This task was exruciating. I took my list of Top 150+ songs and cut it down to Top 50, then Top 25, Top 10, and now Top 5. Frankly I don't know how I could cut Adrian (Mason Jennings) or The Sound Of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel) out of the Top 5 yet here we are. You'll notice two trends in my top 5: 1) I am a HUGE sucker for piano players, and 2) every song I've picked has a huge emotional/relationship-based component. I think I'm probably a little dramatic at times and this Top 5 probably proves that. Be kind.
Musically this song is so understated and just terribly haunting. The concept of two people trying to communicate with each other despite their overwhelming differences. The entire album is so good (dare I say "perfect") but when this song comes on I just have to stop and listen to it intently. So good.
Ben Folds is probably my favorite artist of all time. His body of work ranges from the crass and absurd to incredibly emotional and heartfealt. Boxing, one of his earliest published songs, is this song that just captures me. The arrangment and melody are beautiful, even though the story is sad and depressing. I could have easily put Brick or Alice Childress or Eddie Walker or Fred Jones Part 2 or I'm Not The Man or Cologne or (etc etc etc etc etc). If you want to know the kind of musician I wish I was, it's Ben Folds. The man is an absolute legend.
I watched a Howard Stern interview Billy Joel and Billy mentioned this as probably his favorite song that is constantly underrated. The song is about the dissolution of his relationship with Elle Macpherson, just shattering honesty about how it takes two to make things work. Gorgeous piano work. Other Billy's that I could/would/should have picked would be Downeaster Alexa, Lullabye, Allentown, etc etc etc.
If Ben is my favorite musician of all time, Regina is like probably #2 or #3, for similar reasons. She just has so much heart and is quirky and weird and amazing. Telling the Samson & Delilah story but twisting it to sound like an incredibly loving relationship is just so amazing. Regina's talent is breathtaking. (Also: Apparently I'm a huge sucker for pop/indie songs on the piano.). Other Regina's I could/would/should've picked: Fidelity, Firewood, On The Radio, Apres Moi, Laughing With, Eet, Grand Hotel, Sailor Song, etc etc etc
There was a time long ago when my angsty early twenties self could literally not get enough of Rise Against's The Unraveling. Six Ways 'til Sunday, 1000 Good Intentions, My Life Inside Your Heart, etc are so emotionally charged and I'll be damned if you can listen to their music without pumping your fist in the air and screaming the lyrics at full tilt. In the end, Everchanging, beats them all with a nostalgia so strong it almost hurts inside, probably because this song helped me get through my most crushing break up of my life. The opening line: 'In the face of change, that's when she turns to me and says, "I'm not sure anymore..."'. I mean... COME ON.
See the other lists: