Susannah Hickling, “What Other Guy?” by Adam Cohen.

Health

Once, when I was dating a guy who was very undemonstrative, I went to France to see family. While I was away, he sent me Adam Cohen’s “What Other Guy?” and said it reminded him of me. It’s a very intimate song and, coming from this guy who was so closed about his feelings, I felt it was a very romantic gesture. I played it over and over at the campsite where I was staying. I’d never imagined that he’d miss me, but it was clear he did. songs about agegap relationships feel unsavoury these days.

But “Mr Harris” by Aimee Mann, from 1993, remains a delight. It’s delivered from the perspective of a younger woman to a much older man (“His hair is white but he looks half his age / He looks like Jimmy Stewart in his younger days”), and it’s got the kind of melody that sticks in your head for days. My wife is actually only one month younger than me, but I’d love her to feel this way about me one day! traditional love songs do, but its soaring chorus is a reminder to hold nothing back in the pursuit of telling that special someone how you really feel.