Attack of the Killer Track! is a series that explores tracks from artists from a variety of genres. Some of the tracks were singles, some of them were obscure b-sides or long forgotten album tracks. One thing is certain – all of them are killer tracks.

A few days ago I found myself at a life celebration for a little girl in my community who had been stricken down by a rare form of cancer at age 7. There were over 1000 people in attendance and it was a beautiful show of solidarity, strength, and love. The little girl’s older sister played a beautiful song accompanied by acoustic guitar, dedicated to her sister. Me being me, I’d never heard it before. The song (if you haven’t guessed) was Count On Me by Bruno Mars. The songs played at the life service were songs that the little girl had enjoyed during her too brief life. In that context, I had to evaluate how I perceive things just a bit. I imagined kids singing and laughing along to this song, life’s realities far from mind. So, when I got home from the life celebration, I sought out the song that had been played. And what I found was a joy to listen to. Life affirming lyrics that espoused loyalty, a catchy melody, and perfect acoustic guitar. “If you’re tossin‘ and you’re turnin‘ / And you just can’t fall asleep / I’ll sing a song beside you / And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me / Every day I will remind you”. The song was the 5th single released from the 2010 album Doo-Wops & Hooligans and was a bigger hit in New Zealand and Australia. I should probably explore more of what Bruno Mars has done, though I’ve shied away since he seems to be everywhere. I’ll tell you what though – as great as the original version is (embedded below), it is only the 2nd best version I’ve ever heard. The best was at the life celebration a few days ago, a sister lamenting the loss of her younger sister singing her heart out. It is a moment I’ll never forget.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JNtAtGGNRU]