I heard 'Third Finger Left Hand' by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas played on the radio a few nights ago, and it hasn't left my brain yet.
Such a gorgeous melody. It's beautiful and melancholy in that cracking bittersweet way. Supposed to be a song about finally marrying the boy of your dreams, but the vocal is shot through with a kind of sublime regret.
The DJ played it after 'American English' by Idlewild, during whose interminable duration I spent ranting at the radio at how Bob Dylan had alot of sins to answer for ~ namely that he legitimised every god-awful sixth form poet spewing their pointless little epiphanies all over some cack-handed chord progression. As the song faded I found myself yelling 'But where's the melody? Where
is the bloody beauty?' The DJ answered thus ~
"At last my dreams come true
Today he said "I do"
Friends said it couldn't be done
But all his love I know I've won
'Cause 3rd finger, left hand
That's where he placed the wedding band ..."