5 Best Posthumous Hollywood songs

Best 1: “Confrontation” by Bob Marley (1983)

Nearly a year after the release of his final album, “Uprising,” Bob Marley passed unexpectedly in 1981, leaving behind a number of unfinished recordings and tracks that were in various states of completion but far from being coherent or finished.

So, an album was pieced together using numerous overdubs and the inclusion of backup vocals from the I-Threes, but few were certain if “Confrontation” would measure up to his other iconic reggae songs.

Fortunately, “Confrontation” more than stands its own against the rest of his history, containing timeless songs like “Buffalo Soldier,” “Mix Up, Mix Up,” and “Blackman Redemption.” “Buffalo Soldier” eventually made its way on television the following year.

Best 2: “Introduce Yerself” by Gord Downie (2017)

Without a doubt, The Tragically Hip was Canada’s rock band.

Starting with “Up to Here” in 1989, the trio created beloved, number-one albums while flooding the airwaves with cheery, introspective pop-rock songs.

However, after receiving the news that he had a terminal brain tumor in late 2015, frontman and songwriter Gord Downie made the decision to pass away on his own terms.

He completed one final album with The Hip, played one final show with them (which was broadcast to over 10 million Canadians), and began working on his final solo recordings.

Only ten days after his dying in October 2017, “Introduce Yourself,” a double-disc collection of music meant to be inspired by significant figures in his life, was made available.

The simple, sensitive, and purposeful “Introduce Yourself,” produced by Broken Social Scene singer Kevin Drew (who just a few years ago gave another Canadian treasure, Andy Kim, a similar assist), is equal parts depressing and upbeat and all around sympathetic.

It’s a nice love letter that feels thoughtfully crafted, despite being a little too wordy and overly dramatic.

Though it didn’t stop his fans from caring, as the album went straight to No. 1 after its release, marking Gord’s first time doing so as a solo artist.

a touching tribute to a life that has been thoroughly lived and fully loved.

Best 3: “From a Basement on the Hill” by Elliott Smith (2004)

Elliott Smith’s sixth full-length album, “From a Basement on the Hill,” is folk music, and it’s difficult to avoid seeing it through the lens of his passing.

The chorus of “Strung Out Again” even goes so far as to say,

“I know my place / Hate my face / I know how I begin / And how I’ll end / Strung out again,”

proving that while he was never afraid to put his personal struggles in lyrical context, “Basement” is occasionally downright confrontational about its subject matter.

Smith’s estate worked with producers and friends to place the finished tracks on the record, which is undoubtedly incomplete but nonetheless beautifully produced.

The finished recordings were originally planned to be a double album. He had been gaining sonic assurance since since “Figure It Out” in 2000.

Best 4: “Closer” by Joy Division (1980)

Joy Division’s vocalist and lyricist Ian Curtis committed suicide at age 23,

startling the band just as they were ready to embark on a North American tour, two months prior to the publication of “Closer,” the band’s sophomore album.

Even while Curtis undoubtedly battled his problems, it’s difficult to look at the ominous, brooding “Closer” as anything other than Curtis’ method of addressing mortality and his failing marriage while surrounded by the band’s tense, paranoid background.

The band’s 1979 debut, “Unknown Pleasures,” is undoubtedly the most “post-punk” record ever made; yet, raw guitar fuzz and repetitive bass rhythms create a terse atmosphere where Curtis pours (and shouts) his emotions out.

He sings in the song, “This is the catastrophe I knew had to come,”

The band was so careful with its pacing and tone that they were even riding high on the popularity of their perky one-off single “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” which was expressly left off of “Closer”.

since it didn’t fit in with the other beautifully eerie songs. The other members of the band eventually left the group after Curtis passed away and formed New Order.

While that group was extremely successful on its own, the guys’ legacy still rests firmly on the shoulders of “Closer,” one of the ’80s’ most significant records.

Best 5: “Pearl” by Janis Joplin (1971)

Janis Joplin’s 1968 album “Cheap Thrills” by Big Brother & The Holding Company made her known as a vocal powerhouse who could adapt any song and make it her own, but it was “Pearl” that solidified her reputation as a true legend, even though she didn’t live long enough to experience it.

“Pearl,” which was recorded with her new band, The Full Tilt Boogie Band, has a bouncy, upbeat feel to it as the musicians try to capture the feeling of the occasion while adding in delightful little additional riffs and organ trills. But ultimately, it’s Joplin’s name on the cover, and she doesn’t let us down.

Similar to “Cheap Thrills,” Joplin co-wrote two new songs for the album.

“Pearl” demonstrates how versatile Joplin is by allowing her scratchy vocal growl to reach new heights while also showing her ability to rein it in when necessary.

Both ends of this vocal range are expertly captured on her version of “Me & Bobby McGee.” This record exudes a sense of enthusiasm and fun, which is why that song as well as “Pearl” as a whole were both chart-toppers.

When Joplin reaches the acapella version of “Mercedes Benz,” it is obvious that she has created yet another classic, demonstrating to us that there is absolutely no end to her abilities as a writer or singer. The original vinyl A-side ends here.

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