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Lydia Loveless’ “More Like Them.”
This is one of my favorite songs of 2011.
Not nearly as wounded as her “Crazy” (see earlier post), but the boot-on-the-floor stubbornness and arms-crossed insecurity work up something far more fierce here. The listener is always off-guard, as the way she handles each verse is a surprise, yet nothing is over-sung, forced or strained — just direct, raw, untouched.
It’s relentless, too, bullheadedly determined to never lose its message championing solitude. And the lyrics? Loveless stays one step ahead of everyone. “Honey, I don’t want you now, but it’s not about him,” she sings, a pretty sneaky and devilish way to tell someone to just shut the hell up.
It’s the best country song of the year. Might be the best punk rock song, too.