re: Lightning in a bottle-Songs that make or elevate and artist/band

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1. Those where the band/artist didn't have anything else as good.

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It's going to be tough for this one to not devolve into a "best by" pissing contest. I'm trying to keep with the spirit.

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Sweet Caroline-Neil Diamond

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I see where you're going with this one, but for me, Neil Diamond IS Coming to America. It's going to be tough to pin one song on him.

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Walking in Memphis-Marc Cohn

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In true "1-hit Wonder" fashion - this song definitely has a spiritual component that is hard to define - particularly as a secular Jew claiming he is a Christian "tonight" - the "ghost of Elvis, etc."

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Whiter Shade of Pale-Procol Harum

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Another song with a deeply spiritual vibe - almost a hymn.

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Purple Rain-Prince (as good as some of his stuff is, this one is just so good)

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While I list Purple Rain as Prince's best song - I think this just opens up the floodgates to washing out your original concept altogether. No way his little royal purple weirdness is going to fit your OP - without it losing its meaningful distinction.


So, I'll offer an example - Cyndi Lauper. She had a brief, but bright, pop career that included, among others, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" - and the deeper, more serious "She Bop" which completely got past the censors, despite being a song exclusively about masturbation. But I'm not talking about those songs - I'm talking about "Money Changes Everything" (written by Tom Gray) and "Time After Time" (co-written with one of The Hooters, Rob Hyman) - both of those songs seemed to really have something to say - those 2 songs in her catalogue really elevate her status as an artist - rather than just a pop star (IMHO).

I think that's the sort of thing you're talking about.