Mike’s Favorite Original Songs of the Decade: #6 – “No Wrong Way Home,” from Pearl

6. “No Wrong Way Home,” from Pearl

I couldn’t leave it off. I already discussed the short as part of my Animated Shorts list, so hopefully anyone who either saw it or paid attention to that list knows what this is. I compromised by leaving it just outside the top five, only because it is from a short and not a feature, but really, it doesn’t matter. The numbers are irrelevant. The fact that it’s here tells you what I think of it. The entire short is built around this song, which is just absolutely beautiful. It’s both a description of who this man is as a musician and also a lovely message to his daughter, imparting all the words of wisdom he hopes to teach her. And then they do this brilliant thing in the middle, where they transition to the daughter singing her own version of the song, making her own path in life. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t a song I listen to all the time outside of this short. In terms of a song written for a piece of film (etc), this is as perfect as you’re ever gonna get.