Essential Denny Smith Songs

I first attempted a list of Denny Smith songs back in the spring as part of a list of the songs of The Great Affairs, though that also included a handful from the multi-talented Kenny Wright. This time up is Denny's own songs, from his time in bands that he's fronted, The Great Affairs, Former, and The Die Youngs. I wanted to dig even further back, but time got the best of me, and also it's just not the same without Denny's vocals. 

Youtube isn't a reliable source, so get your fix of several of these songs at their Reverb page.

10. "Lies" (Former, And Nothing But The Truth)
This song was originally recorded with the band Bombshell Crush, though it lacks the same punch as the version recorded with Former. Denny really has a knack for these big rock choruses and "Lies" is a shining example.

9. "The Highway" (The Great Affairs, Dream In Stereo)
This song is mostly acoustic (with a helping of slide guitar) and almost leaning in the direction of recent alt-country artists, such as Jason Isbell. It's different, yet at the same time shows off the multi-faceted talents of Denny and The Great Affairs.

8. "Never Come Down" (Former, And Nothing But The Truth)
Listening to the first verse, I thought the song would go in one direction, but then it erupted into a huge chorus. I had unintentionally demoted this album to the back burner compared to the other Denny albums that I have, so in fairness, I brought it along with me for a trip to Kentucky to see The Great Affairs. I popped it in the CD player and it rarely left the player for most of the 5 hour drive there.


7. "Lie To Me" (Former, The Kids Deserve Cable)
I tracked down the Former albums specifically for this song and picked it up at Denny's brother's record store last year. It's one of those upbeat unlove songs, similar to what Jimmy Eat World is known for, plus there's the killer Patrick Miller solo, and the great backing "oooooooo" vocals.

6. "Crawl" (The Die Youngs, The Die Youngs)
This is one that crept up on me. When I first heard this album two years ago, I think I mostly stuck with the first few tracks, like "Dirty On The Stereo" and didn't venture too far too often. What seals it for "Crawl" are the "oooooooo" backing vocals; I'm sensing a pattern here. Dynamite!

5. "Something In The Air" (The Die Youngs, The Die Youngs)
Another overlooked song from The Die Youngs, which I forgot even existed until Denny shut me up during Thomas' set so he could hear them perform this song. One great thing about Denny's songs is the production- the layering of guitars- both acoustic and electric, even the 'faux' strings that make me feel like they're performing this in a setting like that Queen music video for "Who Wants To Live Forever."


4. "How Does It Feel" (Former, The Kids Deserve Cable)
After I saw The Great Affairs perform, this was the song that I HAD to buy. 

3. "Elise" (The Great Affairs, Dream In Stereo)
Not sure what I can say that hasn't already been said- it's my favorite song from the most recent album.

2. "Break Me Down" (The Great Affairs, The Great Affairs)
I seem to be going in reverse order with Denny's music, or maybe that's venturing further down the rabbit hole. I neglected this first album when compiling my list of TGA songs back in the spring, so I made it a point to include this when making another list with songs from Former and other bands. While I'm late to the party, I'm just glad I'm here. I can't believe it managed to top "Elise"; I guess the piano pushed it over the top.

1. "Make It Out" (The Die Youngs, The Die Youngs)
Much like "Lies", this is a song that had been released previously in various forms. I'm not sure why Denny isn't a multi-platinum song-writer because this is one of those songs that comes around once in a career, or once in a life-time, a ballad that some bands would kill to have as a single burning up the charts. It has all the components of a great song- a catchy hook that's burned into your brain, piano, guitars.