There’s Only One Thing Left To Say (1994) – Velocity Girl

Velocity Girl were close to being the perfect pop group, and this is nearly the perfect pop song. In “There’s Only One Thing Left To Say,” Velocity Girl look to ‘60s Motown for a framework, borrowing the rhythm section of The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love,” then adding their own noise pop accoutrements: the jangle of guitars—slightly overdriven, vibrato’d and tremolo’d. In the effervescence, Sarah Shannon’s voice, lent also to harmonies and background vocals, is remarkably pretty (whereas in her later solo work, her voice is allowed the space to be enchantingly beautiful). Her lilting vocal melody works perfectly over the bouncy rhythm established by the bass, drums and tambourine.

A new romance has caused Shannon to lose her bearings; she’s practically dysfunctional now, so instead of being so uptight, she decides to bask in her giddiness. Having attempted to articulate her feelings in writing numerous times before only to discard them, she hopes that he instinctively understands how she feels about him: “Love notes littered on the landscape / translate everything I ever said / Read quick, you might catch that dizzy feeling.” She knows which words could seal the deal, but she’s tongue-tied: “There’s only one thing left to say / Why should I let it slip away?” This song should cinch it for ya, Sarah.

Listen to “There’s Only One Thing Left To Say” and purchase from iTunes Music Store.