I wasn’t intending to write about this song, but since I’ve listened to it approximately 17 times today I thought maybe I’d better:

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So, this is P.P. Arnold, who released the first recording of The First Cut is the Deepest (written, of course by Mr. Cat Stevens) and holy fuck, it puts everyone else who has ever recorded this to shame (not naming names, or anything).  Like, honestly, I had always thought that this song was pretty insipid and annoying until I heard this version of it.

P.P. Arnold, who I’m really shamefully unfamiliar with at this point, was an Ikette (yay!) and had a fairly substantial career in Britain, by all accounts.  Hung out with the Rolling Stones and Bowie and stuff.  If she continues to be this awesome, she might just find her way into a certain dissertation that is currently in the process of being plotted.

So, this song is in the Girl Group hatbox, which I’ve owned for a couple of months, but it is fairly characteristic of my listening habits that I didn’t find this song until today.  I tend to fixate on songs and listen to them on repeat for days at at time, to the exclusion of all others, and I’ve sort of been haphazardly meandering through the hat box  in that way.  But I think this track is just SO GOOD.  So good.  For so many reasons.

First of all, P.P.’s vocals.  They’re kind of imperfect, no?  She sounds a bit tired, there’s a lot of breath around her voice in some places, she drops final consonants all over the place.  At the same time, she’s got this timbral quality that sounds kind of young.  For me, anyhow, the effect is one of premature world-weariness, which I’m in love with.  And the opening verse over that ringing arpeggiated accompaniment is so gorgeous – I love how she plays with the timing in the vocal line.

And also the orchestration!  It is like a smorgasbord  of awesome.  Like, is that a celesta? (NO IT IS NOT:  my roommate has pointed out that it is obviously just a harp, which is of course true.  Point of fact:  given the choice, I will assume that any given sound is being made by the least likely musical instrument out of all available options because I enjoy complicating things.  Dear hopes of a future career in musicology:  I’m sorry.)  And also there is brass.  And strings.  And an amazing bass line.  And ghostly, barely there backup singers.

So, ok, I will stop totally geeking out over how happy this song makes me now.  Inspired by this (really great) live performance, in which P.P. Arnold is wearing a go-go dress and what appears to be a giant tie, here is what you should wear when you listen to this:

Cuter and more practical than an actual giant tie, from Light Years Vintage.

And this dress would look so good with these amazing, amazing boots!  Amazing!

from Nineteen Vintage.