So while we were driving to Boston on Saturday, a song came on Sirius that I've heard a gazillion times... I adore it to pieces. It's called "Alex Chilton" and it's by The Replacements. And part of the chorus goes like this:

They sing I'm in love
What's that song
I'm in love
With that song

And as I watched the landscape of Connecticut slide past the car window, I pondered those lyrics. They've always resonated with me. I've blogged about the way some music makes me feel... like I have a serious crush on the music. And then there are times when you just love a certain song so much.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was going to Boston to see the band I'm going to talk about here when that Replacements song just filled my ears and my mind with thoughts about how there are certain songs I love so very much. I've known Sister Hazel for years now -- I was their first publicist and I worked with them during the "All For You" era. You know the song... you've probably heard it a zillion times over the years. I always felt like they were my brothers. We're all a similar age and I always had a blast when I spent time with them.

Fast forward to last year, and I got the chance to work with them again (and still am). There is a certain comfort level there, having known them for so long... there is a lot of mutual admiration and respect between them and me. I realized that night at the show that, even though I have always liked Sister Hazel's music a great deal and adore the guys in the band, there are two songs of theirs that have crossed the line for me: they are songs about which I could say "I'm in love with that song."

Which ones are they? The first is a song called "Champagne High." I first heard that song live long before it was released on an album. I'd flown down to Nashville just for a quick overnight trip to take the booker for Conan O'Brien's show to see the band. And I remember being utterly gobsmacked by that song the first time I heard it. Like jaw on the floor, "I can't believe how good this song is" sort of thing. I still prefer the song live to the version that ended up on their album "Fortress" (although I do love the strings on that version and hearing Emily of the Indigo Girls on backing vocals is pretty darn sweet). Somewhere in my office I have an even earlier demo version of the song on a disc, and I played it over and over and over again. That song still, to this day, gives me all sorts of chills to hear it. I'm in love with that song.

The other song is called "Your Winter." The song also first appeared on "Fortress" (and was also in the movie "10 Things I Hate About You"). The first time I heard the song, I was driving home from my last day of work at the label, ready to embark on my indie publicity career, and the A&R guy for the band had dubbed a copy of the album for me to hear super early. I remember being blown away by the song the first time I heard it, but this one was a bit more of a grower too and really got under my skin on repeated listens. It would be safe to say I am very much in love with that song.

So while I was at the show Saturday night, I videotaped the performance of that song. I'm sorry to say that the people in the row in front of me talked during part of it, but it's still a great video and the audio turned out pretty well considering I shot it on my point-and-shoot Canon.

I also took some still photos at the show... here is a slide show of them:

Any other Sister Hazel fans out there?