My Top 40 Happy Rhodes Tunes: #’s 36 – 40

And now we begin the list of my Happy Rhodes Top 40. I again must share who difficult it has been to rank these amazing songs, and I shift them around even as I write these descriptions. I must again send special thanks to Vickie Williams, who has made all of Happy’s albums available on YouTube, with Happy’s permission of course. If you want to check out more of her music after sampling here here, visit happyrhodesalbums. She and her husband are also responsible for many of the live videos that will be posted here.

#40.) Down Down – Building the Colossus (1994) – I recently read in an interview while preparing this list, that Building the Colossus is Happy’s least favorite album — not from a songwriting perspective, but from a production perspective. Ironically, I think it might be my favorite of Happy’s albums, with the most songs in my Top 40, and four of those in the Top 10! Down, Down is fairly straight-forward for a Happy Rhodes song, and rather upbeat as well, kicking off with gurgling synths to provide the feel of descending into the depths of the ocean. It’s one of several of Happy’s songs commenting on the environment, in this case the deepest seas, and as an observer descending in a man-made machine exploring and noting the denizens of the deeps, but also commenting on how man must take every environment and try to make it their own. All layered keyboards with an acoustic guitar propelling it forward, it’s mostly sung in Happy’s deeper register, with her floating harmonies providing texture.

#39.) Omar – Building the Colossus (1995) – Another song from Building the Colossus, Omar is one of those songs that seems like it’s got to be based on a character from a novel or a film, but I couldn’t find that out anywhere, so I’m at a loss. There is love, there is loss, there is separation, all set over a really lovely meandering bass part, and some nice acoustic guitar work, all driven by the keys and drums..

#38.) 100 Years – Many Worlds Are Born Tonight (1998) – Many of Happy’s songs are based on science fiction themes: novels, video games, movies. 100 Years the lead track from Happy’s tenth album, was inspired by a computer game called Timelapse. It’s a song about loneliness from the point of view of a sentient robot who is left behind to take care of a world and civilization that was no longer habitable. The robot is left wondering where his creators have gone and if they are ever coming back for him. On a sonic pallet that brings to mind computers and technology, Rhodes layers her exquisite voice in all its multi-octiave glory. I’ve included a live version of this song as well so you can see how radically Happy reinterprets the song, eschewing all keyboards but still conveying the story by focusing on her vocal characterizations.

#37.) Ode – Ecto (1987) – Ecto is Happy Rhodes’ fourth album, and the last of her releases that were basically just collections of songs she had written during the period before she actually conceived of putting an album together. As her previous three albums, it was just Rhodes on acoustic guitar, with some keyboard layerings and vocal overdubs. One of the two songs from Ecto to make the Top 40, Ode is a gentle, reassuring song with bell-like acoustic guitar picking. It’s a song of encouragement during dark times, imploring the listener to believe, the sun will come out again. Things will get better, just comfort yourself, heal and you will get through the dark times and emerge in the light again. And those around you will help too.

#36.) Moonbeam Friends – Rhodes I (1986) – The sole entry from Happy’s first album, Moonbeam Friends is a rolling acoustic number with a lovely melody the best of many similar songs from this first release. Dreamy folksongs drifting in an out of our consciousness like faeries from an enchanted realm. Moonbeam Friends particularly addresses that very subject, imaginary, or perhaps fae visitors to a child while she sleeps. They only come at night and they keep her young, but as she grows older, and they remain in her nighttime thoughts and dreams they become harder to reconcile. Still when morning comes, they are gone. It’s also the first mention of Oxy, and name that recurs in a couple of Rhodes’ songs.