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My Emm Gryner Top 40! #’s 6 – 10

Emm Gryner

And now we’re taking a look at my Top 10 Emm Gryner songs, and every one of them is a standout, if you ask me. Here you’ll be able to figure out my favorite albums as well, as the Top 10 is primarily made up of cuts from AsianBlue, The Summer of High Hopes, and most notably, the outstanding Science Fair. While the Summer of High Hopes scores big with three songs in the Top 10, they all appear here in the lower half. Still, it’s a pretty bold showing! Take time with this list… and I hope you take a moment to listen to all of these outstanding tracks.

#10 – Serenade (Science Fair)

Here in the Top 10 we see Science Fair start to take command. Two tracks from this album appear in this segment. It’s an album that’s near perfect for me, and Serenade is a gorgeous, melancholy acoustic guitar-driven ballad. It’s also one of those songs whose lyrics are pretty poetic and don’t add up to a lot for me; it seems intensely personal. It seems that it was written on the road, and there’s definitely a sense of longing. But the killer lines come in what could arguably be called the chorus, “It’s a good day for wishing you were mine. I wish it all the time.”  We’ve all felt that before, right? Gorgeous in its simplicity, with some beautiful harmonies that just make my heart soar.

#9 – Girls are Murder (The Summer of High Hopes)

While Science Fair will continue to dominate the Top 10, The Summer of High Hopes does its best to assert dominance, with three cuts in this group. I’m a sucker for a 70’s pop groove, and Girls Are Murder has that subtly embedded in the verses, along with a killer syncopated drum track. The lyrics are vivid, telling the story of a guy who’s had his heart broken, hence, “Girls are murder.” The summer as hell imagery is fitting and ironic on the album entitled The Summer of High Hopes. And man, that chorus is what pushes it over the edge. Wow, after the commanding piano chords to kick things off, and the up and down melody of the verses, the driving, urgent chorus really pulls it all together and reels you in beautifully. While Science Fair dominates the Top 10, The Summer of High Hopes rules #’s 6 – 10, with Girls Are Murder being the first of three tracks.

#8 – Revenge (Science Fair)

Revenge has a special place in my pantheon of Emm songs. It was a cathartic song when I broke up with a long-term boyfriend nearly 20 years ago. While Emm clearly wrote this about a very specific situation, this is great break-up song from whatever your perspective. I particularly love the line, “I wanted to show you the things I know, As few as they may be.” In my own personal movie, the song’s point-of-view jumps back and forth between me and my ex, and I think that’s why I love who flexible it can be for the listener. From a musical point of view, I love the bridge and it’s gently descending melody… it just draws you directly into the chorus.

#7 – Almighty Love (The Summer of High Hopes/Gem and I)

The duet version of Almighty Love with Joe Elliott
Emm Gryner, live of Irish TV singing Almighty Love

Perhaps one of Emm’s most famous songs, after Bono selected it as one of the ten songs written by other artists that he most wished he had written. And with good reason, Almighty Love is a gorgeous love song about the one person who just can’t be denied, but is just flat-out bad for you. I love the different versions of this song, some with the distorted power chords pushing things along, another more pop-oriented, but sung as a duet with Joe Elliott form Def Leppard, who in some ways could be the epitome of the song’s subject. There are so many great, great lines from this track that I can’t pull out just one or two lines. The entire first verse is a masterpiece.

“You don’t write back when you promise to
The moon has overdosed on night-time like me on you
I got bars of your punk rock running through my veins
I got symphonies and science but no way to explain
How you broke my life in two different worlds
You move quicker than the lightning illuminates a girl
Got cigarettes you smoke burned into my veins
I got sympathy and silence but no way to explain”

Side note: for no other reason then maybe one or two lines (like the third one about punk rock) this song always reminds me of a cinematic version of my good friend Christine.

#6 – Blackwinged Bird (The Summer of High Hopes)

Blackwinged Bird is one of those soaring piano ballads with gorgeous, evocative lyrics, that conjure up images and emotions, but are impossible to understand… at least for me. But that doesn’t matter, because the song is just wrenching, even in its obliqueness. As in many of her songs, there is a lot of exploration of the way boys and girls act differently, and it seems to be referring to a dark time in this young woman’s life. Of all the beautiful lyrics of the song, my favorite verse is still fairly indecipherable in the context of the song, “Now we’re paper dolls all aflame, in houses that all look the same. Rows of regret, an arson for a wilderness.” The crowning glory from The Summer of High Hopes, Emm also produced a lush, accompanying video for this song.

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My Emm Gryner Top 40! #’s 20 – 16

Emm GrynerWe’re cracking the Top 20, and the pop wonders are just going to get better and better. This is where we see Emm’s true mastery of songwriting come to the fore. We also get the first appearance of her duets album, Gem and I, and her only appearance from her albums, Goddess and Song of Love and Death. It also gets harder and harder to apply any sort of ranking system when we get this high, because on any given day, I like one song slight better than the other. At any rate, here are #’s 21 – 16.

#20 – Shining Light (Songs of Love and Death)

https://youtu.be/SZGcNx8nV8U

Taken from Songs of Love and Death, her 2005 album of songs by Irish acts, , Shining Light is a cover of a song by the band, Ash. But Emm, in her way, takes this rock-driven, slightly flat love song and turns it into an emotion-laden piano ballad. The lyrics are a little corny, but Emm sells it, and the bridge gets me choked up every time. The sad part is, I can’t find a recording of Emm’s version anywhere online, so I’ve included the far less interesting original version instead.

#19 – Boy with an Affliction (Gem and I)

Here is the first of three tracks, all in the Top 20, from Emm’s 2010 duets album, Gem and I. Talk about a batch of terrific pop gems, these are some of Emm’s best numbers. This first to appear, Boy with an Affliction is a duet with American singer/songwriter Matthew Nathanson, whose blend of folk and rock music complement Emm’s Canadian pop nicely. Matt is incidentally, from Lexington, MA. The lyrics seem to be telling the story of a boy chasing after success, and the more he gets the more he sacrifices his heart. The electric piano intro sets things up nicely before the acoustic guitar gets things moving. Emm’s background vocals over the chorus are just delightful, and Matt’s voice is a great compliment to Emm’s. And what a fantastic bridge! It just makes me smile.

#18 – Good Riddance (Science Fair)

Here’s another break-up song from Emm, but it’s also a nice “fuck you” number as the protagonist knows she’s better off without her deadbeat boyfriend. “If I’m nothing to you know then that’s the way I’d like to stay.” It’s the third song to appear on this list from Emm’s first DIY album, Science Fair, and there is more to come from this terrific album.

#17 – All-Time Low (The Summer of High Hopes)

It’s kind of amazing how Emm can apply the catchiest of pop tunes on some of the darkest or saddest lyrics and make a nearly perfect pop song. All-time Low, taken from her 2006 smash, The Summer of High Hopes, is the second song to appear on from that album. It tells the tale of a relationship that is hitting rock bottom… and we’re talking really bad, “Where everything we know keeps letting us down.” But it’s not necessarily the end, with the very slightest of hopes hidden in the bridge, “My tortured wonder, It’s a slow burn suicide. They’ve named the thunder, but God loves the world.” Maybe if God loves the world there’s still a chance? Plus, we’ve got another cool Canadian reference, “My tortured wonder, with the great lakes in your eyes.” I love how Emm tosses those lines into her lyrics.

$16 – Die Evergreen (Goddess)

Nice build on this gorgeous acoustic guitar driven pop number to a soaring chorus, Emm uses the full instrumentation well, with piano accents, nice percussion texture and great, subtle backing vocals and terrific use of her upper register. The lyrics, as usual, are a little hard to decipher… is it a break up song? Does die evergreen mean to vanish but still live on somehow? There are two cryptic reference to Rilke, a mention of the poet himself as a descriptor (“Your Rilkean heart should know…”) and a reference to one of his poems, “Blank Joy.” It all adds up to a terrific song from Emm’s 2009 album, Goddess… the only song from that album to make the list and it’s knocking on the Top 15!

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My Emm Gryner Top 40! #’s 25 – 21

Emm GrynerHere’s a nice assortment of pop songs, from gorgeous ballads, both piano and acoustic guitar, to easy pop rock, and clever lyrics. It’s a great lead-in to my Top 20… and now it’s getting harder and harder to rank them because they’re all great!

#25 – Billy Hang On (The Great Lakes)

Another one about survival, perhaps of a relatioship… “We’re at an all-time low, but some of the stars still glow. So Billy hang on, Billy hang on for me,” Emm sings. It’s heartfelt and beautiful. It’s the only track to make it to my Top 40 from The Great Lakes, Emm’s home-made album. It’s a classic Emm Gryner piano ballad sung and played with such emotion and beauty. Sadly, I can’t find a single source online for this beautiful song!

#24 – Survive (Northern Gospel)

Emm channels the smooth soft-rock of the 70’s in this easy-going pop confection about making it through life. Some nice rollicking piano and lush, soaring vocals on the chorus really propel this number along beautifully, complete with a fuzz-guitar solo, so effectively used by other 70’s pop staples like The Carpenters. Emm mines another Canadian reference, “The word came down like Victoria rain” and things look pretty bleak, especially in the romance department, but Emm challenges, “The trick is to survive, yes survive, but you gotta wanna keep yourself alive. Do I, do I?” This is the third and highest charting number from Emm’s 2011 album, Northern Gospel.

#23 – Young Rebel (Asianblue)

Stop start of the drums. Awesome Electric piano.  Recurring eastern-influenced intro. Second of 5 appearance from 2002 album, Asianblue. This still seems like one of Emm’s earlier albums, but the maturity is definitely starting to show.  One of my favorite of Emm’s albums. Emm sings about a guy who breaks rules and soars above the rest of us… he’s a bad boy, but she’s transfixed. It’s a theme that will show up again higher up on this list.

#22 – Sundown On Us (Torrential)

Man, this is a heartbreaker about a young woman who realizes that her long-term relationship is nearing its end. A gentle acoustic guitar-driven ballad. The first line, “It’s my birthday and you still haven’t kissed me,” just breaks my heart. Then the chorus, “Big day feeling small, is this the end of perfect love, feeling six feet tall. It can end just like it began. Is it sundown on us? Sundown on everything that was…? And where did that church organ come from at the fade out? If Torrential isn’t Emm’s break-up album, I don’t know what is.

#21 – Math Whiz (Torrential)

And knocking on the Top 20 is the last number from 2014’s Torrential, another break-up song, the delightfully geeky Math Whiz. In fact, it starts and ends with the same cascading synth that Sundown on Us ends with. If it wasn’t so god damn clever, it would be almost annoying as Emm crams every math metaphor to describe her breakup. But Emm’s pretty masterful with her lyrics, whether in their poetry or the simplicity… and the lovely acoustic guitar that drives this song is just perfect for the melancholy mood overlaying the pop melody. And as much as I hate auto-tuning, Emm’s use of the sound adds a nice background during the coda. Check out the promo video for the song above, and a lovely solo acoustic rendition below.

https://youtu.be/cfG4L0RacgM

And now we’re headed into my Top 20 Emm Gryner songs!

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My Emm Gryner Top 40! #’s 35 – 31

Emm
Emm Gryner, bassist

Sorry for the little break. Things got a little busy as September rolled around. But I’m back with my next batch of songs in my Emm Gryner Top 40! Here we countdown #’s 35 – 31. Emm’s latest album, Only of Earth: Days of Games sees two more cuts appear. It’s doing pretty well so far!

#35 – Doomsday (The Original Leap Year)

I’m sad to say that I can’t find a video or a sound file for this song anywhere on the web so you’ll have to be content with just reading the beautiful lyrics.

“Do everything that you’ve never done, “ said the man on the radio. So begins Emm’s mournful piano ballad heralding the end of the world and the loss of someone she loves. When she wails, “More than anything, I need the last minute of your time,” years of heartbreak and longing overpower the looming apocalypse. This one should have been part of the soundtrack of Don McKellar’s stunning film, LAST NIGHT.

#34 – Something Tells Me (Only of Earth)

Channeling late-70’s David Bowie, with guest singer/guitarist David Rhodes, Something Tells Me is the second track to appear in this Top 40 that is taken from her latest album, Only of Earth. The easy swing of the beat, and the soaring saxophone that interplays with vocals brings something joyful to this cut.

#33 – Summerlong (Dead Relatives)

Summerlong was the first single released to the world from Emm’s major label debut, Public, but it’s the originally recorded version taken from her Dead Relatives album, complete with crunchy, distorted electric guitar that perfectly offsets this pop gem about a summer romance. “The city smiled when you were around,” is such a great lyric.

#32 – North (Northern Gospel)

Emm sings about Canada a lot, and North is a beautiful mid-tempo ballad that mourns a love lost, “In my heart you’re north of the border, shining down like the aurora,” with the “rain coming down like a eulogy.” The live solo version included here captures the spirit of the song perfectly.

#31 – Silent Steps (Only of Earth)

Pushing her voice to the extremes of her upper register, Ermm sounds otherworldly over the Goldfrapp-like synth runs firmly serving us 80’s space opera. Such a cool, cool song. The third of four tracks from her latest album, Only of Earth: Days of Games, to appear in this top 40. You’ll have to wait a good 25+ tracks to get to the next one.

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My Emm Gryner Top 40! #’s 40 – 36

Emm GrynerAs I stated in my last post, Emm is a very prolific songwriter, and as a way to revisit all of her catalog, I’ve gone through to chronicle my favorite of her songs. Emm’s strength run the gamut of blissful, heady pop to emotional power ballads, with some 80’s prog-influenced rock and roll. I think this list reflects her range well and slightly surprised me with its final ranking.

#40 – The Spark (Only of Earth)

Anchoring my Top 40 Emm songs, comes a track from her highly ambitious, newest album, Day of Games, the first in a trilogy of albums titled Only of Earth. Propelled by birth and loss, Only of Earth sees Emm really stretching her musical creative skills, borrowing from progressive story-telling and musicianship from the 70’s and 80’s to find new inspiration. The Spark kicks things off with some crunchy rock and roll that really opens up her songwriting to new heights.

#39 – Boy Races (Science Fair)

If I’m being honest with myself, after creating this list, I would have to say Emm’s 1999 homemade album Science Fair remains my favorite as a piece. There’s a sense of youthful bravado, while at the same time an earnest poetry that resonates beautiful across generations. Recorded on an 8-track, it outsold its major label predecessor, Public, in just two months. Boy Races is a complex, epic-feeling love story, with lyrics I don’t really understand, but with a complex musical structure that shows off Emm’s skill as a songwriter.

#38 – Home (Northern Gospel)

A mid-temp soulful piano-driven pop song reminiscent of the best Elton John, Home is taken from Emm’s 2011 album, Northern Gospel. As many of her songs, it tells a rather melancholy story, but there’s something comforting in the lyrics despite its seeming regret.

#37 – Hello Aquarius (Public)

Lush and over-produced, Hello Aquarius is the opening track to Emm’s first-and-only major label release, introducing a young, multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter to a public that largely ignored her. It’s filled with youthful heady concepts, indecipherable lyrics, and pop hook after pop hook that this listener found impossible to ignore. The album was called Public, and it was released in 2008. Several of the songs were first recorded on her indie album, The Original Leap Year, and Emm re-recorded the album in its entirety as a bonus album for her fans in 2006 called PVT. I love how many of Emm’s vocalizations have continued thoughout her recording career. This was my first Emm experience and I’ve been hooked ever since.

#36 – Lonestar (Asianblue)

A lot of Emm’s songs deal with heartbreak, and Lonestar is one of these. It’s also a classic example of the poetry of Emm’s lyrics that often stick in my brain (and I’m not a lyrics person). In this case the opening pair of lines, “All the stars above, I named for you — Constellations spun like a sea of aquablue.” Sound promising, but unfortunately, the “you” mentioned leaves Emm behind, much to her confusion. It’s all wrapped up in an unerring melody that evokes the longing of young love. Lonestar is the first of 5 great songs from her 2002 album, Asianblue.