“Goddess” by Mark Sandman / Morphine

I first heard the song “I Think She Likes Me” by Treat Her Right in 1986 on our local “rock” radio station. The song dragged me into a strange café with a mysteriously sexy woman sitting next to an empty bar stool. For a 13-year-old boy on his morning commute to school, it was a stool I wanted reserved for me.

The former singer from that group died on stage in Italy in 1999 at the age of 46. His name was Mark Sandman. He was performing with Morphine, the group he was best known for, a bare-bones trio consisting of only drums, baritone sax, Sandman’s own two stringed bass and his beat poetry inspired lyrics. They were a brilliant outfit featuring the wonderful musical talents of drummers Jerome Deupree and Billy Conway, and saxophonist Dana Colley.

Mark Sandman was a former taxi driver, construction worker, and fisherman, and his musical work reflected his life, one filled with humor, pain, regret, redemption, irony and love. He was one of the few musicians I longed to meet, and when people ask me who my favorite musical artists are, it’s hard for me not place him on that list.

“Goddess” is from Sandbox: The Mark Sandman Box Set, a compilation album of Sandman and Morphine songs released in 2004, five years after his death. It’s a powerful song harping on the difficulty women have faced throughout the centuries, and fitting for today’s #MeToo movement.

Mark Sandman is truly missed. His music pushed musical boundaries and his lyrics were honest, always brought a smile to my face, and reflected a life well lived.