Hard to tell, because with most songs I love it's a cycle. There are phases where I kind of heard it a bit too often, but when I return to them months or even years later, my love is fully rekindled. There are certain songs that have made me feel all the feelings on several separate occasions. Dave Van Ronk's rendition of
Both Sides Now. I remember having my musical library on shuffle during a lengthy busride from Vienna to Berlin. I was just passing through Dresden when the song came on.
And it was as if the world stood still for a moment. Dave's vulnerable performance, the lyrics, the serenity of moving ahead slowly whilst seeing the cityscape pass me by - it all came together in a perfect fusion of atmosphere and substance.
Then on the last day during my trip to New York last year, I found myself wandering Houston Street, trying to get as much out of the sunny September day as possible. My library was once again on shuffle and the song would come on again. Fuck, suddenly all the feelings came pouring in again. I was damn near close to tears. And listening to it now, it still makes me feel pretty much ALL of the feelings. There's a lot of sadness, there's optimism, there's acceptance, there's resignation, signs of a life well-lived as well as regrets. Technically, points go to Joni for penning the song, but it's Dave's stripped down and deeply vulnerable version that makes me stop and linger on for a while.