John Miles - Music

This is a tricky one. John Miles' "Music" (1976) is an intricate song, divided into several parts, sometimes featuring highly pompous symphonic rock, in other places smooth and inviting, very melodic balladry, with tempo changes throughout. It's easy to hate or ridicule, I guess, and songs like these are among the reasons why punk had to happen, but I have always liked "Music". Even though John Miles poses as James Dean on the covers of the single and the album Rebel from which the song is lifted, and the song - or Miles - is anything but rebellious, I don't care. In hindsight we can appreciate it all, especially when put in the right context.

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