Songs That Touch My Soul (a series) by A.L. Harper
We all have them, songs that seem to touch a secret place in your soul – sometimes secret even from you. They can grow and occasionally fester like an open wound, or they can fill you up, inspire you and occasionally even heal you. Sometimes they don’t even reflect your musical tastes. They can be shameful secrets that you keep from family and friends. You feel like a drug addict craving your next fix. At times like those you thank the powers that be for MP3 players - the syringe of those suffering with this affliction.
This is a special lusty version of songs that touch my soul and this edition is full of more passion, desire, love and lust than normal. This is a form of therapy, this sharing of my neuroses, my secret inner lunacy, the big ball of crazy that is me. Welcome to my musical schizophrenia.
“Shiver” – Maroon 5
Maroon 5’s debut album Songs About Jane is hot, from beginning to end. It drips with, carnal desire, emotional longing and romance, what more do you want from an LP? “Shiver” is easily the hottest track from this very steamy album. With lyrics like “You chew me up /And spit me out /Enjoy the taste I leave in your mouth” and “I shiver when I hear your name/ Think about you but it’s not the same /I won’t be satisfied till I’m under your skin” it’s bound to be hot. There is something about Adam Levine’s vocals that does it for me. Far from being the ideal of throaty or sensual Levine’s vocals are saturated with desire and carnality, driven, – by lust I always imagine – intensely passionate and regret-filled making them uniquely sexy. An irresistible combination to me, as Maroon 5’s album Songs About Jane always leaves me wet, naked and quivering – metaphorically speaking of course – and “Shiver” is the primary aphrodisiac.
“There Is None” – The Working Title
I love The Working Title, that is no secret — people this talented deserve my love. And I love About Face their debut album, it’s one of those can’t-put-it-away-albums. I have tried, many times, but it never lasts more than a week. The Working Title blend guitar melodies and piano hooks with the husky, sensual, hands-down-my-panties vocals and soul-stirring, passionately emotive lyrics of frontman Joel Hamilton. Hamilton’s raw, earthy voice finds your inner erotic being and holds you in its ardent, intense embrace, with the help of his powerful lyrics, for the entire album. In “There Is None” Hamilton’s voice takes on a wounded, plaintive quality mixed with eroticism that strips you of all your natural defence. Then he bombards you with the broken-hearted “I want to write a song about our love/ But there is none”. Makes your heart melt and your loins heat up all in one little neat little song.
“Like the way she moves” – Chris Isaak
“I was laying in bed trying to catch my breath. Half ashamed half smiling at the things we did. She made it clear from the start it was a one night stand. But I was thinking of ways to make her change her plan.” For anyone who knows and loves me this song will not come as a surprise. To those of you who don’t know me well… you should I’m fabulous fun! Here Chris Isaak’s throaty, earthy vocals and the bluesy roots-rock guitar accent the libidinous lyrics. This song is a delightfully lustful, sensuously naughty song that touches me in the centre of my carnal soul.
“Kiwi” – Maroon 5
No one seems to sing sex as well as Adam Levine and Maroon 5. This horny song is drenched in wet, erotic imagery, layered on with lyrics like “I wanna give you something better/ Than anything you’ve ever had/ A stronger and a faster lover/ The world will disappear so fast.” And the deliciously graphic line “Sweet kiwi/ Your juices dripping down my chin/ So please, let me/ Don’t stop it before it begins”. Although someone should tell Levine that in this instance, as a rule, faster isn’t better.
“Fingers” – Pink
Another track from I’m Not Dead about masturbating but it’s a non-US bonus track only. What can you expect from a country where a large portion of the population considers sex a four letter word – not my readers obviously. “Fingers” is not just about wanking – one of my hobbies you’ll notice – it’s about video taping yourself wanking. Ladies you know the scenario; he has finished, rolled off and fallen asleep what’s a girl to do but finish herself off. How about when he just rolls over and fall asleep and you’re feeling playful, you only have yourself to play with, what else are you to do. And if you record it so you can torture him with what he missed, all the better. And Pink understands too, “When it’s late at night and you’re fast a sleep/ I let my fingers do the walking /I press record I become a fiend /And no one else is watching /I let my fingers do the walking”. The full on electro-dance feel of “Fingers” helps to set it apart from the rest of the albums guitar rock sound. It is perfectly arranged to be hot, horny and a tons of fun – just like wanking.
“Darling Nikki” – Foo Fighters (Prince cover)
Prince did it first, the Foo Fighters did it right. You’ve all heard this track no doubt. In the Foo Fighters’ version gone are the 80s style synth, electric drum and whiney grunt noises replaced with Dave Grohl’s far more substantial vocals, tons of rockin’ guitar and other alt.rock flourishes. Prince on steroids, massive, pissed off and horny. But Prince always did do lyrics like no one else and “Darling Nikki” is a shining example. It says what we all want to be true; intense physical gratification is just a naked lap-dance away. This track makes me want to sit naked on my lover, wet and panting, grinding until he screams.
A.L. Harper is a freelance writer and motorbike fanatic originally from Salt Lake City, Utah but now living in Scotland. In edition to being the Managing Editor for All Things Girl, A.L. is the Assistant Music Editor for Blogcritics.org and a freelance writer for hire.
