Top 10 favourite Sheryl Crow songs
Sheryl Suzanne Crow was born in Kennett, Missouri and went on to worldwide fame with the release of her 1993 debut album Tuesday Night Music Club and in particular the single "All I Wanna Do". Prior to that her music career had included a stint as a backing singer for Michael Jackson on his Bad tour and a shelved 1992 solo album produced by Hugh Padgham of XTC/Police/Sting/Phil Collins production credit fame. Every year Sheryl Crow has a Birthday Drive in the run up to the big day, 11th February, where any kind donations to the Delta Childrens Home in her hometown will put you in a draw for prizes like the Telecaster pictured above for this year.
So after 11 studio albums across 3 decades here are my 10 favourite Sheryl Crow songs:
10] Strong Enough (1993)
The Tuesday Night Music Club album was a result of a collaborative effort from Crow and a handful of musicians in LA, overseen by producer Bill Bottrell. The rolling acoustic guitar melody on this created a stand out track with lyrics about the strains put on a relationship by PMS. Some people like to sing along to this but with the words "are you wrong enough to be my fan?" instead.
9] C'mon C'mon (2002)
This is the title track from the fourth studio album where it features Stevie Nicks on backing vocals, whereas the above version on the "Best Of" album features The Corrs. And I like them both.
8] I Shall Believe (1993)
The closing track on the debut album is this chilled number. In the 2002 book by Richard Buskin called "Sheryl Crow - No Fool To This Game" it says: Sheryl wrote some basic lyrics and the music for the verse before Bill added the B section. She came up with more words during a trip to the local sushi bar, and the number was recorded that same day.
I love sushi.
7] Real Gone (2006)
Left speaker: Jang jang jang jang jang-jang
Right speaker: Jang-jang jang jang jang jang-jang
From the soundtrack of the Disney/Pixar movie Cars is this fun, upbeat rock song with maybe somewhat autobiographical verses and a harmonica solo.
6] Steve McQueen (2002)
With woo-woos reminiscent of the Stones' Sympathy For The Devil, here we have another great driving song in this ode to Steve McQueen.
In Sheryl's words: "...to me 'Steve McQueen' is kind of Steve Miller 'Fly Like An Eagle'-ish, or something by The James Gang. And metaphorically I think the song represents a yearning to be wild and free. I think Steve McQueen was the archetypal rebellious free spirit." And the slick music video features the racing driver Dale Earnhardt Jr in scenes mimicking the 1968 Steve McQueen movie Bullitt.
5] My Favorite Mistake (1998)
This dark bluesy pop rock song was the lead single from the third studio album The Globe Sessions. Lots of people thought it was about Eric Clapton. And some said Jakob Dylan. Although that assumes it is about any one singular person. In a 1999 interview Sheryl Crow said:
"My Favorite Mistake is about several people in my life who weren't very good ideas - but not Eric. I've known Eric for over ten years, and I can't look at that relationship as a mistake." Each to their own but I think Eric Clapton is a douchebag.
4] If It Makes You Happy (1996)
An absolute classic and the first of three songs from the self-titled second studio album on this list. Long time collaborator Jeff Trott came up with the chords and lyrical theme in the main - about a past relationship and his old band Wire Train, hence the line about derailing your own train. Crow's vocal going from a low range in the verses into the searing power in the chorus is really magic for the listener.
3] Free Man (1996)
This was on the UK version of the second album and isn't on Spotify. I'm guessing a song about inadvertently getting involved with some guy harbouring white supremacist views might have been judged to be too much for the US market to handle. But what a tune! Loud guitars, pleasing rhyming couplets and an astonishing vocal performance.
And yes you should love one another.
2] Soak Up The Sun (2002)
Now some Sheryl Crow fans will be wondering why the hell is this so high up on the list. Well it's my top ten and it's here for three reasons: 1) That opening line 2) It's about the sun and by implication summer 3) Liz Phair is on backing vocals which escalates its coolness sky high.
All hail the sun, the true giver of life on Earth.
1] Redemption Day (1996)
This sublime protest song tops the list. And isn't freedom what we all aspire to having? The song was written quickly after returning from a visit to war-torn Bosnia and seeing the news about the genocide in Rwanda on TV.
Johnny Cash liked it enough to cover it as it eventually appeared on the 2010 American VI: Ain't No Grave album.
The song was remade as a posthumous duet on the final ever Sheryl Crow album, 2019's Threads. That version was a little too austere musically for me. The original is my favourite.
Here is the above countdown as a Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2TYXJFJpgh74ouyIOV01N0
Sheryl Crow official website: http://sherylcrow.com