“I Wanna Be Adored” – The Stone Roses
(Words/music: Ian Brown and John Squire, available on The Stone Roses, Silvertone 1989)

As far as first lines on a debut go, Ian Brown’s coy statement of “I don’t have to sell my soul / he’s already in me” comes across with the right amount of confidence and mischief.  Looking back, one might make the argument that the Stone Roses had some kind of satanic bargain based on a colossally successful first album and a subsequently maligned release.  Perhaps those of you better versed with the band’s history in the press would know, but the Roses didn’t seem like the kind of group desperate for the limelight.  Otherwise, they might not have waited as long for a follow-up.

Instead, the opening demonic confession feels more in line with the way the song sounds.  Brown’s vocals, echoing throughout the cavernous track, only helps build the playfully sinister soundscape.  The song never tips too fan in the direction of either demonic aggression or lingering, fog-like ambience, and it’s Brown’s cool demeanor that keeps the sound in check.  As the bassline gently unfurls itself and the guitars echo, Brown keeps the song from floating away in its own cavernous size.  Most surprising, however, is how Brown holds the song together without  commanding a disproportionate amount of the spotlight.  Instead, he’s directing the song from the inside, gently nudging it in the direction it needs to go without having to overtly claim control.  Instead, he rises and falls with the song like it’s second nature – like it’s a natural move for him to make.  He needn’t sell his soul when it already knows the right moves to make.

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