Music With Teeth Friday: P.P. Arnold

In a posting a few weeks back on a music blog that I frequent, there was mention of the idea of “music with teeth,” as in, music that has a kick to it, where the singer doesn’t sound like he/she is going to collapse from the dreaded ennui.  I thought about that idea alot afterwards (obviously, I’m still thinking about it, or I wouldn’t be making this blog post) in regards to music with passion and energy.  What gives a song life? Is it the singing? The orchestration? The combination of notes?  A strong and powerful vocalist?

In an attempt to answer the question, I’m instituting (for as long as my attention-span can bear it–maybe the next year, maybe the next week) a “Music With Teeth” feature, in which I will post an example of some song that really grabbed me on first listen because of the intensity, specifically, of the singer.

I still remember the very first moment I heard “The First Cut is the Deepest” by sixties soul singer P.P. Arnold. My boyfriend (now husband) and I were driving to my house, back when I lived in Oakland, listening to KALX (the local college radio station), and when this song came on we listened in staunch attention. It was like being struck by creative lightning, like, oh, this is what a song is supposed to make you feel like, an emotional surge. We immediately looked up the singer, of whom we’d never heard, and found a copy of the song.

Originally written by Cat Stevens, this version takes it to new heights of pain, yearning, soul-strength and confidence. That first cut is felt into the bones, and with that drawn out “baby, I know,” the knife pushes in even farther.

So what do you think? Do you like a song with teeth? Is there a song  that’s stopped you in your tracks like the shot heard ’round the world?