Placebo is my number one favorite band. Their songs are so deeply meaningful to me that it's not uncommon for me to have a physical reaction to them: butterflies in my stomach, a speeding pulse rate, an ache in the heart. In the spirit of opening myself up and sharing the goodness, I want to share with you 9 Placebo songs that just do me in.
I actually heard Placebo's version of this cover on an episode of Bones – the episode where Ryan O'Neal, as her dad, immolates that guy. It was the perfect song for that scene, I think, and Brian Molko's voice sent chills all through me. To this day I can listen to that one song nonstop for hours at a time. It's darker than the original version, full of much darker intentions – and I love that about it.
Warning, this song has pretty explicit lyrics – but that's why I like it. From the Meds album, which is one of my favorites, this song is so raw and sensual that it's nearly animalistic. Brian's voice here is just … wow. That's really all I can safely say. Wow, wow, wow.
“Let's spend the night in Jimmy Choo's, I'll give you coats and cheap shampoo.” While not the most meaningful lyrics in the song, these are an indication of why I like it so much. A kind of despairing humor mixes in with plain despair; this song is plaintive and raw as well, a trend on Meds.
This may well be one of Placebo's most well loved songs, because of its placement on the soundtrack to Cruel Intentions. I love it. I love every lyric, I love everything about it, what it means, what it means to me. I love catching it on the Without You I'm Nothing Album, because it's always a surprise between some of the band's more deliciously despondent tunes.
Such as this one. To say it's a love song is … accurate, but it's not a traditional one, not by any means. Again, it's the lyrics and the way Brian sings this song that gets to me the most. The meaning behind it, as well – and the fact that different people will find different meanings – all make it very special to me.
At the beginning, you think this song is fun and upbeat and poppy! Yay! Yeah. No! Well, it is, but that's not all it is, and that's one of the reasons I like it. Again, it's Placebo's version of romance, which is definitely an acquired taste.
Black-Eyed was like my teenage angst anthem. I actually had several, all courtesy of Placebo, but this is the one I was more apt to play at top volume when I was angry at my parents or my friends or the world in general. That's part of what I love about the band: I sort of grew up with them, so they were able to put my feelings into words when I was young, and they still do that now that we're all older and arguably more mature.
This is my favorite revenge song. Now this is what I play when I'm angry at anything – still at top volume! And I still typically sing along at the top of my lungs, just so anyone listening gets the point! Not that you could ever really miss it, given the lyrics.
And finally, this is just classic Placebo to me. I love it for its artistry and its nostalgia value. It's both fun and slightly dangerous, always a little inappropriate and yet perfectly apt at the same time.
I love Placebo and part of the reason is because Brian Molko's plaintive voice just pierces me in all the right places. That kid of Something Corporate hits me in a similar way. Are there any musician's whose voices absolutely kill you?
Top Photo Credit: obsolete