It's a song about how immigrants are normal people with thoughts and feelings, our friends and family and so on, released when an anti-immigration sentiment was completely mainstream, but also just as Corbyn was becoming popular, and the singer's belting it out despite being knackered, and the crowd's belting it back, until he falls down crying because everyone's onside with his song he'd written about friendship and love, and the guitarist takes over without a second thought, and his wife comes out with their baby in a papoose to kiss him... I'm getting a lump in my throat just describing it.
It's interesting how original Hurt by NiN has very different vibes than its cover by Johnny Cash. It's like it's different song, but still the same. Both deep, just different.
The best way I can describe the emotional difference is that Reznor's version depicts ruinous destruction of a young person's life, and Cash's version depicts a lifetime of regret. Their literal ages obviously help convey it, but the arrangement and style really sell it
I actually don't have much of a problem with that.
If I die tomorrow, I'll have a smile on my face knowing I've lived well.
On the other hand I'm still looking forward cause life keeps getting better.
The episode intros of Jobless Reincarnation ("Mushoku Tensei") (song with video mix) - always with episode relevant content, showing the world, incredible world-building, with its amazing harmonic conclusion)
Creating the list made me wonder what more I could list so I took a peek into my music collection. Maybe Neil Young, which reminds me of my deceased mother (I didn't include it here). Or other genres that would fit too, given that I do listen to a lot of or more of other genres. I found more highlights:
Banyan Tree - Feel The Sun Rise (until 2:09; transitions great into next song; a sunrise into wakeup beat; I have only the first on a mix CD in my car, and I always intuitively expect the followup but something different follows 😄)
So, I almost never listen to this song because somehow it always makes me so so sad. I am a metal guy, I love heavy shit, from Kill'Em All to Watch The World Burn; but an old friend passed me this song once and it broke me into pieces.
It's the saddest lullaby ever.
I recommend this fan-made lyric video specially for those who don't have English as first language. I find it funny that it doubles on views the original song.
No matter how well you succeed in not being the song, you'll still feel like the song. That's ok. It's why the song is so relatable; it applies to everyone. Like a horoscope...
I know I have the minority opinion; even Cohen said he like Buckley's version better. But I just like Cohen's more. Part of it is his baritone voice, but I love the depth the backup singers give it.
What's neat is that people have such strong feelings on this. It's truly a great song.
I have so many, but today I was listening to the radio and was really getting into Elton John's "I'm Still Standing", Heart's "Crazy On You", and Peter Schilling's "Major Tom". It was truly a good day on the radio.
For me, I've gotta say "Machine Messiah", by Yes. It's one of the longest, and most interesting songs I've heard. Most songs have just one "mood" explored in them, but this one shifts from joyous to melancholy and back multiple times, and does so perfectly. Plus, I'm very nostalgic about it since it was one of my favorite songs as a child. Drama was the one of the first two albums I bought as a kid, almost entirely because that one song was on it.
(Also--is that a Sonic pfp, op? A person of culture, I see 😉)
A ~20 minute metal masterpiece telling the story of someone leaving home in search of purpose and only upon leaving realizes the beauty of what he had before.
Melodically beautiful and I cry every time I hear it!
Told from the perspective of a little kid, the emotions are just so immediate. I could go on about how nuanced the lyrics and emotion are but man, such a great song.
Runner up: Murder In the City - Avett Brothers
Man, that line: "Make sure my sister knows I loved her", in the past tense, oof
About how he'd believe in God (Christianity) if God showed us his existance. Hopsin went to be a Christian follower but fell out after a while because he couldn't blindly follow a baseless religion. The whole song is pleading with "the creator" to show his existence while explaining that he really does care and wants to believe but can't.
Bôa - Duvet (Acoustic Version), it's an alternate version of the opening song to the fantastic show Serial Experiments Lain. I don't have any particularly impactful memories associated with it, but for some reason it just gets me feelin. Night walks with this song just hit different.
Almost blue
Almost doing things we used to do
There's a girl here and she's almost you
Almost
All the things that your eyes once promised
I see in hers too
Now your eyes are red from crying
Almost blue
Flirting with this disaster became me
It named me as the fool who only aimed to be
Almost blue
It's almost touching, it will almost do
There is part of me that's always true
Always
Not all good things come to an end
Now it is only a chosen few
I have seen such an unhappy couple
Almost me
Almost you
Almost blue
Cecily Smith by Will Connolly is just some bonus track from a musical I've never seen or heard but every time I hear it I almost weep.
I love my wife very much and the core concept of "life isn't about the things that we do it's who we are doing them with" is a core ethos to my life, so the song is personally very relatable.
Although I'm not a fan of U2, I think "sometimes you can't make it on your own" is such a song to me. Also some stuff from hospice and burst apart albums from the antlers.
Helpless by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
I heard it in a very sad moment of my life and it will be forever bound to be "the song that makes my eyes need to pee"
Touch Starved by BB Bean.
I don't think I need to explain why...
Also whenever I listen to I'm Not Crazy by Kevin Walkman, I always tear up at "No way, I've watched that TV show you've loved since like sixth grade. I wish that we grew up together, is it too late?"