Unfortified Castle

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

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

...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.

The White Stripes' 2001 single showcases their unmistakable sound in my favorite ways.

The ever-excellent band combine classic rock influences with their modern indie sound on a recent single.

*deep breath* This is a pretty personal piece, but that's because of what this song means and has meant to me.

As I've done twice before, I pay tribute to a recently deceased musician by looking back at one of their works.

As Don McLean captured, "The Day the Music Died" was only the beginning of a period of sweeping cultural change in the United States.

Foreigner put lyrics first en route to creating one of the greatest love anthems in all of popular music.

Soundgarden's mainstream breakthrough served as a personal eye- (and ear-) opener, allowing me to appreciate a sound that defined the 90s.

I got hooked on Yves Tumor's sound from this track alone and the complex internal war it captures.

Dire Straits don't directly echo the music implied by their story, but they embody it just enough to tell a convincing and memorable tale.

Blondie's Moroder-produced movie soundtrack anthem presents the state of pop at a sonic inflection point — a sound people still love today.

The song doesn't even have the word "rain" in it, but its presence is undoubted, as is that of Jim Morrison's most personal character.

I celebrate and tell the story of my very favorite track from the Starman on the golden anniversary of its initial release.

Amidst the stress of finals prep, small gestures and acts of kindness can go a long way. Today I managed to grind out my English final...

Alabama Shakes strike a beautiful balance between the deeply personal and the globally applicable in the narrative of their debut single.

...and I only learned about it today.

Is it pyromania? No, but it's a frantic and psychedelic trip that makes you feel like something's burning inside you.