"The Trapeze Swinger"
Around the Well
(2009)
The need to know: A former film professor, Sam Beam stumbled into the music business when his friends began doling out his home-made demos. Of course, one of those eventually ended up at Sub Pop, and three full-lengths, a handful of EPs, some collabs with Calexico, and a very notable cover of The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" later, it's safe to say Beam's friends were on to something. Not untouchable by the pop culture plague, though, the super-bearded folkie's "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" was used to make tween hearts everywhere swoon at the end of the film Twilight, only adding to my confusion of why the vampire romance films get such kick ass soundtracks.
Why it's worthy: Simple, melodic repetition and lyrics fitting of a self-penned eulogy place "The Trapeze Swinger" among the most beautiful of Iron & Wine's songs, and you can't go two feet without tripping over a gorgeous song in Beam's catalog. A plea for remembrance of times both good and bad, Beam's hushed vocals and a slowly building chorus of "oos" captures some sadness, but it's softly enveloped in a blanket of wistful hope. A prime example of Beam's ability to craft songs that are no less powerful for their subtlety, "The Trapeze Swinger" excels, and captivates, because of it.
Quotable lyric: "And then they went on to say/ That the pearly gates/ Had some eloquent graffiti/ Like 'We'll meet again' and 'Fuck the man'/ And 'Tell my mother not to worry'"
Where you've heard it: "The Trapeze Swinger" originally, and fittingly, appeared on the soundtrack to 2004's awkward Dennis Quaid/Topher Grace dramedy In Good Company.
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