Confessions of a Fanboy

This morning’s Billboard Beatdown comes to us in the form of a sermon. The Rev. Ryan Miller, and I’m betting he’s never been called that before, preaches the gospel through the relationship sketch. Open your hymnals, and sing along with Rev. Ryan:

So we pass the time
and occupy our minds
and close our eyes
and hope that we’ll be fine

There are some songs that minister to us because they give us the answer. Some songs minister to us because they give us reassurance. “Diane” is a variation of the latter. It speaks to me because it describes a state of mind I have found myself in many thousand times, and I take comfort knowing someone else not only knows the feeling but knows it well enough to describe it in a way I can easily recognize.

I like feeling like I am in control of a situation, or at the very least in control of my own emotions. Most of the time, I am merely along for the ride. Sometimes, that’s not so terrible. Life is filled with mundane moments and the ride can be more comfortable on autopilot.

Of course, there are those other moments when it all seems to be going to hell and you realize there is not thing one you can do about it. Those are the moments when I try to occupy my mind, close my eyes, and hope that it all works out okay because what else can you do?

Enough about my neuroses. It reads well enough on the page, but Ryan Miller’s delivery adds depth and color to it. As with most of Guster’s best songs, “Diane” is built around a great melody and well-placed harmonies. It seems an odd choice to open an album with given its laidback style, but it is one of the best tracks on the wonderful Keep It Together.

Billboard Beatdown: Fanboy alternatives to the top of the Billboard Charts.

Filed under: Billboard Beatdown, Guster