My Top 1000 Songs #747: I Need To Know Where I Stand

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.] 

Rhett Miller is such a prolific author of good, often great, work--whether as a solo artist or with Americana stalwarts Old 97's--that it's hard for any particular song to rise above the pack. That said, I have a sweet spot for "I Need To Know Where I Stand," off his 2009 self-titled solo LP. It's a relentlessly amiable listen, dead-center between country rock and jangly singer-songwriter balladry; the gentle, melodic gem feels intentionally designed to be tossed onto a playlist for a party where you want everyone to be equally pleased with the musical selections.

It's a somewhat somber look at a messed-up relationship, brightened by some attention-grabbing hyper-specific lyrical locales and that spine-tingling falsetto harmony in the chorus.

Solo acoustic, 2009: