Top Ten Songs by Mark Wills
Mark Wills rose to the top of the country music charts with songs like “Don’t Laugh At Me,” “Wish You Were Here,” and “Jacob’s Ladder.” He’s a voice that carries a ballad and can tackle the saddest topics and yet come out the other side with out leaving the listener forever depressed. In 1999, Mark won the ACM award for Top New Male Vocalist, an honor that was richly deserved.
“Wish You Were Here” is a serious and powerful song about never taking for granted life and the power of coincidence. It talks of a couple and he promised to call and bought a postcard before boarding a plane…”wish you were here wish you could see this place wish you were near…” and “the weather’s nice it’s paradise..it’s summertime all year and all the folks we know they say hello..I miss you so” were written on the card. “She got a call that night but it wasn’t from him – it didn’t sink in right away. ma’am the plane went down our crews have searched the ground, no survivors found…” but she got a postcard that then meant something much different. It’s a song of loss but also of hope. It’s a song not everyone could deliver with that bright spot in all the sadness but Mark brings it through.
“Don’t Laugh At Me” gathered nominations for single, song and video of the year when it was released. We all have imperfections and speaks to anyone who’s ever been made fun of. “I know how it feels to cry myself to sleep” brought a reaction that indeed many listeners relate to. This is a powerful song about not judging people not from the third person but from personal example. “You don’t have to be my friend but is it too much to ask don’t laugh at me dont call me names don’t get your pleasure from my pain – in God’s eyes we’re all the same someday we’ll all have perfect wings…” Things aren’t always what they seem as the example in the song of the cripple on the corner “I lost my wife and little boy – someone crossed that yellow line the day we laid ’em in the ground is the day I lost my mind…” reminds us everyone has a story. There’s always an excuse to judge people and yet we’re all imperfect. This song deserved the nominations it received.
“I Do (Cherish You)” has probably been played at more weddings than ever make the news. It’s promises for a lifetime set to music and done well. “In my world before you I lived outside my emotions didnt know where I was goin’ til that day I found you how you opened my life to a new paradise…” might be too sappy for some but Mark pulls it off with sincerity and convincing enough that it *can* be used at special occasions.
“Jacob’s Ladder” is a song about love going over class. “Jacob was a dirt poor farm boy” while Rachel was “born with a silver spoon in her mouth” – but love built bridges unacceptable to parents until a grandchild came into the picture. An upbeat song in which young people follow their heart and make it last no matter the short term cost. “Nothing melts a heart like a grandchild will – now she climbs up on his knee and says ‘grandpa tell me a story the one about me…’ ..”and here you are that’s all that matters..”
“Places I’ve Never Been” is a slower ballad with reference to many physical places and those within the heart. “I’ve never seen the snow fall from a Rocky Mountain sky but I get a chill just by looking in your eyes…’cause you take me places I’ve never been…I’ve travelled the world in your arms and back again…” When things are right the best place to be is home. “I may never own treasures of great worth – I could search the world over but I don’t have to go that far I’ve got it all right here in my arms..”
“She’s In Love” is a song for moving on. Following a breakup with a girl they swore they’d be friends…and the impact when she calls saying she was with someone else. “You’d swear her heart has wings…she’s in love why can’t it be me” gives indication of regret. “She’s got that fire in her eyes, how her smile lights up the sky, it’s like she’s walking on air she’s been set free…” The little things sometimes overlooked until it’s gone.
“19 Something” – Remember when?! This song zipping to the top of the charts showed many did. Tapping into things like the advent of MTV, microwaves, Rubik’s cubes and the many memories we have early on as well as major events of the 1970s and 80s. “I was a kid when Elvis died and my mama cried” and “space shuttle fell out of the sky and the whole world cried..”. It’s a fun, upbeat song that puts us all on the same level saying “yea I remember that!!”
“Back At One” – a cover of a pop song but a good song is a good song. It’s not out of place in the list of songs here, being a love song and the things done to show love to someone in the early stages of a relationship. Good stuff!
“Almost Doesn’t Count” Another good ballad from Mark’s lineup of songs. “I can’t keep loving you one foot outside the door I hear a funny hesitation of a heart that’s never really sure; can’t keep on trying if you’re looking for more than all I could give you…” The tone of wanting and having almost everything but there’s enough doubt to pull back…of not quite measuring up and having to make the painful decision to move on and look for what really makes us happy.
“And The Crowd Goes Wild” is a sporting event anthem shatters the idea Mark can only sing ballads. He can do the uptempo songs as well! The chorus of “You’re shining like a superstar baby” is upbeat and infectious and rocketed Mark into the charts before even being officially released to radio.
Mark wills is a talented artist who can deliver a ballad with feeling and also kick it in gear for having fun. Well worth a listen.
