Welcome to RedEye’s “Song of the Day,” an ongoing feature where music reporter Josh Terry or another RedEye staff member highlights something they’re listening to. Some days the track will be new, and some days it will be old. No matter what, each offering is something you should check out. Check back every weekday for a new song and subscribe to the Spotify playlist below.
Besides his excellent music, one of the reasons I wanted to interview Cory Branan earlier this year was because there are few artists on his songwriting level who so effectively weave a compelling narrative into a tight, three-minute song. While I could basically press shuffle on iTunes and pick one of his tunes at random, there might not be a better or more charming example of this than “The Prettiest Waitress in Memphis” off 2006’s “12 Songs,” an album he describes as a “[collection] of disparate songs that had a lot of things going on.”
The song is a rollicking country-punk number in which Branan sets the stage right away over the clang of buzzsaw guitars: “Well, there is only one reason I stop in this place/Let me stress that it ain’t the cuisine/The eggs are all runny, the hashbrowns smell funny and/The coffee taste like gasoline.” Instead, he’s stopped at this crappy diner because “she’s the prettiest waitress in Memphis/And I think she’s flirting with me.”
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While I’m not going to give away the rest of the song. one of my favorite lines of all time is the, “Her name and her number on a Sweet’N Low package/Is the best poem that I’ve ever read.” It’s so detailed, evocative and clever–amazing when many good songs only have one of those three things in their lyrics.
The best thing you can do is listen to the whole thing (there’s also an excellent twist at the end). It’s such a simple and fun track that anyone can follow along, but with Branan’s earnest execution and quick wit, he’s able to make it something special. He’s “your favorite songwriter’s favorite songwriter” for a reason. When some songs by other artists are purposefully vague, Branan comes in to offer a straightforward shot of refreshing clarity. Listen below.
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