Jeff Buckley & Aimee Mann

One of my favorite and very first posts (anyone with me that long?) was the first time I wrote about Jeff Buckley, told the story of "our relationship" if you will, and posted up songs inspired by his life, his art, and his untimely death.

(pretty sure that chill-inducing photo above is Jeff in front of the Wolf River, taken by Merri Cyr).

Since so many of you have been asking, I've revisited that post and re-upped all the links to the Jeff tribute songs. I've added a bunch of tracks to the original post from 2005, and this one had a special story to go along with it . . .

Just Like Anyone - Aimee Mann

Aimee said:
This is a song I wrote when Jeff Buckley died...I hadn't known Jeff extremely well, but we kept bumping into each other here and there.

One night we met for a drink at a pub in NYC, and started writing messages to each other on a paper placemat that was there, instead of talking, because the music in the bar was really loud or something. An interesting effect of that was that we found ourselves writing things that we would never would dare to say to each other out loud. I remember thinking that he seemed to be sort of lost and sad although he outwardly was very funny and lively and confident, and wrote something about that, among another things.

I didn't talk to him for a long time after that -- I went to England to live for a while and we talked once or twice and then nothing for over a year.

Then one night I got a voice mail message from him that said, "I just realized what you were trying to tell me that night". I tried to call him back but the number I had for him was old, and then I got his new number but I was out of town again and it was difficult to call, and then I heard that he was missing, and presumed dead. . .

[via reader mickeyitaliano]

Sigh.

Yes, it's depressing. But I love that image of two people sitting in a loud bar, scribbling their most honest thoughts on a placemat instead of talking. I suppose the modern equivalent would be text messaging across a crowded room. I like that idea, it's like talking in secret code and no one around you knows. Something about the medium makes it easier to be honest and say what you are truly thinking.

This song is just a wisp, under 2 minutes, heartfelt and regretful.