The Top Song Of The Day of 2016
Feb. 23
I don't know how there could be a more appropriate track to wind up as the top SOTD for the year. In several ways.
First off, Neil Hannon. One of my favorite songwriters of all time, though he didn't write this. Over the course of this feature's existence he's figured in a total of five Songs Of The Day: two from the Divine Comedy, one from the Duckworth Lewis Method, one with Yann Tiersen, and this one. By the time SOTD ends in late March he'll have a sixth one, as well. He's this blog's unwitting mythological overlord, but don't tell him that 'cause I don't want him to have to deal with the pressure.
Second, 2016 felt like the planet took big leaps towards mutually assured self-destruction. The deaths. The Presidential campaign. The terrorism. Everything built up to a climax until the presidential election, the aftermath of which felt like the biggest anxiety-gasm possible. This fell in line with the first few chapters of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the (not-that-great) movie version of which this song was composed for, in which the world is destroyed to make way for an intergalactic highway.
Third, well, the end of SOTD is now less than three months away, so this is the last countdown we'll do. So this is a precursory ending song that fits the mold, or at least a convenient bit of foreshadowing. Don't panic, indeed.
That's it. There's your #1 Song of the Day. Thanks for sticking through our lame-duck year and giving this blog the attention I so greatly appreciate. We'll be bringing back at least one popular feature for a bit in January, and then the final 50 SOTD's ever will be starting on February 8. I'm doing something very different for the Final 50. It's in the planning stages. We're excited. Well, I'm excited.
Until then, have a much better 2017. So long and... well, you know.
