompaniment wordlessly singing, and between it all was Lekman's ocean deep voice resonating with the dual qualities of both youthful masculinity and elderly wisdom.
The melody sounded familiar even upon first listen (a quality I've found that the best songs share) and brought to mind an early morning stroll through a garden. I was struck with a sense of immediate peace (again, an essential quality for a truly great song), as if for the four minute duration of the song the world made a bit more sense. The lyrics engaged me on an almost philosophical level and I found myself curiously wondering how Lekman's wedding singer fill-in would handle a "power ballad" such as "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses (a personal choice).
"If You Ever Need A Stranger (To Sing At Your Wedding)" from When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog (2004)
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