The one song Mac DeMarco wishes he had written: “The guitar shreds”
Guitarist and singer Mac DeMarco dominated the 2010s, all while ensuring that he never compromised his brand and artistry, something very few artists can boast, which is precisely why his music was so unique and influential when it first arrived on the scene, and that slacker-rock sound paved the way for the next generation of indie musicians, where, even today, there’s no shortage of creatives trying to imitate him.
With songs like ‘Passing Out Pieces’, ‘Chamber of Reflection’, ‘My Kind of Woman’ and ‘Ode to Viceroy’ and many others all to his name, the Canadian songwriter’s place among the greatest artists of the 21st century is firmly anchored. Add to that the fact that he never actually signed with a major label, unlike a lot of the better-known ‘indie’ artists today, and the significance of his popularity doubles because it offers inspiration to those trying to get by just on writing great songs.
Despite his many accomplishments, DeMarco is always trying to be better as a songwriter, never losing sight of the greats who made room for him to thrive, his work driven by the same standard of greatness that made him pursue music in the first place, and so while he played a key role in giving his generation of songwriters a distinct identity, there’s one song from decades before he was even born that he wishes he could take credit for.
In 2014, NME reached out to several major musicians to ask which favourite songs of theirs they wish they had written, and while Foster the People’s Mark Foster surprised nobody by picking ‘God Only Knows’ by The Beach Boys, others like Miles Kane certainly threw a curveball by going with Ike & Tina Turner’s ‘Nutbush City Limits’, and then completely on brand, Ice-T chose ‘Colors’ by Ice-T to emphasise that he doesn’t listen to other people’s music and wishes it were his.
DeMarco ended up picking two songs, both of which sound nothing like him but certainly have traits that show up in his compositions, which ended up being the case with most artists on the list. About choosing ‘Strawberry Letter 23’ by Shuggie Otis, he shared, “This is the song I’d pick, musically speaking, because I just love the vibe of it, the guitar shreds”.
The song was written and recorded by the Los Angeles soul wizard, who released it as part of his sophomore album in 1971. Carried by a powerful bass line and piano, it’s only later in the song that the shredding DeMarco was referring to takes over, prior to which the enchanting vocals and chord progression suffice. Then, six years later, Quincy Jones produced a cover of the song with The Brothers Johnson that actually ended up surpassing the original in popularity.
Adding to his answer, DeMarco shared a second pick and added, “Lyrically, it’d be ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ by Elton John; that song’s a tearjerker”.
Not as obscure as the first, this one is easily one of John’s biggest hits, and for a completely valid reason. Arguably one of the greatest piano ballads of all time, the emotion-inducing words of the song do have spiritual similarities with some of DeMarco’s more tender tunes like ‘For the First Time’, but without much textural resemblance.
