Perfect Music

Do you have a song that, when you hear it, makes you stop and take notice of it? You'll be walking down the street, driving in your car, or riding the bus when you hear this song and it stirs something inside you. You feel every note, you know every word, and still the song is as fresh and new as it was the first time you heard it. You close your eyes, your mind clears instantly, and you get lots in its music.

I was driving to work today and two of these songs came on one after the other. If I had had the opportunity, I might've pulled over to be able to listen to them.

• Thunderstruck -- AC/DC: There's something about how this song builds that gets my full attention every time. I crank the volume and get lost in it.


• Still haven't found what I'm looking for -- U2: similar to Thunderstruck, the build-up of this song draws me in. I'm a child of the 80's; go figure.


• Canned Goods -- Greg Brown: specifically from his Live One album. It reminds me of spending summers as a kid at my great aunt's cottage.


• Chet Baker's Unsung Swan Song -- David Wilcox (the American one): I've known of Chet Baker, but I've never gone out of my way to hear his music. This song makes me want to discover Bakers' music.


• Nighthawks at the Diner -- Tom Waits: the whole album is an experience, but the story of Big Joe and Phantom 309 gets me every time.

What are your five perfect songs? These pieces of music should be a few years old (it's too early to say how new music will affect you a few years from now) and state why you think they strike such a chord in you.