Top Ten Songs by Sheryl Crow
Her climb up the charts has been steady over the years, albeit rocky in spots along the way. After a stint as Michael Jackson’s backup singer on his Bad tour in the mid ’80s, Sheryl was eager to begin a solo career. In 1983 with the help of some talented studio musicians, she released her first album, Tuesday Night Music Club, titled after the group’s jam sessions.
The single “All I Wanna Do” became her first hit in 1994, followed by “Leaving Las Vegas.” “All I Wanna Do” with its fast tempo and simple anthem of fun caught on quickly. “Leaving Las Vegas” had a darker theme, but gained popularity. The success of that first album garnered her three Grammy awards, but a serious rift formed between Sheryl and the band involving creative credit and they soon split.
The demise of her relationship with the band was difficult for Crow. In the following two years Sheryl battled depression, working through the turmoil and writing new music. The result in 1996 was a self produced second album titled Sheryl Crow.
The songs that grew from this period of introspection were perhaps her best to date. At least three major hits further cemented her status as a talented song writer. “Every Day Is A Winding Road” tells the story of a woman on a journey, searching for answers to questions that never occured to her before, while at the same time not taking herself too seriously. Even the faster tempo of the song evokes images of someone caught up in the momentum of life and not entirely certain of the destination.
“If It Makes You Happy” tackles similar issues, but the lyrics seem to give permission for being human, having down time, and accepting what works in your life. “A Change Would Do You Good” is maybe the lightest of the three. Still somewhat introspective but with more humor, Crow seems to have gotten back into her musical space and relaxed a little.
That highly successful second album was followed by The Globe Sessions in 1998. The hit “My Favorite Mistake” scored big for her this time. Again, Crow seemed to draw from her life experiences with many speculating the song was written about her breakup with music icon Eric Clapton.
This third album had several songs that didn’t garner much radio play but were great works of music. “The Difficult Kind”, which runs over six minutes, is a deeper look at a misunderstood relationship, moody and slow. “Members Only” sounds more like Crow’s earlier rock and takes a jab at politics, as Sheryl began to make her views known.
For several years Crow didn’t produce any new material. She worked with long time friend Stevie Nicks on her 2001 album, Trouble In Shangra La. She also recorded a duet with Kid Rock called “Picture”, that even crossed over to the country charts and became a hit.
In 2002 C’mon, C’mon, her fourth album was released. Not as successful as her previous works, it did contain “Soak Up The Sun” which became a hit single.
The Very Best Of Sheryl Crow followed in 2003, with the cover of “The First Cut Is The Deepest” becoming one of her bigger hits in recent years, again on both rock/pop and country charts.
Wildflowers, Crow’s most recent cd to date, was released in 2005. It received mixed reviews, many either hailing it as her best or panning it as creatively a bust. Two moderate hits, “Good Is Good” and “Always On Your Side” were the most noteworthy songs from that cd.
Sheryl’s relationship and subsequent breakup with bicyclist Lance Armstrong and her battle with breast cancer most certainly have played a part in her music, perhaps freeing her to write what she feels and not necessarily what she thinks will sell. That isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes artists are their own worst critics and silencing that inner critic, allowing themselves to be true to what and who they are and feel, can produce incredible results.
