1997 was NOT a good year for me, as most of you know, so having a song from that year be one of my favorites of all time actually says something. Adorkably white and sideburney with his guitar all slingy like a pre-Hispter, Duncan Sheik stole my heart and ears with Barely Breathing. It’s a catchy tune about a guy that’s being led by a master manipulator who finally comes to his senses. One of the best pop songs of our time, in my opinion, it was also in the top 10 one-hit wonders of the nineties. It always burdened me that Duncan Sheik didn’t have a string of hits to follow this; much to my heart’s content, though, he wrote the music for one of my favorite Broadway musicals, Spring Awakening, so there’s always that.
From the historical writing archive. Original date: November 19, 2017. Recovered from local source material; editorial review is still in progress.