Missy Higgins - Scar

Missy Higgins doesn't get nearly enough airplay outside of her native Australia. This is a shame, because despite her youth, she provides enticing lyrics with strong melodies, making for an a panoply of very solid tracks. This one in particular has been dubbed my new theme song, so when it came on over the speakers while I was out on my birthday, it seemed a bit like fate. I'd already decided that it would be my song for the day, but hearing it out in public just added a whole new spin to it.

Scar is a catchy single with a bridge that feels like a personal aside. In it, our singer talks about past relationships, and how she was constantly surrounded by people who tried to transform her into something that she wasn't ("a triangle trying to squeeze through a circle, he tried to cut me so I'd fit"). It's a bit like Ani Difranco's 32 Flavors in that regard, except that Higgins takes it a step further, asking those who come next to "leave [her] with a scar," so that she can remember the past and learn from it in future experience.