Dan Wilson

I didn't get too much music for Christmas this year but I'm not complaining...what I did get is awesome...My favorite by far is Dan Wilson's Free Life and particularly the song "Breathless."

Dan was is the lead singer of the great band Semisonic and since they broke up went into semi-retirement he has been keeping himself busy by writing half of the The Dixie Chicks album of the year and putting our his first solo album. Produced by Rick Rubin, each track is great. I particularly love these lyrics from "Breathless":

"Your voice is echoing again / through catacombs inside my mind/
and I've been dreaming of revenge / to make you love me more than even you can try"

Dan Wilson -- Breathless
From the Free Life album.

'08 Campaign Songs #1: Hillary Clinton

We here at YASR are interested in politics, music, and where those two wonderful vices come together...and what better example of that is there is political campaign songs? Until Election Day '08 we will examine the songs that the political campaigns from both party are using...

Let's start with Hillary Clinton and her ground breaking decision to allow her supporters (or not in some cases) to select her main campaign song for her. This is an astonishing bit of political theatre as a campaign giving up control of any aspect of their image is something rare.

The initial group included songs by The Temptations, Smash Mouth, U2, and the Dixie Chicks. When the votes were tabulated...the song that might sweep the first female American President into office is....a song by a Canadian. Celine Dion's "You and I," specifically.

The song itself is an unusual selection as it is not apart of Dion's standard cannon of greatest hits and I seriously doubt my sister (a devout Celine Dion fan who will serve as the standard by which I judge all Celine Dion songs) could sing this song. It is relatively new and appears only on a CD that honors her extended stay on the Las Vegas strip. Let's put it this way, this isn't "My Heart Will Go On."