i love these friends of mine

So last summer I decided I would, on a regular basis (ha!), dedicate a post to a downloadable song that I'm particularly fond of. Many of you enjoyed the Jonathan Coulton track (see below), and I hope you've been visiting his website, where you can find his Things of the Week. These are musical musings that he posts on, yes, a weekly basis. My favorites have been "W's Duty" and his cover of Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back."

One song that I listened to over and over last year--and which made its way onto a number of mix cd's I made for friends--is Marianne Faithfull's "My Friends Have" off her 2005 release, Before the Poison. The album is very solid; she collaborates with the likes of PJ Harvey, Nick Cave, Damon Albarn, and Jon Brion. "My Friends Have" is a work penned by PJ Harvey, who accompanies Faithfull on this track. Yet, even though this is unmistakably a Harvey composition, Faithfull makes it all her own, infusing the lyrics with her trademark rasp. The lyrics are surprisingly upbeat for a song that, I believe, is written in a minor key. "You're a friend of mine / I love these friends of mine," Faithfull sings. But listen to the way that Faithful enunciates the words "friend" and "friends": she growls the word, allowing her lips and teeth to tear into the letters "fr" with a sensibility that may suggest desperation, gusto, or irony. But then, at nearly the two minute mark, the drums, bass, and backing vocals subside, Faithfull shifts up a register, and, with a strained fragility, she acknowledges that "my friends have / always been there / to help me change my / crooked features." Her voice perfectly sets off the edgy, gravelly guitar which strums its two chord refrain throughout the song. Meanwhile Harvey's rich backing vocals provide a heartfelt backdrop and, at times, a soaring sense of gratitude and hope. This is a song which convinces you of the importance of friendship, even as it complicates this notion through the roughing up friendship receives from Faithfull and Harvey's unusual treatment of the topic. This is no greeting card doggerel on the virtues of companionship; this is a consideration of friendship in all its complexity.

You can download the song here, off the Anti- label website. You can learn more about Faithfull and her latest release here.