Darling Ones,
My love of 90s-era Matthew Sweet has flared up recently and boy, has it been an utter delight.
As with 98% of all my musical loves, I happened into Matthew Sweet in a haphazard, backwards way. I didn’t fall in love with the “Girlfriend” video like so many people I know.
I didn’t pay attention to Matthew Sweet until some intern at Zoo Entertainment sent a copy of “Altered Beast” to the college newspaper where I was the Arts Editor (Or Arts Minotaur as I was often called, Or Bitter Arts Goddess, nicknames were big around the newspaper office). Two years later some other intern sent me “100% Fun.”
Still, I’m not entirely sure exactly how or when I fell in love. It was probably one of those slowly then all at once scenarios. I do remember at some point in the spring of 1995, my friend Johnson turned to me and said, “You love this guy so much.”
We were in the bubble, a small, glass encased room in the aforementioned newspaper office.
“What?” I asked him, because I couldn’t hear him over the 73rd repeat of “Sick of Myself.”
“God,” he sighed. “You’ve been listening to him for two years straight.”
I hadn’t really thought about it, but Johnson was not wrong. I loved Matthew Sweet! Still do, though after the 90s when my musical taste really diversified, I didn’t pay as much attention to him as he deserved.
Anyway, I got a Greatest Hits According to Me playlist all ready to share with you. There’s a Spotify version and for those who eschew Spotify, there’s a YouTube playlist.
As with all Greatest Hits According to Me lists it’s helpful for you to remember this is the one right and true list. All others are imposters.
Also, I won’t have something to say about every song because sometimes the only explanation is, “I like it because it is good.”
Someone to Pull the Trigger
There’s a certain kind of 21-year-old who hears this song and is all, “yes, yes, this is the truth and it speaks for me.” I was exactly that kind of nihilistic, jaded kid. Still kinda am. I have listened to this song on repeat for hours after every single romantic heartbreak I have endured since 1993. So many hours. I need someone to pull the trigger, cause there’s a hole in my heart getting bigger. And everything I’ll ever be I’ve been. Indeed. Indeed.
Sick of Myself
While not my favorite Matthew Sweet song (see above), this is by far his best song. It’s sugar-coated power pop deliciousness. And it’s infectious as fuck. Just objectively perfect.
Evangeline
The intro to this one is so enticing he could sing nonsense or made up words and this would still be a great song. But he’s not signing nonsense, he’s singing about wanting a girl who does not want him back.
Girlfriend
Sometimes I wonder if I’d have fallen so hard for Matthew Sweet’s music if I had discovered him through “Girlfriend.” I don’t think so. I’m all for a good love song, and even more so for a good “wanna love me?” song, but I much prefer the “I’ve been decimated by love” songs (See: obsession with Frightened Rabbit).
Devil with the Green Eyes
See above and then add these lyrics: Cause I came up from a dark world, and every love I’ve ever known is dead.
Thought I Knew You
This Moment
When I wrote The Jayhawks’ Greatest Hits According to Me I said I would include the track an artist did on “Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams.” I am not a liar.
Time Capsule
Super Baby
This is one of those songs that causes a physical reaction in me. I wish I had a better knowledge of musical vocabulary. I don’t always know what things are called. Maybe this is a guitar lick? I think it might be the melody. I don’t know but it’s the five or six guitar notes, then it goes high, then it goes low again and on like the third repeat the drums drop in. Holy cow! My body loves that part of the song and then when promise you won’t go far, I want you right where you are part of the chorus kicks in? I feel that right between my legs. Damn.
Where You Get Love
I dig the throwbacky vibe.
Superdeformed
God love Matthew Sweet. It seems like he never met a compilation record he didn’t want to be a part of.
Smog Moon
I like songs that mention the moon.
What Matters
Write Your Own Song
I also like songs about writing songs. See: Stevie Nicks’ “That Made Me Stronger” and Frightened Rabbit’s “I Feel Better.” I should make a playlist of those some time.
Dead Smile
I forgot about about this one until my friend Tony brought it up in a Twitter discussion last week.
Let Me be the One
As I said, the man never met a comp he didn’t want to be apart of. I blame this Carpenters’ cover album for making me think I’d dig Sonic Youth, but in the immortal words of Juno MacGuff, “I bought another Sonic Youth album and it sucks. It’s just noise.”
And Your Bird Can Sing
Suzanna Hoffs + Matthew Sweet = bliss.
Ballad of El Good
It’s not a revolutionary cover, but I love this song as much as I love Matthew Sweet.
That’s enough typing for now. Happy listening,
Jodi