Gnarls Barkley – Blind Mary (The Odd Couple, 2008)
written by matt
In contrast to Surprise, this track is all about the vocals and lyrics, and the instruments play a strictly supporting role. The percussion and bassline are both catchy, but somehow Cee-Lo’s voice is the most important player. This is firmly established as soon as the song starts – the vocalizing in the beginning somehow says, “listen, I have something to tell you.” I think the chords help with this – it’s a familiar and comfortable progression, making it easy to take for granted while you listen to the words.
She’s my friend she doesn’t judge me.
She has no idea I’m ugly.
So I have absolutely nothing to hide,
because I’m so much prettier inside.
The distorted effect on the vocals somehow makes it seem really earnest, as though he were singing as hard as he could because he wants to express how much he loves her. The sentiment is simple: she can’t see, so she doesn’t see his flaws, she only knows who he is as a person, and he finds that attractive. Is it about a blind girl that he loves, or about marijuana? It could go either way, I guess, although weed seems like more of a stretch. Either way, this is an expertly constructed song.