Central Park Best: Sheryl Crow: “If It Makes You Happy” (Live)

Rockers have lots of stories to tell. Sheryl Crow is no exception. Her song, “If It Makes You Happy” starts with the line: “I belong/A long way from here.” If the Southern-inspired whiskey-soaked opening guitar riff and soulfully smooth bass chords—that roll in at just the right time—don’t pull you in… that line will.

This version, from Crow’s 1999 Live in Central Park, features The Pretenders’ lead singer, Chrissie Hynde—a woman presumably with lots of stories to tell as well: life on the road; death of a close colleague; love with a fellow musician, themes to which Crow can also relate. The singers—who seemingly have seen it all, heard it all, played it all—trade verses, with Hynde’s signature style fitting in wonderfully.

Crow’s lyrics can often leave you scratching your head (“Bring you comics in bed/Scrape the mold off the bread/And serve you French Toast again”), yet it’s how the tale is told, the drowsy buildup offset by explosive high points at the chorus—and the simplicity of that infectious chorus—that bring about universal understanding.

We don’t know how this story concludes, yet the return of that whiskey-soaked guitar riff signifies a satisfying, albeit melancholic, close to the chapter.