Unfortified Castle

It's the end of my last break, and a song about being on the road soundtracks the way I feel underneath a calm exterior.

I'd been sitting on this song for a while, never imagining I'd write about it for this reason... but it painfully fits the moment.

Depeche Mode's most successful song is an inner monologue, formed in a moment when the outside world is quiet.

...as is pretty much every Rage Against The Machine song.

I reflect on a song I had trouble finding which itself asks a question of its lyrical subject in light of infatuation.

...especially considering the halftime's West Coast hip hop theme perfectly matched the game's outcome.

It's also just a plain good song from a band that, yes, isn't just a meme.

Soundgarden's mainstream breakthrough served as a personal eye- (and ear-) opener, allowing me to appreciate a sound that defined the 90s.

Between its sampling dispute, its distinctive vocal elements, and its point of view, the Verve's enduring anthem leaves a unique impression.

A lighter entry early in the Cranberries' discography kept me in the right mood when I heard it for the first time today. Thank you,...

Move over, "Imagine" — Oasis provide the perfect soundtrack to changing calendars.

The nostalgia the Smashing Pumpkins evoke isn't rose-colored, but that's fine, if not good; it means their song helps me honestly reflect.

TLC, fully immersed in the social world of the mid-90s, remind listeners they can find a way out of the darkness by being their own light.

R.E.M. portray a man whose hindsight reminds him of painful mistakes in love and trust.

From insane samples to hard-hitting rhymes and a splash of motivation, Mobb Deep's signature track is an all-time great rap cut.

Jakob Dylan and company paint the end of youthful innocence as a time for reaffirming oneself and continuing to move forward.

The path between Talking Heads and Mariah Carey is surprisingly straight. And oh, isn't it fitting to talk about Mariah today of all days?

Much more than a movie ballad, Seal's signature song deals with a duality between love and addiction for its entire duration.

A quarter-century after its release, Björk's ethereal dream sequence song still sounds like it's ahead of our current musical era.

In reinterpreting Roberta Flack's soul classic, Lauryn Hill does the heavy lifting, but she's also never alone.