- Why?
- ...because, outside of Particle Man, this was the first TMBG song I ever heard, I think
...because knowing it may save your ass in The Sorceress' Tower should you ever play Kingdom of Loathing
...because it's TMBG in a nutshell; if you don't like Ana Ng, you're probably not going to like anything else they do
- ...to the cryptic, circular lyrics -- who was at the DuPont Pavillion? Why was the bench still warm? Who had been there?
22) Annie's Song - John Denver
- Why?
- ...because it was "the song" at my wedding
...because John Denver is (extremely) unfairly dismissed by a large number of people as 70s schlock
...because Denver's melodies work with their lyrics better than just about anybody else's -- the two almost always feel part and parcel, indistinct
- ...to one of the purest songs about love ever written
23) Aqualung - Jethro Tull
- Why?
- ...because it has that classic guitar line
...because as uncofortable as the lyrics are, they're also wonderfully evocative
...because dynamics are important, damn it, and Tull seem to actually get that
- ...to the transitions between themes; the song is unexpectedly complex for a radio hit
24) Asleep and Dreaming - The Magnetic Fields
- Why?
- ...because if I don't point it out, who will?
...because The Magnetic Fields' harmonies are always gorgeously twisting
...because it's not even two minutes long -- if you don't like it, no harm, no foul
- ...to all of these songs again. Maybe twice. :)