Debbie Downer

Listen while you read: https://youtu.be/BLPpjVYumMI

I'm growing older every time I blink my eyes
Boring, neurotic, everything that I despise
We had some lows, we had some mids, we had some highs
Sell me all your golden rules and I'll see
If that's the kind of person that I wanna be
If I'm not happy, I'll be glad I kept receipts

I don't ask much of you
I used to wonder what to wear

Don't stop listening, I'm not finished yet
I'm not fishing for your compliments

Courtney Barnett is a 28-year-old singer/songwriter from Down Under.  I first heard her a couple of years ago with her breakout single, "Avant Gardener," in which she tells the story of trying to avoid inherent laziness and get busy planting a garden.  Despite the good intentions, an allergic reaction leads to an encounter with EMTs and an ambulance ride.  It is Courtney's signature style that takes random, everyday experiences and crafts them into story-songs.  Her dry wit and powerful observation skills inform her lyrics, providing lines like "The yard is full of hard rubbish, it's a mess/ and I guess the neighbors must think we run a meth lab/ We should amend that."

"Debbie Downer," from the 2015 release Sometimes I Just Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit, incorporates that same dry wit, as well as lines that compel one to "sit and think."  I love the line "I used to wonder what to wear" for its simplicity as well as its larger meaning.  Think of all the mundane things that take up our time, the worrisome nonsense that clutters our minds.  What to wear?  Seriously?

When asked about "Debbie Downer," Barnett had this to say:  "That's about people who take advantage of you, that treat you like shit.  People who, when you're miserable, say, 'Stop being miserable,' which isn't really a helpful comment."

Hey, Debbie Downer, turn that frown upside down and just be happy.  As if it were that simple.

Barnett may not be your cup of tea, but I find her refreshing.  Leave it to her to find a subject no one has ever written about before and then give it a new twist.  She's not finished yet, and I won't stop listening.