Top 10: Rufus Wainwright – Want One
The first time I listened to Rufus was on the soundtrack for “I am Sam”, he sang a cover for “Across the Universe”. I knew the original by John Lennon, and also Fiona Apple’s cover (which I listened to furiously during the summer of 2001, in Italy). I didn’t play much attention to it, Fiona’s version sounded a lot better to me; I loved the double drumming thing.
By the time I had seen some videos on MTV, “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” and “California”, but I completely ignored him, he sounded like a cheery Ryan Adams, stupid me, stupid comparison.. .
It was until a friend gave me a CDr full of mp3 that featured his new album “Want One”. “Men reading fashion magazines” and then the “Bolero” in the middle of the first song, I was impressed, and then song after song, I started thinking, wow this guy can really sing, and write, this sounds really good, and I’m not even the king of guy that likes this singer/songwriter shit. Wait, this does not sound like that at all, the arrangements, all the choirs, this is so much different. And then came “Go or Go Ahead”, I’m a sucker for sad songs, and this one is special, it’s so powerful and intense. I think it was by this time that I started loving Rufus, and I still had about half the record to listen. I remember removing every single song on the playlist and listened to “Go or Go Ahead” like one million times. I eventually decided to listen to rest of the record, and of course, loved it.
I immediately got my hands on the rest of the albums, and consumed them furiously.
This record reminds me of a very special time of my life, when I was living at my fullest and was immensely happy, discovering myself and lot of what was around of me, for that, I’ll always remember those moments when I listen to these songs.
