Songs elicit emotion. That is obvious, but what song elicits what emotion is complicated, and it goes into things I have neither the qualifications nor the interest in exploring, but there are always a couple of songs that I hear that just, if I am driving, make me want to break road laws, I don’t, because breaking the law is wrong, but there are songs that make me want to.
The prime example of this phenomenon is “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, the saying exists for good reason, “The laws of the road don’t apply when Free Bird hits 4:56.” 4:56 is when the guitar solo starts, for those ignorant, ungraced people who haven’t religiously heard this song. The Free Bird Guitar Solo, yes I did capitalize Guitar Solo, it is that good, builds it image of a rule-breaking song with it’s riveting and invigorating guitar picks, and also the fact that the solo starts after a near 5-minute build up, also it was the backtrack to one of my favorite fights in any movie, “Kingsman: The Secret Service” church fight.
The song I most return to in this category is Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker.” This song really came into existence within my mind when I saw the movie “Nobody”, amazing movie by the way, when it was the music playing when Hutch, played by Bob Odenkirk of “Better Call Saul” fame, was in a car chase with the Russian Mafia, and ever since that magical moment of movie masterfulness, I have been obsessed with this song, it is just amazing on every strum of the guitar.
Honorable mentions: “Breaking the Law,” Judas Priest; “Kickstart My Heart,” Motley Crue; “Turbo Lover,” Judas Priest again; “Through the Fire and Flames,” Dragonforce; “Higher, ”Creed; “No Sleep till Brooklyn,” Beastie Boys; “Even Flow,” Pearl Jam; “It’s Not a Fashion Statement, It’s a Deathwish,” My Chemical Romance; and at a little bit of a stretch, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” Journey.