Ryan Adams - Come Pick Me Up (demo)

A great find from Patrick Cooper, by way of This Morning I Am Born Again. This demo version of the Heartbreaker classic has a shaggy, half-baked quality that puts the emphasis on those bitter, scorched-earth lyrics. The absence of backup singer Kim Ritchey makes all the difference — Coop has it exactly right: “The song meant one thing when a second voice joined the chorus. The song meant another when no one did.” (about-today:crumbler: download)

This song and I were done professionally, but I like this version. Generally you don’t want to pile hurt on more hurt, but this song makes you want to pile more hurt on hurt. Ryan Adams is clearly the anti-Messiah.