Todd Rundgren – In Arte Matt

Here’s the list of songs played on the last episode of THE ART MOVEMENT – the weekly radio show about arts and culture, where all art forms and free thoughts are allowed, hosted by Matt Micucci. (To listen to the full show, scroll to the bottom of the page.)

AMY WINEHOUSE, Fuck Me Pumps
TODD RUNDGREN, I Saw the Light
SARAH VAUGHAN, Lullaby of Birdland
JAMES BROWN, Get Up Offa That Thing
OASIS, Don’t Look Back in Anger
ALICIA KEYS, If I Was Your Woman/Walk On By
BIG STAR, Thirteen
BILLY JOE SHAVER, Black Rose
LENNIE TRISTANO, Turkish Mambo

Listen to the full show via the player below. You can also listen to it on Spotify, Podbean and IHeartRadio. Clips from the show are also uploaded on my YouTube channel.

“I Saw the Light” is arguably Todd Rundgren’s best-known hit. Indeed, he was so sure it would be a hit that he had it as the opening track of his Something/Anything? double album, borrowing a trick from the Motown records.

Rundgren produced, sang and played all the instruments on this cut. He also wrote the song in 15 minutes, which was a first for him and the experience led him to change his approach to songwriting.

“I Saw the Light” is a song about love, seen from the point of view of a young man’s first frightening encounter with it. This is particularly clear in such lines as “I tried to run thought I knew it wouldn’t help me none.” The slide guitars and guitar solo reveal a George Harrison influence. It is also interesting to point out that despite its popularity, this Rundgren song has virtually no hook or chorus.

In Arte Matt

Tag: Todd Rundgren

THE ART MOVEMENT – Episode 13 – Song List

Song of the Day: Todd Rundgren, “I Saw the Light” (1972)