Tynan's Anger

SONGS OF THE DECADE #60

[For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List]

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Me and Mia (2004)


One formula for a great pop song has always been the following: focus on a specific theme, make the lyrics vague enough so that it won't be time sensitive, and have music that matches the lyrics. Ted Leo may have written the best sincere indie anthem since "Waiting Room" with "Me & Mia," a song, that, surprisingly enough, is not about a girl named Mia. A quick look at the lyrics will show that the song about eating disorders, which last time I checked, affected 10 million American women and 11 million Americans, with numbers that are only growing.

Yet, the song works universally as a reflection on self-control, which has always been a fleeting human trait, and ever more so in today's word. Most critics focus on Ted Leo as an album rock artist, and since Shake the Sheets was not his best album, it may never reach the same critical plateau. But it's still a great song, and one that would be a classic if educated Americans weren't afraid to talk about the issues that actually mattered.

Labels: 2000s, lists, me and mia, pop music, songs of the decade, ted leo and the pharmacists