My Top 1000 Songs #197: Hazy Jane II

I'll admit I'm among those who was largely ignorant of Nick Drake until that confounded Volkswagen commercial shone a bright light on his brilliant folk masterpiece "Pink Moon." But I responded in the only rational way, leaping down the tragically short-lived singer-songwriter's rabbit hole and picking up his brief discography (three albums + an outtakes collection). 

And while I loved it all, there was something different about "Hazy Jane II," off his sophomore work, 1971's Bryter Later. Yes, it's probably his most straightforwardly poppy song, the catchy hook, jangly guitars, and gentle horns feeling ensconced in Burt Bacharach territory. But there was also this eerie sense of familiarity about it. On that very first listen, it sounded like something I instinctively knew I'd heard before.

Was it possible that I'd overheard at some earlier point in life, a song that hadn't consciously registered at the time but I immediately recognized when I spun up the record some years later? Or did Drake just conjure up a wonderful ditty that touched on a subconscious Jungian vibe and thus within seconds  felt like something I'd been playing in my head for years and years?

Dunno. Great song.