Each day in December, I’ll be reflecting back on a song from the 2000’s. The decade saw the return of post-punk and the popularization of folk music, all while some of music’s biggest acts gained their indie footing. Thankfully, it’s a period that I can look back at fondly without cringing. #31DaysOf2000sSongs
It’s hard to believe it’s already been 20 years since the release of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Released just one week after 9/11, the landmark album ushered in a new era for Wilco, one where they shed their alt country roots and embraced a new experimental rock bent that earned the ears of many music listeners, including mine. Songs like “Jesus, Etc.”, “Kamera” and “Heavy Metal Drummer” are timeless favorites of mine. But one track, in particular, from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot felt like the definitive statement of this new period of creativity: “I’m the Man Who Loves You”.
Like a cross between Jimi Hendrix, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and a mad scientist, this track felt more like a dangerous experiment than a song. Haywire guitar interludes and horn blasts headlined a series of instrumental cacophonies, which became trademark effects of Wilco. “I’m the Man Who Loves You” sounds like it was born inside a factory that maybe didn’t pass all its inspections. It’s a reminder that often the best rock music out there is the kind that pushes limits and creates moments that we never saw coming.
“If I could you know I would.”