Bleu: “Could Be Worse” (2003)
Bleu (a.k.a. James McAuley III) got help on his second full-length album from fellow power pop sympathizers like Semisonic’s Dan Wilson and Andy Sturmer of Jellyfish, who co-wrote and sang backup on “Could Be Worse”.
A fine point to note here is this example of top-notch songcraft: the melody accompanying the words “could be better” in the chorus mirrors the pitch pattern of the phrase commonly used when it is spoken.
A careful listener will catch this bit of cleverness now and then in a pop song. It’s usually the mark of a real pro.
Every Moment Has A Song 