# Songs that you relate to the most **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [November 24, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358 "2020-11-24T16:09:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/1 "2020-11-24T16:09:41Z")
I must have listened to the song _Losing it_ by (who else?) RUSH maybe twenty times if not more. When I heard that song again the other day, I related to some of the lyrics in a different way. What songs do you relate to the most? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2020, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/2 "2020-11-24T16:26:54Z")
Twenty times? No more? Add a zero or two for me for the following songs, which have been part of my life: Suzanne, Dress Rehearsal Rag, The Stranger Song, by Leonard Cohen Sweet Jane, Take A Walk On The Wild Side, Heroin, by Lou Reed (or the Velvet Underground, as you like) Heroes, Ashes To Ashes, Station To Station, Life On Mars? by Bowie London Calling by The Clash Too many Beatles’ songs to list here. Hit The Road, Jack, by Ray Charles Summertime, in the Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Amstrong version. Singapore, Clap Hands, Cemetery Polka, Jockey Full of Bourbon, Time, by Tom Waits Alabama Song, by The Doors, and some older and German versions too. April '74, by Lluís Llach (hardly known outside Catalonia, but that is my story) Mediterráneo, Aquellas pequeñas cosas, by Joan Manuel Serrat El corrido del mentado Juan sin Tierra, by Victor Jara Rapsberry Beret, When Doves Cry, by Prince Off the top of my hat. Mhhh… I’m getting old. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/3 "2020-11-24T17:27:49Z")
I never tire of addressing this crucial issue. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Xt6QnGxBeLw/hqdefault.jpg "Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs Ring Dang Doo") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt6QnGxBeLw) ---
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/4 "2020-11-24T19:54:04Z")
That’s what I’M talking about! 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2020, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/5 "2020-11-24T21:13:59Z")
**Madonna’s “I’ll Remember”** - My song for my beloved Aunt who supported me 100% when I was growing up. We danced to it at my wedding. The older I get the more relevant it gets, because it’s also a song about letting go. **Madonna’s "Human Nature."** _Did I say something true?_ _Oops, I didn’t know I couldn’t talk about sex_ _Did I have a point of view?_ _Oops, I didn’t know I couldn’t talk about you_ _And I’m not sorry_ _It’s human nature_ _I’m not your bitch, don’t hang your shit on me_ The thing about Madonna is that the longer I live my life, the more I can relate to her music. And I started out relating pretty hard. It’s interesting to me that “Human Nature” was originally about my early life experience but then became about my art, and the people (including me) who effectively said, “You shouldn’t write about that.” **Chevelle’s “Family System”** - No song better encapsulates my relationship with my mother. No song. _I’m tired of your open mouth crawling inside my skin Endless pain we never quit The fight within that pride’s begun_ With a really good bit at the end where the singer screams, “GROW UP! JUST GROW UUUUUP!” _incoherent yelling_ **The Killers, “All These Things That I’ve Done”** - This song has brought me back from the brink of despair as an activist many times. _I want to shine on in the heart of man I want a meaning from the back of my broken hand_ _When everyone’s lost_ _The battle is won_ _With all these things that I’ve done_ **White Stripes “Seven Nation Army.”** - To me, this song is about the work it requires to be an artist. **Chevelle, “Breach Birth”** - Fragmented lyrics, but it’s pretty clearly about the willingness to take risks as an artist. _So create, reclaim_ _Sovereign shapes tempting us_ _Ration out, their schematics_ _Dare we live without molds_ I love RUSH too, by the way, but listening to them is more like taking a long, strange trip than personally connecting with any of the songs. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2020, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/6 "2020-11-24T23:46:37Z")
At one time, it was Roy Orbison’s “Windsurfer”, about unrequited love. Now, Arlo Guthrie’s “Wedding Song” fits better, and has for almost a quarter decade. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/7 "2020-11-25T17:02:07Z")
I love Arlo… and never heard that song… it makes me a little sad, but thank you for posting it. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/8 "2020-11-25T18:42:56Z")
Jimmy Cliff’s [_You Can Get It if You Really Want._](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18EAqHx2lMk) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2020, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/9 "2020-11-25T19:36:14Z")
**A Change is Gonna Come** , Sam Cook **I’m Feeling Good** , Nina Simone **I’m Not In Love** , 10CC **Everybody Wants To Rule The World** , Tears For Fears **My Hometown** , Springsteen **The Long And Winding Road** , Beatles **At Last** , Etta James (probably the most relatable song for me) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/S-cbOl96RFM/maxresdefault.jpg "Etta James - At Last - Lyrics") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-cbOl96RFM) ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2020, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/10 "2020-11-25T20:53:58Z")
Loudon Wainwright III has a bunch of them for me, but “Living Alone” hits home lately. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/GXsd3eYpSHk/maxresdefault.jpg "Living Alone") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXsd3eYpSHk) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2020, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/11 "2020-11-25T21:06:11Z")
“Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan. Some days it feels like _I’m_ singing it. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/12 "2020-11-25T21:10:32Z")
I high school, I was convinced this song was written just for me: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/51OB2YoC4sg/hqdefault.jpg "The Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51OB2YoC4sg) ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/13 "2020-11-25T21:45:49Z")
Johnny Cash – Sunday Morning Coming Down. Glen Campbell – Galveston Eagles – Desperado Garth Brooks – Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) Pirates of the Mississippi – Feed Jake ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2020, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/14 "2020-11-26T01:51:59Z")
I once read that Elizabeth II enjoys ABBA’s Dancing Queen because she is a queen and she likes to dance. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2020, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/15 "2020-11-26T04:30:47Z")
Almost t many to count, but here’s a sampling… The Who, **Behind Blue Eyes** Linda Ronstadt, **Long, Long Time** Emmylou Harris, **Boulder to Birmingham** Edith Piaf, Non, **Je ne regrette rien** Barbara Keith, **A Stones Throw Away** And one that anyone who has lost, or almost lost, someone to suicide can’t help but have a deep relationship to… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/N0KuZZZjR_M/maxresdefault.jpg "Lucinda Williams - "Sweet Old World" [Live from Austin, TX]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0KuZZZjR_M) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/16 "2020-11-28T04:15:57Z")
Rainy Night In Georgia - Brook Benton [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bDRbF80NKDU/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGkgaShpMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDiZU72Mdcujd-_WhKG6LyUf-bh6A "Brook Benton - Rainy Night in Georgia") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDRbF80NKDU) Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues - Danny O’Keefe [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-YP3pIPp8P8/hqdefault.jpg "Danny O'keefe ~ Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues (original version)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YP3pIPp8P8) ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-you-relate-to-the-most/926358/17 "2020-11-28T04:36:03Z")
“Rose Parade,” Elliott Smith. This is basically a song about how I feel at parties. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PWOYmZs43MM/maxresdefault.jpg "Elliott Smith - Rose Parade (from Either/Or)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWOYmZs43MM) “This Year,” The Mountain Goats. This has been the worst year of my life, for non-covid reasons, but I think it might not kill me after all. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ii6kJaGiRaI/hqdefault.jpg "The Mountain Goats - This Year (Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii6kJaGiRaI)