After forty years in the game, Art Garfunkel shows virtually no signs of wear. His tenor soars and croons through Everything Waits to Be Noticed just as it did on his uninterrupted string of gorgeous solo albums in the Seventies, caressing lyrics with a tenderness that never devolves into wimpiness. Most of the classic-pop style pieces on Everything were written with guitarist Buddy Mondlock and/or saxophonist Maia Sharp — while Garfunkel himself, for the first time in his career, contributed lyrics. Simple and heartfelt, songs such as "The Thread" and "Perfect Moment" fill in indelible memories of his hometown for the fans who found solace in Garfunkel's classic "A Heart in New York" after 9/11. If these songs don't quite measure up to his work with the likes of Jimmy Webb and that little Graceland guy, well, it's no sin to fall short of that standard.

“(We're Not) The Jet Set”

George Jones and Tammy Wynette were still married when they recorded the tongue-in-cheek "(We're Not) The Jet Set." The lyrics, written by Nashville songwriter Bobby Braddock, who also penned Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," make fun of the good life by declaring, "We're not the Jet Set/We're the old Chevrolet set." Braddock recalled that while writing the song, he needed the name of a city that evened out the rhyme he had with "Riviera" and "Missourah." “I got out a Rand McNally atlas," he said. "In the first part are the maps. The last part is an alphabetical listing of cities. I wanted a rustic, small-time sound. I went to the listing for Missouri. And I found 'Festus.' I loved the sound of it."