425's Top 50 Dream Theater Songs v. Singularities

[jakepriest]

Home would be in my top 5. Sad to see it this low.

[Evermind]

After Blind Faith, The Mirror and Home at 45ish, I really wonder what you've got in Top 10. Better not be some boring choices like Octavarium and ACOS. 

[mikeyd23]

Cool picks! I would have Home ranked higher, probably top 25, but both songs are great choices 

I actually love the outro of Home... Seems like some others don't but I think its killer.

[Laughingplace56]

45. Home
After the vocals are through, the song goes downhill, but only a tiny bit. The outro is a little too much of a change from the mood of the rest of the song for my taste and doesn’t seem fitting, though it is far from bad.

The outro into Dance of Eternity is probably my favorite part on the entire album 
Both good songs that i'd rank higher. Mirror not by too much, Home by a lot.

[425]

After Blind Faith, The Mirror and Home at 45ish, I really wonder what you've got in Top 10. Better not be some boring choices like Octavarium and ACOS. 

I have a super excellent top ten (I may have a biased perspective on this, though).

I will tease this: there's some conventional choices but also some very unconventional choices that will create some controversy.

[Prog Snob]

After Blind Faith, The Mirror and Home at 45ish, I really wonder what you've got in Top 10. Better not be some boring choices like Octavarium and ACOS. 

I have a super excellent top ten (I may have a biased perspective on this, though).

I will tease this: there's some conventional choices but also some very unconventional choices that will create some controversy.

This is going to turn into the Alex Jones of DT Top 50s.

[Sacul]

I have a super excellent top ten (I may have a biased perspective on this, though).
I will tease this: there's some conventional choices but also some very unconventional choices that will create some controversy.

I think I can say the same about my top 10. Looking forward to seeing yours .

[425]

I think I can say the same about my top 10. Looking forward to seeing yours .

Nice, looking forward to seeing yours, too!

This is going to turn into the Alex Jones of DT Top 50s.

My next writeup was going to be entirely about how John Petrucci wrote A Rite of Passage to help Dave Mustaine expose the New World Order! How did you guess?!

[425]

44. Hollow Years

The noise that you'll hear
Is the crashing down of hollow years



Images:
It's no secret, either from the album art I chose to represent this song or just from general knowledge of Dream Theater, that the Live At Budokan version of this song is the best and most ambitious. The keyboard and guitar intro is just lovely, and certainly doesn't sound at all like any other Dream Theater song. The entire song is just gorgeous and unique in the DT catalogue, however much of a radio-friendly ballad it can be said to be.

James and John P are really the two who make this song so special, on the studio version and especially at Budokan. James's live performance that night on this song was shockingly steady and he really did manage to hit just the right notes, both musically and emotionally. John takes center stage on the intro and the extended guitar solo, which was just what the song needed to take it from "oh, a ballad" to "OH! A ballad!" That Budokan solo just has be one of his best ever. The moment where he starts taking us back to the chorus and James says "Mr. John Petrucci!" is pure live magic, a true classic moment of live music on par with or beyond that moment in Revelations on Live After Death when Bruce Dickinson says "Los Angeles, can you feel it?"

However much I want to fawn on James and John, the keyboard and bass contributions throughout this song by Derek/Jordan (depending of course on the version) and John M also contribute to the excellence by setting the tone and providing background atmosphere. I also want to commend the backing vocals done by John and Mike (I think I hear them both on this track, I don't have the DVD and can't confirm), they never take the center stage but also hit just the right tone.

Words:
The lyrics to this song are very pretty and strike a balance that John P rarely achieved as well between beautiful imagery (Under a Glass Moon) and storytelling ability (The Count of Tuscany). The verses tell about two people who are vividly real to the listener, but then the chorus communicates the emotion experienced by these people, the "crashing down of hollow years," in a way that can only be done by the type of imagery he uses. Honestly, these lyrics are just gorgeous and, now that I think about it, may be my favorite lyrics by John Petrucci (though there are a few other songs that come close, both older and newer, that we'll get to once we reach the top 10).





43. Eve



Images:
This song is just so unlike anything else Dream Theater has ever done and is just ridiculously beautiful. Kevin Moore's piano playing is simply gorgeous. John's guitar playing is unusually subtle and in a way that beautifully pairs with what Kev is doing. The middle of the song, when it reaches an atmospheric moment with just Kev playing until Mike comes in and then John finally joins with some clean guitar is simply exquisite. Though Eve isn't an attention grabber like some songs higher on my list or what I typically listen to Dream Theater for, it's a song I could listen to all day and come back to whenever I'm in the mood for something beautiful and calming, and as a result, there are days when I'd rather listen to it than anything on the list.

On the whole, though, it's my second favorite Dream Theater instrumental. I know this is hard to find, but if you don't have it yet, I highly recommend tracking it down. You can either get the live version with samples (from A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man by James Joyce) on the New York 3/4/93 Official Bootleg from Ytse Jam Records, or the studio version without samples (my preferred version since I don't like the samples particularly and the audio quality is better) on The Silent Man CD single, which you should be able to get for around $20 used. Just figured I'd offer this information as a public service announcement since this song is one of the rarest DT songs and also, in my opinion, one of the best.

Word:
To be brutally honest, I very much dislike James Joyce, so I never listen to the version with samples. The title, "Eve," is the only word that counts to me. The title does, I think, match quite well with the sound of the song. As others (sorry, not sure who, but I know they are on this forum) have observed, the song is largely serene and beautiful but ends on a slightly darker note, much like Eve in Genesis is mostly a beautiful thing because she is the first woman, but she also causes the Fall, hence the less melodious ending. Not saying that I think of the Biblical Eve when I hear this song, but the title is fitting nonetheless, and even without the direct allusion still seems to convey the type of serenity that this song embodies.

[Sacul]

Awesome update, these songs are a bit low but who cares. And yes, Eve is unique in DT's catalogue.

[JiM-Xtreme]

Good stuff! I too think the LAB version of Hollow Year is the best.

[?]

Eve is like 40 places higher for me But seriously, it's a pretty obscure song so I'm always happy to see it in other people's lists

[Outcrier]

After Blind Faith, The Mirror and Home at 45ish, I really wonder what you've got in Top 10. Better not be some boring choices like Octavarium and ACOS. 

I have a super excellent top ten (I may have a biased perspective on this, though).

I will tease this: there's some conventional choices but also some very unconventional choices that will create some controversy.

Can't wait to see it so i can verify if you like DT for the wrong reasons 

[Prog Snob]

Always nice to see Eve in someone's list!   

[jakepriest]

Not a fan of Hollows Years and heard Eve once, so can't really judge it.

[425]

I have a super excellent top ten (I may have a biased perspective on this, though).

I will tease this: there's some conventional choices but also some very unconventional choices that will create some controversy.

Can't wait to see it so i can verify if you like DT for the wrong reasons 

I can guarantee to you right now that I do.

Eve is like 40 places higher for me But seriously, it's a pretty obscure song so I'm always happy to see it in other people's lists

Honestly, I could see my musical tastes shifting somewhere down the road and Eve then moving up around 40 places.

Also, and I tried to allude to this in my OP but I wasn't very clear, my top 50 (really, 56-60 or so) DT songs are all extremely close in my esteem, to an extent where a lot of the differentiation between rankings is essentially arbitrary. I like almost every DT songs, but those top 50-60 songs are all my favorites that I love more than the others. I would guess that #1 and #50 are a lot closer in my esteem than, for instance, #50 and #80. I'm just saying this to offer some perspective into how important the actual rank of individual songs is, and I'm implying that it is much more important for a song to have made it to the list than to be in a certain place on it. And as I said in the OP, when y'all say "Blind Faith should be higher," I agree with you, but then I look at what I actually rank higher and I realize that I love all those songs equally as much if not more. So that's just a little clarification on the nature of my list.

[jakepriest]

I admire that people can actually compile lists. When I tried I had to change the order every other day so I just got rid of it.

[Crow]

Eve should be higher imo but it should always be higher, even if it's #1.
Hollow Years I just don't get anything from, maybe I'm lame.

[425]

42. Sacrificed Sons

Who would wish this on our people
And proclaim that His will be done?



Images:
Note: Before you read on, note that I do talk a lot about 9/11 in this writeup, as is inevitable given the subject matter of this song. I can understand why for many this song is difficult because of that and I think if the subject is still difficult for you, you should exercise your own judgement as to whether you want to read on. If you don't, I won't be offended. Another thing is that I was only 5 years old when the attacks happened, and do not remember them. I try to talk about how the song captured the emotional tone of the event, and I tried to understand that the best I could, but in truth there's only so well I can do without having been conscious of it at the time. So if I get something wrong, I apologize profusely.

This, I'm sure, was a difficult song to write because of the subject matter. Fortunately, I think the music pays excellent tribute to the emotions surrounding 9/11 in the Dream Theater style.

The piano intro is beautifully sad, and when James comes in, the song assumes the tone of a lament. He hits just the right tone with his voice, as does Jordan with piano playing.

In the second verse, when the guitar starts building, the tone starts to get more sinister. Throughout the song, from this point onward, the emotion of anger of is really just mounting. This verse and the first chorus still pretty much have the tone of a lament, but it's both sad and angry.

Then there's the instrumental section, which some people seem to think doesn't belong due to the subject matter. I strongly disagree. The instrumental section conveys the overall sense of panic after the attacks occurred in addition to the mounting and righteous anger by Americans towards the people who perpetrated them. Some people say that the solos are too self-indulgent for the subject matter. If I may make a brief political/cultural point: One of the reasons why Islamic extremists attacked America is because of this country's emphasis on individual achievement over obsessive devotion to religion. The solos stand as beacons of individual achievement on the part of John and Jordan (and never stray from the tone of the song). I think those who say that the solos are too self-indulgent either never really thought about it or are missing the point regarding the essential difference between western society and the society of Islamic extremism: individualism vs. collectivism.

That side point aside, after the instrumental section, John's guitar takes on an angry, aggressive tone as James sings the angriest verses. Meanwhile, the more symphonic sounding parts, including the chorus, mix anger and sadness. The ending of the song is not quite as good as the beginning, but is still a beautiful conclusion. This song is a towering achievement by Dream Theater, as they were able to use prog metal to capture a diverse array of emotions experienced by so many at a very trying time.

Words:
For the most part, I think James captured the right tone for a 9/11 tribute in his lyrics. All the words before the instrumental section are simply beautiful and very sad. The way James communicates the emotional meaning behind the fact of the attacks is very important and done quite well. "Towers crumble, heroes die" is my favorite line of this section, because of the deep symbolism: towers and heroes are symbols of western culture, and a brutal attack on western society would be on these two things. At the same time, the description is literal, as towers did actually fall and many heroes did perish.

When I first knew the title and the subject matter, I was somewhat worried that "sacrificed sons" would refer to the Americans who died in the towers, and is think that this would send the wrong message, as they did not willfully give up their lives, but had them forcefully taken from them by maniacs. My negative thoughts went away when I learned that the sacrificed sons were the hijackers and I realized that James was fighting back against the social conditioning that created these maniacs. I also like how James keeps religious tone in this song. Even though he seems to be a doubter (Blind Faith) and even though I personally am not religious, I think the slightly religious nature of the perspective absolutely improved the song, especially as it implies that the extremists have been led away from God's way.

This same element returns after the instrumental break in the angrier section, which I think is almost as good as the earlier sad sections. The lyrics capture the right tone of righteous anger at the institutions that created these terrorists and point out their wrongfulness.

The last verse ("God on high..."), however, puzzles me. From the rest of the lyrics, I doubt that James was actually taking the blame for the 9/11 attacks upon all humanity. However, I'm not really sure what he means by this verse. Can anyone enlighten me?

In any case, the rest of the lyrics to this song are very good, hitting just the right tone in my opinion. Very well done, Mr. LaBrie.





41. The Spirit Carries On

I may never prove what I know to be true
But I know that I still have to try



Images:
This is quite a soulful song from the climax of the Scenes from a Memory album (of course, it's only a false resolution, but still). This one doesn't pull at my heartstrings as much as other DT ballads, but I still don't agree with those who call it cliched.

The most I can say about the music is that every part is perfectly placed to carry the emotions of the song. From the piano intro to the bigger, power ballady guitar parts, to Jordan's beautiful synth work to John's acoustic guitar to John's bass to Mike's solid background performance, everything is perfect. John's guitar solo is deeply emotional and amazingly well-written, definitely the best on the album.

James just carries the entire song perfectly. His voice at this time was so beautiful soft, an attribute that allowed him to nail the gorgeous Victoria part in this song as well and also one that he brought to the soft Nicholas beginning and closing Regression reprise. Teresa Thompson's voice mixes in quite prettily with James's and the choir's at the end of the song. She really carries the outro beautifully to the false happy ending of the album. Her significance just cannot be overstated.

Words:
Some of the lines, of course, really make sense only in the context of the concept album. These parts are as well written as the rest of the song and carry the theme of the album quite well ("Victoria's real/I finally feel/At peace with the girl in my dreams"). The rest of the lyrics are not among my very favorites, possibly because, as I've said, I'm not in any way religious and therefore there is no emotional attachment for me to the message that the spirit carries on. However, they are very well written and therefore manage to approach the subject in an appropriate way that does not seem too cliched. So, even though the subject matter makes the lyrics not exactly my cup of tea, I actually quite like them. So props to John.

[Crow]

TSCO isn't trying to pull heartstrings, it's an uplifting tune and has nothing unhappy about it because it's about being happy and not afraid of death 
Sacrificed Sons is about where I'd put it really though you seem to like it a lot more than I do even still. So sure. It's a great song though yeah.

[sneakyblueberry]

Wow, great write ups!!!  Following. 

[ThatOneGuy2112]

I really do love these write-ups.

I'm probably one of the young'uns of this forums as well. I was also 5 when the tragedy happened so I can't remember much at all about what happened that day. Even so, I feel Sacrificed Sons does well in conveying all the emotions people must have been feeling as a result. Jame's performance is also excellent.

TSCO is actually the one song from SFAM that I just couldn't get into initially, as much as the rest of the album blew me away. Of course, I can hear the utter beauty in it now. Dat solo.

[jakepriest]

For me Sacrificed Sons would be a lot higher, but I like that it's in your top 50 atleast.
TSCO is just alright.

[Onno]

Man, your writeups are great. Anyway, TSCO is great; I love it live or when it comes up on the album. It's not in my top 50 though. SS is in my top 50, and it's a really great song.

[Sacul]

TSCO is too low.

[425]

I'm so glad that people are enjoying the writeups. One of my major concerns is disparity in enthusiasm displayed in them, since, like most of you, I bet, there are days when I'm more or less enthusiastic about Dream Theater, but I have to do writeups everyday. I'm glad that people are liking my writeups, even the ones from the less enthusiastic days.

Today, just a fair warning, I got the 360 app so it was a very enthusiastic day. Today marks the first instance of me just gushing over this band in a writeup. Do not expect the number of times that happens to do anything but increase as we go on. You have been warned.


40. Another Day

Better to save the mystery
Than surrender to the secret



Images:
Right off the bat, with the soft intro and James's beautiful voice and the guitar solo that springs from it, this song is clearly something special. And it is. Everyone's work on this track comes together amazingly to make this soulful and inspiring song. Jay Beckenstein's saxophone playing was an unorthodox contribution but one that immensely benefitted the song, and was not at all a gimmick. Mike carries the song forward with drum work that perfectly fits it, Kevin's piano and synths are gorgeous, as is John's guitar solo before the last chorus.

The real star of the track is James. From his soft "oh"s at the beginning to the impossible high notes of the bridge, and everything in between (that first verse...), he drives the emotional force of the song.

Words:
I think it was around this point in listening to Images and Words for the first time with the lyrics in front of me that I realized how special this band was. Pull Me Under is brilliant lyrically, too, of course, but you have to realize that I was a die-hard Iron Maiden fan at the time. Pull Me Under might be rather prettier than any Maiden lyrics, but it's not too far outside that area. Another Day (and the rest of the album) is an entirely different story. This was an honest-to-god upbeat song, with immensely benevolent lyrics that weren't at all cliched, but were actually joyous and uplifting. The bridge particularly is gorgeous and moving. "Better to save the mystery than surrender to the secret." Oh, so beautiful. At this time, I think, the only music I had found that pulled me in was metal, but it was too one-sidedly dark. People were shocked to discover that I loved Iron Maiden because I'm really not a depressed person at all—actually, I'm one of those annoyingly happy people (I love Mondays, if that tells you anything). Metal gave me the larger-than-life music that I wanted, but I was yearning for something happier. Another Day, and the rest of the blindingly benevolent album on which it resides, gave me that. Thank you, John. Thank you, Dream Theater.





39. In the Presence of Enemies

My soul is my own now
I do not fight for you, Dark Master



Images:
The first epic on my list (meaning: the first epic about which I have to write one of these), though certainly not the last. I suppose I'll talk about each section, since that seems easiest, even though it will make this ridiculously long.

I. Prelude:
This is easily the most energetic intro to any Dream Theater epic, which is part of what makes this song right off the bat quite evidently a different animal from the other epics and not A Change of Seasons or Octavarium Part 2. The keyboard/guitar part around 1:42 which is reprised later is one of the most fun parts of this very fun section. Really, even though this isn't an overture, it functions like one by developing a number of the musical moods and themes in the song. In addition, it's just an excellent slice of instrumental music. Part I all by itself would be a truly fantastic song, but it becomes a terrific epic with the addition of Part II.

II. Resurrection:
This part transitions seamlessly out of Prelude and for a while continues the trend of being a beautiful, melodic metal instrumental intro (I want to add that the HDTracks version is just better, and especially does the building part of this section more justice). Then, James takes the mic. His performance on this epic really just does not get enough credit, because he absolutely nails every part of this song. I mean, he just impresses me, a lot, on this part. The vocal melodies are incredibly good, too, and the music behind the vocals is quite good as well. Mike's (?) backing vocals at the end are a nice touch as well, though no one outshines James on this one. The unison after "Redemption for humanity" makes for an immensely epic conclusion to a lovely 9 minute song...

III. Heretic
Of course, that's not the end. Somehow, that act gets followed by an even better part, Heretic. Now, I just love it when Dream Theater constructs an amazing buildup. There's a couple in Home, there's another song that you'll all know and will see later, and then there's the Heretic section, which is one of the very best of them all. John Myung and James take the lead in the beginning of this section, with Jordan and John P accompanying. And it is just indescribably beautiful (we're only at #39 on this list and I'm already to "indescribably beautiful." I'm going to have to invent entirely new concepts to praise my top 10). James especially is brilliant and reminds us why we love him so much. Then when John P and Mike finally come in fully... It's just incredible. The "Dark Master within" chorus is, of course, brilliant. And I love that they didn't go right into Slaughter, but did another vocal section in the Heretic style and another chorus first, to finish this perfect buildup. And then... Heil. It's time for Slaughter.

IV. The Slaughter of the Damned:
This is a great energetic, heavy, and catchy section. Mike and John's vocals give James and launching pad from which to be incredible, not that he needed it (okay, so we got up to the top 40 before I really started gushing, which was as long as that was ever going to last). Although the one thing is that I can't think of this section without thinking of Mike's dancing during the recording of the backing vocals in Chaos In Progress. He's awesome. Oh and then I love the reprise of Resurrection at the end into "It's time for your reckoning."

V. The Reckoning:
Okay, this is everyone's least favorite part, and it's mine too, but it is still not a bad section. It's one of those rhythmically interesting, very complex DT instrumental sections, and while it doesn't stand out like Metropolis or even The Dark Eternal Night on this same album, it is not in any way bad. And when John's and Jordan's solos comes in, it actually becomes rather good.

VI. Salvation:
And though, admittedly, The Reckoning drags the song down a bit, when that huge melody kicks back in... Suddenly everything is right with the world again, isn't it? Though we haven't determined the fate of our hero yet. James is in to explain that to us after just another huge buildup to his entrance. He shines in this section. This is one of my best vocal sections, because it does build through these great and well-executed melodies up to "I do not FIGHT for you, Dark Master!" The ending of this song is great. Not as great as some of the band's other epics, but still great and definitely fitting.


Really, this song should be a lot higher, and I hate that it's as low as #39. But what can I do? I love all of these songs, and some have to be higher than others by the very nature of a list.

Words:
Some don't seem to enjoy the fantasy lyrics, and I was just talking about how much I love the uplifting personal lyrics, but this song does have a great storyline that is expressed very well. There's never anything awkwardly phrased or anything. All the lines are very poetic and communicate the story quite well. So many memorable lines. I also love allusions, so I enjoy the way much of The Slaughter of the Damned is rephrasings of Psalm 23. Seriously. Go get a Bible and check if you want. It's also the origin of the title: "You prepare a table before me/In the presence of my enemies" (all this is only if you didn't already know that, of course). And even though it's a tale that's been done, I do so dearly and greatly love redemption stories. The main character's fall to his Dark Master and later rise against the evil forces that command him to reclaim his soul is great if you take it literally as this immense fantasy story, and even greater if you take it as an allegory for really any number of things (for example, substance abuse). I know John has been accused of taking the words from a manga, so I will credit both he and the manga authors for a job very well done on these gorgeous lyrics.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

ITPOE Still think it should be much higher. I've seen so much how discontent some are with the lyrics, but I love them honestly. And the final "It's time for your reckoning" right before it segues into the next part still gives me chills. Every time. Not to mention how epic The Reckoning is afterwards. Some call it typical DT wankery, but hey, it's the good kind.

Another Day is simply beautiful. Such a great melody.

[Crow]

Another Day is always appreciated, can't go wrong there, and yeah LaBrie nails it.
ItPoE I used to like more than I do and I still like some of it (Salvation is still really amazing to my ears at the very least) but there's too much I'm just not interested in listening to in it for me to ever really want to listen to the whole thing.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Love both of these.

[hefdaddy42]

Eve is like 40 places higher for me

Me too.

But great list thus far!

[425]

38. One Last Time

And as I'm standing here right now
I'm finally shown what I have always known



Images:
I feel like this song doesn't stand out much on the first few listens to Scenes, and that's a shame (though it's overshadowed by some great stuff). However, this is a really special, really great song. Jordan especially shines on this track with his great piano intro and outro. The other instruments stay largely in the background though they carry the song along quite well, with the exception of John's guitar solo, which leads the song well from the first part to the second. James is the other main star of the track. He performs brilliantly throughout, going high so so well for the Victoria part in the chorus, which is beautiful, and then on the last section he acts as a wonderful first person narrator, emotionally letting us in on this key section of the story. My point in all of this is that though this is a short, four minute track between Dance and Spirit, it's one of the best songs on the album and incredibly important to the album as a whole.

Words:
The lyrics to this entire album are nothing short of excellent throughout. The story is imaginative and executed well throughout the album even though there are four different lyricists. Sure, there are minor inconsistencies here and there, but largely the lyrics make sense and are very good. James' sole contribution, One Last Time, has some of the best lyrics on the whole album. I refer mostly to the latter section of the song, after the guitar solo. This bit is so essential to the storyline, and is told quite amazingly by James through his use of tons and tons of imagery. The most incredible part is "Are these here memories awakened through my eyes? This house has brought back to life." How could the moment when Nicholas finally is able to access Victoria's memory by visiting her house instead of through dreams or hypnotherapy have been illustrated any better? I also like how the "I'm finally shown what I have always known" section hints at the twist ending that we get in Finally Free. Just an incredible set of lyrics to carry forward the great experience that is this album's story.





37. Pull Me Under

I'll take seven lives for one and then my only father's son
As sure as I did ever love him I am not afraid



Images:
The intro to the first song on the best album I have ever heard is also one of the best intros I have ever heard. Dream Theater really emphasizes the progressive aspect of their music by slowly building up the song with a long intro that makes use of the guitar, bass, keyboards and drums all as important aspects in this buildup. The best moment may be 1:16 when the heavy riff comes in. It's simply crushing and a fantastic way to let us all know that this is going to be a progressive *metal* album.

The verses and "this world" choruses are brilliant. James carries them amazingly and the music is complex, heavy, creative and melodic. This is how you craft a massive, romantic prog metal song.

Then 3:34. John kicks in with that amazing guitar melody and then there's that chorus. Beautiful. One of those quintessential Dream Theater sections, right there. When you first hear this song, you're already probably wondering "who are these guys and how are they so good?" I'm emphasizing this, of course, because this song was a lot of people's introduction to Dream Theater.

As an aside, I happen to love Jordan's unnecessary arpeggios on his live performances of this song.

As if the rest wasn't enough, DT has to make this song even more deliciously proggy by taking things down around the 5:40 make and letting Kevin take it away with an excellent keyboard solo.

Then there's the end. It's really quite an innovative way to end a song, but only they could have pulled it off. The song does reach a rather natural conclusion despite the cutoff with the Hamlet quote and the playing by John and Kevin that leads right up to the cutoff. And it leads beautifully into Another Day, as well. There's a reason I keep coming back to this brilliant album, and while Pull Me Under isn't entirely the reason, it's a pretty good portion of it. Great song.

Words:
Kevin Moore's lyrics were probably the best out of the whole band during this era. These are really excellent. As I've said before, I came to Images as an Iron Maiden and Rush fan, and while I love Steve Harris, Bruce Dickinson and Neil Peart, and they're fairly good lyricists at their best, nuanced imagery and storytelling are not exactly their defining attributes. Pull Me Under was an entirely different level of songwriting ability for me, with Kevin beautifully describing a Hamlet-inspired story using ample imagery, some of it quite memorable and beautiful, especially the chorus. In fact, the whole of the lyrics can be called fairly, I think, strikingly, beautifully memorable. There is an extent to which they lost this imagery-rich, nuanced style when Kevin became dissatisfied with his time in DT and eventually left. It was probably a natural evolution, and they've done some good stuff in their later lyrics as well, but nothing that quite captured the same spirit or included quite as vivid and beautiful imagery as Kevin Moore's lyrics to 4.25 songs (completely unintentional nuggetz): Surrounded, Wait for Sleep, Only a Matter of Time, part of Take the Time, and Pull Me Under.

[jakepriest]

Wow. I've never seen anyone rate One Last Time this high. I like it a lot and think it's underrated, but I can't say it's better than the songs from the last few updates.

Pull Me Under is always a good song. 

[Sacul]

Wow. I've never seen anyone rate One Last Time this high.

Yet.

[Tom Bombadil]

Wow. I've never seen anyone rate One Last Time this high.

Yet.

I had it at #31. Such an underrated piece of music, and one of my favorites from SFAM.

[jakepriest]

Wow. I've never seen anyone rate One Last Time this high.

Yet.

Spoiler for your own list?