Sometimes, it just feels good to have a good cry, for whatever reason.

I remember back in high school…when a boy would break my heart, I immediately turned to my music, in the privacy of my bedroom. [Can anyone argue the truth of the axiom that music reaches the heart like no spoken word ever could? It’s one of the main reasons behind my choosing music as a career.]

Anyway, I’d turn on my radio or record player, turn up the volume, lie on my bed, and weep – especially if the music was sad.

And friends, no one writes sad love songs quite like Stephen Bishop. Some younger readers may not know the name, but trust me, most of you have either seen him (he was the guitar player sitting on the steps in the movie Animal House) or heard his fabulous songs over the years.

I remember with great clarity one heartbreak that took place in early 1978, when I was a student at Bowling Green State University. Devastated and unable to stop crying long enough to even go to class, I retreated to my dorm room and hid from the world, with Careless as my only company. I’ve uploaded a couple of clips from Careless that I played over and over that day and for several days afterward. I was messed up. Man, how I sobbed, and unfortunately, it wasn’t because of the beauty of Bishop’s flawless high Cs….
Looking for the Right One

Close your eyes and listen to the lyrics on this one. I started it at the bridge:

Same Old Tears on a New Background

The entire album is as close to perfect as I’ve ever heard, before or since, in any genre. His beautiful, simple, sad voice impressed me, but so did his amazing lyrics and expressive guitar playing. He is, in my opinion, one of the top songwriters in pop music.

And this is the ultimate, #1 heartbreak song of all time – Bishop’s “Separate Lives.” Go listen to it. Lawd.