Unfortified Castle

Instrumental, lyrics, and video combine to present Tove Lo as a fragile narrator who tries to remain calm through her sorrow.

And Dionne Warwick's light, polished vocal performance takes the onetime show tune to the next level.

The chorus of the 1975’s nihilist 2018 lead single provides the only thought of relief… but how relieving is it?

Pulp’s song — framed around a future that’s become the past — makes me grapple with my understanding of time unlike any other.

Does it count as a rickroll if you’re told right away?

The Chemical Brothers' hit mixes elements from both sides of 2000 into one of the most recognizable songs of its time.

I've felt down and out lately, but hearing Kansas on the radio got me mentally trending the right way to remedy that.

The tap-filled anthem is one of my 21st-century rock favorites, but its lyrical theming didn't register with me until very recently.

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.

Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway's duo is my favorite of the multiple songs with this title.

Zedd's serene house-pop production featuring Troye Sivan was the first track of its kind that impressed me with the greater story it told.

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.

Jim Croce's ballad is never an easy listen for me, especially now as I think of major life changes coming in the short term.

Okay, how has it taken me this long to talk about Santana on here? That's borderline criminal — and I'm remedying that ASAP.

My 210th Senior Year Soundtrack selection is a staple of 2000s pop... sort of.

Soft Cell weren't the originators of this song, new wave, or synth-pop, but their take on Gloria Jones set the stage for a decade of music.

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

...but the meme's wide reach means that's how most think of the Blue Öyster Cult's classic tune.

It's a fitting song to soundtrack my return home... but that's a pretty new way for me to approach it.

That's a question I've had recently as I've gotten to thinking about just one of Janelle Monáe's show-stopping numbers.