"I Saw the Light" (Todd Rundgren)

I remember hearing "I Saw the Light" from Todd Rundgren's double album Something/Anything (1972) on the radio as a kid and loving the sound of the song.  It wasn't just the melody (even though it is the perfect R&B-inflected, power pop confection); it was the literal placement and separation of the instruments on the track.  Everything felt like it was in its proper place: the tom-toms in the right channel, the slide guitar in the front-middle, the piano and maracas way over to the left, the bass just left of center, Rundgren's lead vocal dead center, and the backing vocals in perfect stereo.
I knew the terms "arranger" and "producer" from reading the backs of album covers.  So I knew whoever had been at the helm of arranging/producing this track was on their game.
It wasn't until years and an Internet connection later that I discovered Rundgren had done it all himself.  And when I say all, I mean all: writing, arranging, producing, playing every instrument, and singing every vocal—even those high falsetto backing harmonies.  
Somehow, knowing that makes it more than just some catchy pop song to me; it's art.

"Hello, It's Me" (Todd Rundgren)

Kind of tucked away on Side Four of Todd Rundgren's 1972 double album Something/Anything is "Hello, It's Me."  It was originally written by Rundgren back in 1968 and even was released to little fanfare as a single by his former group, Nazz--albeit in a radically different arrangement.  (The Nazz version has a more of a singer/songwriter, "coffeehouse" kind of vibe.  Feel free to troll around the internet for it sometime if you're bored.  It's worth hearing once.)
Some say the song was inspired by the songwriting of Laura Nyro.  Some say it was Carole King.  Personally, I hear more King in "Hello, It's Me" than Nyro.  (Although, I'm probably a little biased because I strongly prefer King's music to Nyro's.  King never had to try to be soulful, whereas Nyro's music always tried a little too hard and sounded jittery--spastic even.  Really, what the hell is a "stoned soul picnic," and why would anyone "surry down" to it unless forced by court order?)  
Anyway, the first time I heard "Hello, It's Me" was on a crappy battery-powered radio during an ice storm.  Our power had gone out, and my family and I were huddled around the fireplace in our den, eating cheese crackers and listening to Mike Harvey's Super Gold oldies show by firelight.  Even with the radio's awful reception and single speaker, that tasty bassline and funky, in-the-pocket beat cut through, loud and clear.  I couldn't really make out Rundgren's lyrics too well, but they came across as a guy calling his girlfriend because he just wanted to say "hi."  Whatever he was singing, it seemed really soulful and sincere, especially with the jazzy horns and female vocals backing him up.
I didn't realize until some years later that it's a breakup song: he calls his girl to tell her that, although he's thought a lot about their relationship, he thinks they should end it.  But he offers to come see her and even bow-chicka-wow-wow every so often--but only if she is down with it.
In anyone else's hands, the song might have been complete teen pop fluff.  But it's that sincerity in the delivery and songcraft that makes it work.  
Likewise, listening to the song within the context of the entire album, you realize that Rundgren could/can do anything--write, perform, produce--in pretty much any damn genre he wants to tackle.  And the fact that he did it all well is the big red cherry on top of the sundae.