Guided By Voices are America’s best working bar band. Their output is extremely healthy and with Covid cases going down, they’ll be back on the road next month. Their 35th album (35!!!), Crystal Nuns Cathedral, will be released on March 4, 2022 and lead single “Excited Ones” has all the makings of what GBV diehards love and need in their power pop: jangly chords, a driving beat, head nodding hooks and clocking in just under 3 minutes.

Since we’re listening the new GBV, we asked GBV guitarist Doug Gillard the song he wish he wrote.

Doug Gillard: People probably say this to you all the time but I’ve never really thought in those terms of wishing I’ve written a song that exists but I just admire and love certain songs. But to answer the question and after thinking about it, I picked “I Wanna Be Where You Are” a song made famous by the Michael Jackson, written by Arthur Ross and Leon Ware. 

Since I was really young and hearing it on the radio, I always loved things like that, the sophisticated chord progressions of soul and neo-soul. I wish I could easily play those on keys. I’ve always admired that way of writing. In a similar vein things like Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour,” “Until You Come Back to Me,” which Aretha Franklin did. 

There’s always been something about “I Wanna Be Where You Are” that’s great, especially the verses and the orchestration that goes along with it. It’s subtle. Also, the way the melody goes against the chord progression is great. And there’s a key change, which is always nice. 

I find myself singing the chorus about my cat a lot. She always wants to be where we are, so the title is frequently in my head.