Album: Eloquence (unreleased)
Year: 2002
This just might be peak Certain Songs right here.
Definitely on the short list of Prettiest Songs Ever Recorded, Indie Pop division, “In Your Eyes (alt. version)” is the alternative version of a song from an unreleased album that I got from Tim (I think) when he and Kirk & I used to pass around a USB drive with the latest music we’d acquired.
Even better, Jason Falkner played on the Three O’Clock’s final album, which I don’t remember liking, was a founding member of Jellyfish, who I also remember not liking (though I’d love to try them again), as well as The Grays, whom I’ve never heard.
But I really like his solo stuff!
In the case of “In Your Eyes (alt. version),” he’s mining pure pop gold from the Big Star vein: mixing a straight strummed acoustic strummed guitar from #1 Record with the soaring strings of Third as Falkner sings a sad-sounding song of complete and utter happiness.
And you want me to stayyyy longer
And the look in your eyes
Always comes as a surprise
Surrounded by those strings and a harpsichord that has wandered in, Falkner sings this gorgeously, letting his voice break into a quick falsetto on “look” and “comes,” as if to emphasize that he understands how good things are, even if he can hardly believe it.
And it only gets stronger
And this life of mine
Makes me smile sometimes
After this, the drums come slowly in, more of a whisper than a scream, however, and if anything they’re just there to underscore his wistful smile has the song slowly fades away . . .
“In Your Eyes (alt. version)”
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