LogFAQs > #953774677

(not a vote)

*deep breath*

Mr. Bones - The First Thing is my 1th favorite song in the contest (probably)!!! Not only that, it is ranked the highest in my big VGM rating spreadsheet (10 row 1!), meaning that it is currently my favorite VGM of all time!!!! WOW!!!!!!

I credit @Raetsel_Lapin for introducing me to this song. When I ran a 174-song general VGM ranking topic, The First Thing got first place over one of my all-time favorites, Monty on the Run, and one of this years potential powerhouses, Soaring Through the Sad Blue Skies. The First Thing came out on top. Why?

Its because the song is the accumulation of probably the thing I love in music the most: emotional resonance. Its a song of essentially three components: big synthy chords, guitar, and Paul Pena rambling about the blues. Everything flows together so perfectly; each piece complements each other piece. The big synthy chords are already a win in my book; hearing them swell in true 90s fashion is such a delight. The guitar is heartfelt and powerful, but its impact is dulled without the vocal track (for some reason the official soundtrack lacks the vocals). The guitar feeds into the lyrics, surging and swelling accordingly. The lyrics, too, resonate with me on a very profound level. Seemingly simple statements about men being afraid to cry and money not buying happiness and even Jesus having the blues, it all paints this picture of the blues as some omnipresent force that pervades everyone and everything. But then we get the subversion line of Sometimes its a very good thing to have the blues. And that opens up this entire new way of looking at things.

Is this song for everyone? Certainly not. But it is for me. Few songs, game or otherwise, have touched me so deeply. How this got into the bracket after locks, no less! Ill never know, but Im happy to share a song that affects me so profoundly with all of you. Enjoy!