My Top 40 Happy Rhodes Tunes: #’s 26 – 30

It’s funny. Each time I sit down to write an entry for the next five Happy Rhodes songs on my list, I end up rearranging them a bit. It just goes to show how difficult it is to rank her songs, and it gets harder and harder the higher up we go, especially in the Top 20. I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I did get to see Happy perform lived as a solo artist once, and then a few more times in a Peter Gabriel tribute band Security Project. I very much hope to see her perform more of her own material again someday, and hopefully she will record another album of her own soon. Actually, I want the album more than the show. The studio is where Happy really excels!

#30.) The Flight – Equipoise (1993) – Happy’s sixth studio album is notable for me, as it was the first of her work that I was purchased. Because of that, it has possibly impacted me the most of all her work. Eight songs from this album made my Top 40, with The Flight being the first at #30. Interestingly enough, the second and third tracks from Equipoise, The Flight being track three, are about the same characters, a vampire, and his vampire hunter lover., Gabrielle. In The Flight, Happy pairs somber verses with her skittish keyboards and Kevin Bartlett’s bass and percussion to tell a story of an ancient vampire who grows weary of existence and is ready to submit himself to his killer, Gabrielle. I search around to some references to a vampire hunter named Gabrielle, and there is one notable character from a Role-playing game based novel, House of Hell where Gabrielle is a niece of one of the notable Van Helsing family, who were famous vampire hunters in pursuit of Count Dracula. Another Gabrielle of note came from Ann Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, but she is a vampire, not a hunter. For me, it’s the intricate music juxtaposed with the dreamy lyrics that make this song so interesting.

#29.) Murder – Warpaint (1991) – Happy often tackles some of her toughest subjects lyrically while wrapping them in upbeat, poppy melodies. Murder is one of these songs while the singer grapples with the darker side of human nature. She states that she believes in the goodness in humanity but struggles with the impulses that cause people to do harm to others, and in particular, animals. The percussive beat does have a sinister tone, but the verse comes in with a positive major melody. it’s a song about questioning, about trying to grapple with darkness. Those darker sounds come in at the chorus, in her search for the root of this darkness so she can understand it. She sings with passion, especially the lines, “You cannot defy their will, but I would rather die than kill.” It’s not until the last verse when she mentions the apathy of a woman who stands by and watches a cat die that there might be a hint of the song being about mans violence toward lesser creatures, a theme that comes up in some of her other songs. The emphasize her point, the song ends with a distorted lead guitar line that takes us out of the song.

#28.) Glory – Building the Colossus (1994) – The third of nine songs from Building the Colossus to appear in my Top 40, Glory is the closing track, and is another song that tells of her love of animals. It’s a lovely, gentle song, with an odd opening that features conversations in the background and a slow fade in with some lovely bass work, and light percussion. Then a nice acoustic guitar propelling the verses forward. It’s a very simple track the was one of my early favorite songs. It’s got a great outro too, again highlighting the bass playing by Kevin Bartlett, and some great drumming by Jerry Marotta. It’s funny, Happy has said that Building the Colossus is an album that she can’t listen to because she doesn’t like the production. She says she likes some of the songs on it, but she feels that looking back it doesn’t hold up. Ironically, it’s the album that seems to be my favorite, as it has the most songs on this list, and the most songs (4!) in my Top 10! Just goes to show, there’s an audience for all of your work, Happy!

#27.) If I Ever See the Girl Again – Building the Colossus (1994) – I can actually see why Happy might be a little disappointed with the production on this song… it’s a little bit on the nose, sounding like the opening of The Addam’s Family. But the lyrical message is so great and spins out so cleverly, you can forgive any clumsiness in the song structure. When all is said and done, it’s actually damn catchy and fun, and ultimately triumphant. It starts off with Happy criticizing a girl she sees who she thinks is pathetic, and how if she ever sees her again, she will befriend her. It turns out, it’s adult Happy looking back on her younger self, and essentially accepting herself and loving herself. It’s actually pretty close to a pop song, and one that often catches the attention of people who hear it that don’t know Happy.

#26.) Ra is a Busy God – Many Worlds Are Born Tonight (1998) – Textures. Happy does wonders with textures, and nowhere more so than in this song. From the opening wind chimes and the sound of the crashing surf, and a morse code-type signal moving from left to right to the first keyboard washes and Happy’s plea for Ra to take her with him. Keyboards pop, bass riffs swoop, all while Happy celebrates the Egyptian god Ra, who rules over the sun, the sky, the earth, even the underworld. It’s playful, even while it’s atmospheric. The singer is longing for Ra’s attention, and she is envious of his friends, the moon, the rain, the wind. She could be an ancient worshipper in Egypt, or perhaps she is a modern-day human just glorying in a beautiful day. The fun sing-songy bridge adds a playful touch before some gentle electric guitar picking underscores some call and response between the different voices of Ms. Rhodes. I’ve included a live, acoustic, live version of the song because it shows how beautifully Happy’s songs are constructed so that they are beautiful in so many forms. And what a great percussionist!