If (1971) – Bread

In the same year that Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” was released, “If” also managed an end-of-the-world reference. Atop gentle arpeggios emanating from an acoustic guitar, the watery signature of a tremolo-wah radiates like ripples in the space-time continuum: probes launched to scout uncharted regions. In this pensive declaration of love, David Gates eschews frivolous notions of birds chirping, head-in-the-clouds giddiness, and hearts all aflutter. Instead, he wistfully conjures seemingly inapposite allusions to depression, astral projection, and the Universe’s demise. By the time the bass and strings emerge, the listener is left weightless in the gravity of such devotion.

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