It's time for another guest author Top Ten list! This one is by my coworker/friend Bailey (who you can find being dramatic about Big Brother on Twitter and living her best Internet Life on Instagram) and the subject is...
... which is very timely because Bailey and I are going to see him (for the millionth time) tomorrow night at the Granada. :D
Matt Wertz is near and dear to my heart for many reasons - he played at OU almost every semester I was on the Concert Series there, I met my husband at a Matt Wertz show, his song "Feels So Right" was our first dance at our wedding, etc. That said, I am very excited for this list.
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Hey, y’all! Like Annie said, my name’s Bailey. If you’re a follower of
this blog and/or Annie’s life, you probably know me best from making awful
faces during Bachelor/ette watch parties.
I like all of them.
I also like lists, which makes me particularly qualified for this guest
post.
Back before we spent every Monday night together, judging if strangers
are or aren’t Here For The Right Reasons™, Annie and I met over the phone, but
she didn’t know it. Caroline
and I were eavesdropping on her phone interview that would eventually place her
in my life and literally at the desk right behind me daily.
Shortly after she started working at our place of business, she
casually mentioned that she was looking forward to a concert that would be
coming through town. The artist was one of her all-time faves and she’d seen
him “like 90 times” or something. She said his name was Matt Wertz, and I did
something along the lines of:
OMG, I also have a mild obsession with Matt Wertz! #Bonding
We proceeded to the concert together on our first-ever friend date, and
I don’t like to brag about this (yes, I do) but it was that very night when
Mrs. LeRoux first met her soon-to-be husband and I WAS THERE. I was also
present at another Matt Wertz concert with Annie and Chris on the exact night (swear)
of their one year anniversary. I think I was more freaked out by the full
circle than they were. I can also be your professional third wheel for the low,
low price of…
Nope, this isn’t about me. This is about the jams. Or the jamz, if
we’re being most suitable for the subject. My favorite ones, in descending
order, are as follows. Enjoy!
10. Counting to 100
I promise that I didn’t start this top 10 list with a song about
numbers on purpose, but this song is so sweet and so literally me that it makes for a perfect beginning to the list
anyway. Pairs best with: dry white wines, brain farts at your desk and trying
really hard to not be cranky.
9. Take It or Leave It
I could not have been more amped when I realized that Wertz’ Heatwave
album was just one great 80s callback and it wasn’t easy for me to pick 10
songs for this list without including all 10 from that album. However, I
thought Annie might feel like that was phoning it in and I honestly could never
bring myself to not include my true number 1 but ALL THAT TO SAY, this song is
glorious.
8. Sweetness in Starlight
I’m having a hard time thinking of why I like this song so much, which
sounds really rude except that I love, love, love it. Give it a listen if you
ever need to caalmmmm. the. eff. down.
7. Running Back to You
A lot of songs that I like – even love – don’t really mean anything...
or they do, and it’s dirty, and I might be singing it without even realizing
it’s dirty, but this one actually means something very real and that’s awesome.
6. Sing My Lonesome Away
I dare you to try and listen to this song without shout-singing along
to the chorus. No, really, go on. Try. You can’t. I don’t believe you.
5. Everything’s Right
It’s the jam. Another immediate mood-booster. I’m sensing a theme here?
4. Patient Heart
MW snapped a 10-second clip of this song a long time ago and I may or
may not have watched it, listening closely, a disturbing amount of times. I
knew I liked it immediately. I also feel like the “You think you’re fooling
anybody pretending to be someone else?” lyric is great inspiration for any Real
Housewife looking to update their tagline for next season.
3. Over You
One time I saw Andrew McMahon dressed as Elton John at a show on
Halloween and idk, the piano parts of this song just remind me of that for some
reason.
2. Get to You
I don’t have any official stats to back myself up on this, but the
amount of times I’ve listened to this song in my car is unparalleled. No other
song comes close to matching this one when it comes to its
windows-rolled-down-shout-singing qualities.
1. With You, Tonight
For as long as I’ve known this song, it’s been my very favorite. I feel
like it might be one of the more obscure songs in his catalogue, which is kind
of my M.O. (my favorite song on ‘N SYNC is I Need Love and my favorite song on
Midnight Memories is Diana.) and that’s not me trying to sound cool (seeing as
how I just divulged my favorite *NSYNC and One Direction songs as examples,)
but rather telling you that the non-singles and non-title tracks need love,
too.
With that, I offer you your very own Definitive* Matt Wertz Collection
Spotify playlist, in case your Patient Heart just can’t wait until Wertz
himself hits your ‘hood on tour this fall. Annie and I, meanwhile, will be
jamming to our hearts’ content this Friday. See ya there.
*Views expressed in this Top 10 list do not reflect those of my
employer or those of the blogger I am guest-posting for, but if you disagree
with any of my choices I will come for you.