SONG #49 - Sophie B. Hawkins - As I Lay Me Down

 Inducted on Dec. 21, 2015

Another angsty jr high/high school "wish I had someone to love" song. It's another song that simultaneously made me aware that I was lonely while also comforting me in the midst of my loneliness.
I thought it's kind of an interesting technique of using the beginning of the nighttime prayer (that I always prayed as a kid) as the hook of a love song. Pretty clever. Her voice is earthy yet ethereal (contradiction?).

Part of the package with Sophie B Hawkins was that she was the singer of Damn I wish your Lover, which was so naughty to a lutheran boy raised in heavily Dutch Reformed area of West Michigan. I became obsessed with another song of hers - Right Beside You - which I just entered into the Hall of Fame (11/2021). Also, I got caught up in the controversy of her third album, where she REFUSED like a bad-ass to take the banjo off of her single "Lose Your Way". Her record label thought it wouldn't be received well with the banjo, but she did not change it. Because of these things I remember just being curious about her life and reading in college that she was an Omnisexual (in 2021 terms it seems like its the equivalent of pansexuality), and it was incredibly fascinating to me as someone who was fascinated by sex/sexuality and trying to understand my own feelings.   

It's funnier now that one of my favorite shows, Community, paid tribute to her with the episode where the college hosted a "Sophie B Hawkins" dance (instead of a Sadie Hawkins dance). Hilarious, and so awesome that she made an appearance. She is also part of GOProud, which is a group of LGBT people who are Republicans, which I always find to be an interesting dynamic. 

Anyway. That's a sample of how in my mind how a person's reception of a particular song can be directly influenced by their perception of the artist who records it. Have you NEVER given a song a chance because Taylor Swift sang it, and you HATE Taylor Swift and just assume she'll never write a song you like? Or because an artist has different politics than you or a lifestyle you don't agree with? That's a fascinating concept I could write a lot about.   

Anyway.. it was such a beautiful song and was on top of my personal favorite songs as a young man for a long long time. 

Elements of the song I Love: 

The little wood block and shaker or whatever sounds are at the beginning, and then the single keyboard chord that's being played. Beautiful entry. 

The song really builds the first two minutes.. the bridge is PHENOMENAL.. You can just feel her passion when she belts out.. "Every season has it's change, and I will see you when the sun comes out again"...

The "ad-libbing" at the end.. "When the sun comes out again, when the sun comes out again.. comes out.. comes out..."