This is the first post in a series that I will be doing about the songs that mean the most to me. To put it in sports terms, this is not the “ring of honor”, this is the “retired numbers” of songs. Most sports franchises retire the numbers worn by players that have played an extremely important part in their organizations, so that no one else can ever wear that jersey with that number again. This is a way to honor that player and to express the importance and impact that the player had. While most teams have had hundreds and thousands of players over the course of the teams history, you can usually count on one or two hands the amount of retired numbers that each team has. Similarly, I have heard more songs than I can ever count, but these are the ones that have mattered most, and deserve the most special recognition that I can give. Although, I will not actually be retiring these songs from my listening, they are songs that are so important to me that I only listen to them when I can give them my full attention. Keep in mind that this is a very subjective thing, and these are not songs that I claim to be the “greatest of all-time”, but the songs are most dear to me, personally.
Five O’clock People - “Sorry”
It was sometime in 1999 and my cousin had just witnessed this band called Five O’clock People perform live at a local bookstore, while I attended a church lock-in with my girlfriend. Had I known that I would’ve been able to witness this incredible song live, and that my relationship with this girl would have lasted a measly three months, I wouldn’t hold any regret for the fact that I never witnessed this song being performed. My cousin probably had no idea what would be sparked in me when he brought me an autographed copy of their CD sampler that he picked up at the show. It featured three songs from their album called The Nothing Venture. Track 2 on that CD was “Sorry”. From the first time I heard this song, I was blown away. The beautful sound of the instruments, the deep melancholy feel, the poetic, yet relatable lyrics. These are all things that excite me in new tunes to this day. I think much of the reason I look for those things in music almost 15 years later is because of this song.
I would like to break down this song, piece by piece, lyric by lyric, but that sort of analyzation just wouldn’t do justice to what is so incredible about it. I recommend going to a quiet place and putting your headphones on. Now, close your eyes and let the beauty of this song wash over you. Will it change the way you see music like it did me? Probably not, because you are not me, and I am not you. However, if you can’t find anything about this song that moves you, well, I’m sorry.
From the album The Nothing Venture (1999). Buy it here http://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Venture-Five-OClock-People/dp/B00003JAGE/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1384995255&sr=1-1&keywords=five+o%27clock+people
