Dream Theater Top 100 countdown - 2024 Version! (#01 Up!)

[Dream Team]

I haven't been keeping track of this aspect, but I wonder if Metropolis is the first song where I nailed the ranking? Legendary in every way.

  1 A Change of Seasons
  2 Metropolis
  3 Under a Glass Moon
  4 Breaking all Illusions
  5 Only a Matter of Time
  6 The Killing Hand
  7 In the Name of God
  8 The Count of Tuscany
  9 The Great Debate
10 wonder what it could be?
11 Outcry
12 Overture 1928
13 Octavarium
14 Blind Faith
15 Fatal Tragedy
16 One Last Time
17 Home
18 Illumination Theory
19 Beyond This Life
20 Lost Not Forgotten
21 Surrounded
22 A View From the Top of the World
24 This is the Life
25 Beneath the Surface
26 A New Beginning
27 Take the Time
28 Fall Into the Light
29 Bridges in the Sky
30 The Best of Times
31 Afterlife
32 Scarred
33 Disappear
35 S2N
38 Constant Motion
39 Behind the Veil
40 The Enemy Inside


Missed the top 100: Never Enough, Vacant, Forsaken, New Millennium, Through Her Eyes, To Live Forever, Honor thy Father, The Dark Eternal Night, The Silent Man, Hollow Years, Hell's Kitchen, These Walls, Caught in a Web, Lie, This Dying Soul, Peruvian Skies, As I Am, Erotomania, Stream of Consciousness, 6:00, Space-Dye Vest, The Spirit Carries On, Lines in the Sand, ITPoE, Finally Free, The Glass Prison

Highest Ranker Of: Only a Matter of Time, Outcry, Under a Glass Moon, A Change of Seasons

Highest ranked not on the list: 23 A Life Left Behind 34 Another Won 36 Take Away my Pain 37 Ravenskill 43 Don't Look Past Me 44 The Walking Shadow etc etc.

[pg1067]

I haven't been keeping track of this aspect, but I wonder if Metropolis is the first song where I nailed the ranking?

I nailed Beyond this Life (24) and came within 1-3 spots a handful of other times.  My only high rankers were Constant Motion (my #18) and ACOS (my #1).

[Evermind]

Metropolis pt. 1 - The Miracle and the Sleeper - #3 - the second quintessential DT song. Amazing, all of it.

[Setlist Scotty]

Nice to see some love for Don't Look Past Me.

It also made my list.

Here's my top 10 that didn't make it:
68 Paralyzed
67 Don't Look Past Me
64 A Rite of Passage
63 Enigma Machine
52 Invisible Monster
48 Barfbag
46 False Awakening Suite
16 The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
14 Bombay Vindaloo
3 Light Fuse and Get Away
 
 

I had fourteen songs from The Astonishing in my top 100. Try to beat that. 

Is 26 enough?

Got me beat by 20!   

[jammindude]

Nice to see some love for Don't Look Past Me.

It also made my list.

Here's my top 10 that didn't make it:
68 Paralyzed
67 Don't Look Past Me
64 A Rite of Passage
63 Enigma Machine
52 Invisible Monster
48 Barfbag
46 False Awakening Suite
16 The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
14 Bombay Vindaloo
3 Light Fuse and Get Away
 
 

Man! I thought I would have been the highest ranked for TOWHTSTS  and LFAGA.

Pretty sure I had Sun at 25 and Fuse at 30.

[jingle.boy]

I'd discovered DT with WDADU and I&W sometime in late 1996.  Songs like AFIL, TKH, and YtseJam really attracted me to them.  I'd never really heard prog-metal (Queensryche notwithstanding) metal before and was completely wow'd.  My brain equated them as "smart" metal.  Kinda like how Dennis Miller and Bill Maher was "smart" comedy, listening to DT made me think about the music, not just enjoy it.  Then when I got to I&W, the the first side was more of the same, but better production and better vocals.  Then track 5 comes on, and this "smartness" went to a whole new level.  Awe is the closest word in the English language that comes to describing the experience.  It was also transcendent to some degree.  And it's amazing that still to this day, I get those same feels.

But I get those feels to just a larger degree with Scarred, ACOS and 8vm, so Metropolis is #4 on my list.

[Revenge319]

1. A Change of Seasons (+0)
2. Octavarium (+0)
3. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (+3)
4. Voices (+3)
5. The Count of Tuscany (+0)
6. Illumination Theory (-2)
7. Disappear (+1)
8. Blind Faith (+5)
9. The Glass Prison (+0)
10. The Best of Times (-7)
----------------------------------
11. In the Presence of Enemies (+3)
12. A Nightmare to Remember (-1)
13. Erotomania (-1)
14. Space-Dye Vest (+5)
15. Misunderstood (+1)
16. Finally Free (-6)
17. This Dying Soul (+10)
18. The Shattered Fortress (+6)
19. Trial of Tears (+1)
20. Breaking All Illusions (-2)
21. The Ministry of Lost Souls (-4)
22. The Spirit Carries On (-7)
23. The Silent Man (+0)
24. The Dark Eternal Night (+9)
25. Beyond This Life (+3)
27. In the Name of God (+8)
29. Lines in the Sand (+16)
30. Hell's Kitchen (-8)
31. Metropolis, Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper (+8)
32. A View From the Top of the World
33. Surrounded (-12)
34. Outcry (+36)
35. Constant Motion (+29)
36. Fatal Tragedy (+15)
37. A New Beginning (-7)
38. The Great Debate (+0)
39. Pale Blue Dot (-8)
40. Sleeping Giant
41. Endless Sacrifice (+21)
42. The Root of All Evil (-10)
43. Home (-17)
46. Fall Into The Light (-10)
47. Barstool Warrior (-13)
48. The Bigger Picture (+0)
49. The Mirror (+9)
51. Ytse Jam (+4)
52. These Walls (+31)
56. Bridges in the Sky (-10)
58. S2N (+1)
59. The Enemy Inside (-10)
61. Awaken the Master
63. The Gift of Music (-2)
64. As I Am (+16)
65. Strange Deja Vu (+13)
66. Stream of Consciousness (-16)
67. Panic Attack (-15)
68. On the Backs of Angels (+20)
69. 6:00 (+24)
70. Another Day (-27)
71. Transcending Time
73. At Wit's End (-7)
75. Pull Me Under (-1)
77. Hollow Years (-2)
78. The Killing Hand (-37)
80. Wait For Sleep (-23)
83. The Dance of Eternity (+12)
84. This is the Life (-12)
87. A Fortune in Lies (+18)
88. I Walk Beside You (+31)
89. Never Enough (-18)
90. Wither (-4)
93. Vacant (+4)
94. Through Her Eyes (-13)
97. Innocence Faded (-8)
98. Lie (+19)
100. Our New World (+3)
----------------------------------
105. Answering the Call
109. The Alien
112. Beneath the Surface (-2)
113. Under A Glass Moon (+10)
116. Caught in a Web (+14)
122. Lost Not Forgotten (-9)
123. Behind the Veil (-2)
124. Peruvian Skies (+2)
126. Take the Time (+10)
130. The Looking Glass (+1)
131. Forsaken (-4)
137. Sacrificed Sons (-15)
139. Only a Matter of Time (-10)
141. Lifting Shadows Off A Dream (-25)
142. Afterlife (-7)
143. One Last Time (-4)
145. Scarred (-17)
147. Surrender to Reason (-10)
148. New Millennium (-8)
149. Honor Thy Father (-7)
----------------------------------
Unranked: To Live Forever, Raise the Knife

----------------------------------

My 10 highest-ranked songs that didn't make the list, and how they compare to my 2021 list:

28. A Rite of Passage (+9)
44. A Savior in the Square (-2)
45. When Your Time Has Come (-1)
50. Burning My Soul (+56)
53. Viper King (+1)
54. The Path That Divides (-14)
55. Repentance (-26)
57. Three Days (+11)
60. Hymn of a Thousand Voices (-13)
62. Enigma Machine (+7)

[CharlesPL]

Metro - 2

[Indiscipline]

Metropolis: 8. The song that dropped my dad's jaw, and he was not easily jawdroppable. To this day, I still have to listen to another song sounding both painstakingly composed and hysterically improvised at the same time. Also, it seems I nailed #1.

The Score so far:

2 - Scarred
3 - The Spirit Carries On
4 - Lines in the Sand
5 - In the Presence of Enemies
6 - Trial of Tears
7 - Misunderstood
8 - Metropolis
9 - Space-Dye Vest
10 -  Voices
11 - Beyond This Life
12 - A Change of Seasons
13 - Breaking All Illusions
14 - Stream of Consciousness
16 - Under a Glass Moon
17 - Bridges in the Sky
19 - Illumination Theory
21 - A New Beginning
23 - Disappear
24 - Pull Me Under
25 - Surrounded
26 - Fatal Tragedy
27 - The Best of Times
28 - Outcry
31 - Erotomania
32 - Strange Deja-Vu
33 - Surrender to Reason
34 - Take the Time
35 - Finally Free
36 - This Is the Life
38 - Hell's Kitchen
39 - The Count of Tuscany
42 - Another Day
43 - One Last Time
45 - Vacant
46 - The Gift of Music
47 - Beneath the Surface
48 - The Silent Man
49 - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
50 - In the Name of God
51 - Home
53 - Octavarium
54 - Peruvian Skies
55 - The Dance of Eternity
56 - The Bigger Picture
61 - Wait for Sleep
64 - Blind Faith
65 - Pale Blue Dot
68 - Our New World
69 - Overture 1928
70 - Innocence Faded
71 - Behind the Veil
72 - The Looking Glass
76 - Lifting Shadows Off a Dream
77 - At Wit's End
78 - Lie
79 - Hollow Years
87 - Ytse Jam
88 - The Mirror
89 - Through Her Eyes
90 - Lost Not Forgotten
91 - 6:00
92 - The Killing Hand
93 - Endless Sacrifice
95 - Barstool Warrior
96 - Fall Into the Light
97 - A Fortune in Lies

Not Ranked: 33

[Jamesman42]

25. Illumination Theory (91st) DREAM THEATER, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, DO MORE STUFF IN THE VEIN OF THE LAST FEW MINUTES OF THIS SONG. SO GOOD.
24. Beyond This Life (88th) I'm a SFAM hater, what can I say? It's an okay song though.
23. Bridges In The Sky (8th) This song could be top 5 but the intro is too long, it's otherwise a stellar song. When JLB sings "crossing bridges in the sky", it's so good.
22. In The Presence Of Enemies (28th) Cool epic on a weird album. I don't like the Dark Master part. Everything else is good. Odd song for DT, though.
21. Blind Faith (42nd) Easily the worst track of SDOIT but still just fine.
20. Surrounded (25th) What a lovely song. Just, so bouncy but then a bit serious. DT does this style of song nicely.
19. Finally Free (76th) SFAM, yeah....
18. Strange Deja Vu (89th) Lol. The "uncanny strange deja vu" does pop into my mind at times.
17. Take The Time (19th) The energy in this song is really vibrant. JLB is having fun and the music is good.
16. Under A Glass Moon (67th) It's a fine song, with a cool intro. It's always been the weakest or second weakest track on IaW to me, though.
15. The Glass Prison (3rd) This is 15th and I am shocked. I know some of the songs remaining, but I thought this was one of the most favored songs. Interesting. Anyway, this song is just pure gas for a long time.
14. Pull Me Under (77th) This and UAGM are fine songs, but they can swap being the worst or 2nd worst on the album, but they have stiff competition. Also surprised this is so high, is it because it's their most famous song?
13. Fatal Tragedy (90th) What a canyon between my ranking and the consensus. Yeah, it's a SFAM song, for some reason that album doesn't gel with me.
12. Scarred (69th) It's a fine song, but I often forget how it even sounds when I see it talked about.
11. In The Name Of God (13th) Hell yeah. I avoided this song for a while when this album was the new stuff, IDK why, I just was loving the rest of the album and this was the last song. It is pretty much flawless. I love the choir at the end, subtle enough to enjoy (and JLB's screaming as well).
10. The Count Of Tuscany (6th) This (and several other songs) are what DT do best in the modern era (I am thinking post-8VM). You can have the metal in "prog metal" but don't leave behind the prog, or the beautiful melodies and tight compositions. The intro might be a top 5, maybe a top 3 DT intro, musically speaking. The ending is great, it's fun to sing and play on the acoustic (capo on 4th fret).
09. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence (4th) I hate ranking this as a single song. Like others, this is a collection of 8 different ideas/tracks/songs, but they're all great songs (maybe besides Goodnight Kiss, that one is decent). But since we have to bow to the wishes of the almighty band, here we are. Not my actual 4th favorite, but yeah, each part is a great picture of different mental illnesses. Favorites include Solitary Shell, The Test..., and Losing Time.
08. Breaking All Illusions (11th) 3rd best song from the MM era. It just slaps, and it does it better than Learning to Live.
07. Voices (40th) Excellent song, but 7th?! Wow. But I think I get it, it's not a prog epic but an emotional song with a lot of good stuff.
06. Trial Of Tears (31st) Great song from a weird era. Not on the hype train to be 6th best, that is pretty mind-blowing to me.
05. Home (65th) I don't get why people rate this so highly. I deduced it would be in the top 6, and I gave it a listen today and...yeah, there is some powerful music happening there, I can kinda see it being a big hit, but to make top 5, I don't know what I am missing.
04. Octavarium (2nd) This song is one of the best songs ever made to me. Intervals is especially awesome, but every part is its own little world, and I love visiting each part each time.
03. A Change Of Seasons (5th) Really 4th because we cannot dare break up SDOIT, this song is incredible. How can you not love "I'm sick of all you hypocrites holding me at bay!!!". In fact, that is a top 3 DT moment for me, it has an atmosphere that is indescribably beautiful.

02. Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper (1st, top ranker) Maybe my favorite song ever? I am hard pressed to find a more perfect song. It's a nice length (heh), the instrumental is the best thing in music ever, JLB is awesome, intro, those outro chords. I try not to overplay it when I am in a DT mood.

Also a funny little thing, 19 years ago, when I was 19, I dated a girl and thought to my silly self "let's play this song for her, she will LOVE it". So she waited the whole 9+ minutes so we could make out, and I learned that day - this stuff isn't for everyone

[Ben_Jamin]

02. Metropolis Pt.1 - (#58)

 This is one of the songs I got into early in my Dream Theater fandom. My friend was obsessed with this song, especially the instrumental. For me, it's the vocal melodies and the melodies in general. This song has excellent bass lines. The keyboards capture a certain atmosphere, kind of mystic in a way. This was also a highlight of the I&W&B tour, especially it being preceded by Surrounded made it hit that much harder.


Here are my top 10 that didn't make the consensus list:

Chosen (#5)
Along For The Ride (#18)
Losing Faythe (#21)
Act of Faythe (#25)
Road to Revolution (#32)
Don't Look Past Me (#36)
Begin Again (#37)
Speak To Me (#38)
The X Aspect (#44)
A Better Life (#51)

[TAC]

Near the end now:

02. Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper
Highest Finish: 1 (Awaken, DTwwbwMP, Jamesman42, lightningbolt, MirrorMask, Mladen, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname)
Number of Lists appeared on: 65 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, Dittomist, DragonAttack, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, WardySI, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

I had Metropolis Pt.1 at #12.
One of my lasting memories of the I&W tour was DT opening with Metropolis and blowing people's minds right off the bat. When they would come out of the instrumental break, the crowd would always erupt.



List                                                    Not Ranked         
100                                                      Wither
99                                                        Vacant
98  6:00                                               Our New World
97                                                        The Looking Glass
96  The Root Of All Evil                          Transcending Time
95  Lie                                                  Behind The Veil
94                                                        New Millenium   
93  Caught In A Web                              Constant Motion
92  The Glass Prison                               The Shattered Fortress
91                                                        To Live Forever
90  Forsaken                                         Answering The Call
89                                                        Honor Thy Father
88                                                        The Silent Man
87                                                        Hell's Kitchen
86  Zydar                                              The Great Debate
85  Pale Blue Dot                                   As I Am
84                                                        Misunderstood
83                                                        The Mirror
82                                                        Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
81                                                        Home
80  Awaken The Master
79  On The Backs Of Angels
78  Stream Of Consciousness
77  A Nightmare To Remember
76  S2N
75  These Walls
74  Afterlife
73  This Is The Life
72  Beyond This Life
71  Pull Me Under
70  One Last Time
69  Surrender Of Reason
68
67
66
65  Sacrificed Sons
64  Beneath The Surface
63  Through Her Eyes
62  The Bigger Picture
61  I Walk Beside You
60  Never Enough
59  A New Beginning
58  Wait For Sleep
57  Illumination Theory
56  The Spirit Carries On
55  Under A Glass Moon
54  Barstool Warrior
53
52  Finally Free
51  Erotomania
50  In The Name Of God
49  Strange Deja Vu
48  Bridges In The Sky
47  Blind Faith
46
45  Overture 1928
44  Panic Attack
43  Innocence Faded
42  The Ministry Of Lost Souls
41  Sleeping Giant
40
39  A View From The Top Of The World
38  At Wits End
37  Fall Into The Light
36  In The Presence Of Enemies
35  The Gift Of Music
34  The Dance Of Eternity
33  Peruvian Skies
32  Lifting Shadows Off A Dream
31  Ytse Jam
30  Trial Of Tears
29
28  The Enemy Inside
27  Voices
26  Only A Matter Of Time
25  Surrounded
24  Raise The Knife
23  Hollow Years
22  The Dark Eternal Night
21  Outcry
20  This Dying Soul
19
18  A Fortune In Lies
17  A Change Of Seasons
16  The Alien
15  Fatal Tragedy
14  The Best Of Times
13  Endless Sacrifice
12  Metropolis Pt.1
11  Lost Not Forgotten.
10  Take The Time
9  Breaking All Illusions
8  Lines In The Sand
7  Disappear
6  The Count Of Tuscany
5  Space Dye Vest
4  The Killing Hand
3  Scarred
2  Octavarium
1




79-20

[wolfking]

Metropolis at number 7 for me.


List                                                        Not Ranked         
100                                                    The Gift of Music
99 The Best of Times                          A New Beginning
98 Constant Motion                             New Millenium
97                                                     Sleeping Giant
96 A Fortune in Lies                            Awaken the Master
95 The Alien                                       To Live Forever
94 Our New World                               The Killing Hand
93 This is the Life                                Ytse Jam
92 Disappear                                       The Silent Man
91 Hollow Years                                   Raise the Knife
90 Sacrificed Sons                               Beneath the Surface
89 Only A Matter of Time
88 Vacant
87
86 Through Her Eyes
85
84 Stream Of Consciousness
83
82 Transcending Time
81
80
79 Pale Blue Dot
78 Wither
77 Lines in the Sand
76
75 The Ministry of Lost Souls
74 The Enemy Inside
73 One Last Time
72 Peruvian Skies
71 Forsaken
70 Lost Not Forgotten
69
68
67 S2N
66 Fall Into the Light
65
64 The Looking Glass
63 Panic Attack
62 Surrounded
61 On the Backs of Angels
60 Beyond This Life
59 Trial of Tears
58 Afterlife
57 Caught In A Web
56 Breaking All Illusions
55 Visions
54 The Great Debate
53 A Nightmare to Remember
52 Erotomania
51 Answering the Call
50 The Spirit Carries On
49 Space-Dye Vest
48 The Shattered Fortress
47 Finally Free
46 As I Am
45 Bridges in the Sky
44 The Dark Eternal Night
43
42 Never Enough
41 Wait For Sleep
40 6:00
39 Strange Deja Vu
38 Six Degrees of Inner Turbulance
37 The Bigger Picture
36 Outcry
35 Take the Time
34 Lie
33 The Root of All Evil
32 I Walk Beside You
31 Overture 1928
30 A View From the Top of the World
29 Surrender to Reason
28 Barstool Warrior
27 Another Day
26 Lifting Shadows Off A Dream
25 Endless Sacrifice
24 Innocence Faded
23 Misunderstood
22 Under A Glass Moon
21 In the Presence of Enemies
20 Behind the Veil
19 Honor Thy Father
18 Pull Me Under
17 The Dance of Eternity
16 In the Name of God
15 Fatal Tragedy
14 The Count of Tuscany
13 These Walls
12 At Wit's End
11 The Mirror
10 Scarred
9 Home
8 The Glass Prison
7 Metropolis
6 Blind Faith
5 Illumination Theory
4
3 A Change of Seasons
2 This Dying Soul.
1 Octavarium

[Awaken]

Thanks again to ReaperKK for running this!  It's been fun following along w the final ranks every day

Rank - Song - My Rank
2 - met Pt 1 - 1 - 1st DT tune I ever heard and it still blows my mind that I'm nowhere near tired of it.  Incredible from start to glorious finish - this is the tune I use to introduce people to DT. 

[Fonzie]

Metropolis. My number 15. Brilliant stuff, but suffers from being an early essential, on a lot of the live albums etc. but I wouldn’t say I ever get bored of it.

My highest non-ranked: Bombay Vindaloo, at 12. Maybe too high, but I didn’t fuck with the ranker.
Along For The Ride at 22. Lovely song.
Also, You Not Me at 27 (maybe a highest ranker?)

4 highest ranked from the 100.

[Podaar]

DTF                                                                         Me
06.   Trial Of Tears                                                    14
05.   Home                                                              10
04.   Octavarium                                                       7
03.   A Change Of Seasons                                         5
02.   Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper      6

Pretty close to the consensus for this group. Honestly, other than TOT these are all interchangeable favorites.

[Wim Kruithof]

14 Bombay Vindaloo

My highest non-ranked: Bombay Vindaloo, at 12. Maybe too high, but I didn’t fuck with the ranker.

Glad I'm not alone in Bombay Vindaloo-loveland...

[ReaperKK]

And we have reached the end! First off big thanks for pg1067 for putting this idea out there, and Kev for getting the ball rolling. Also thanks to all of you submitting lists and being patient while I cobbled together speadsheets of Dream Theater lists. When I get back from vacation later next week I'll post the whole list with final point values for each song.

01. Learning To Live
Highest Finish: 1 (CharlesPL, Dittomist, Indiscipline, jammindude, JiM-Xtreme, Peter MC, Setlist Scotty, TAC, The Realm, Zydar)
Number of Lists appeared on: 66 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, Ben_Jamin, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, Dittomist, DragonAttack, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, WardySI, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

Not surprised with how this ended. Learning To Live is a fantastic song, with fantastic lyrics from JM. I don't listen to this song as much as I used to, largely due to how my tastes have changed but it always puts a smile on my face when I hear it.

[Fonzie]

Thanks to everyone. It’s been great. A chance to (re)discover some great music.
I listened to TA a few times, and found a lot to admire, along with MM-era stuff which I’d largely just listened to a few times before sticking’em back in the pile. There’s some tremendous music out there!

[MirrorMask]

First of all, a big round of applause for ReaperKK for brilliantly finishing Kev's job!!!!

 

Learning to Live didn't go past the 10th place for me. I love it obviously, but for whatever reason I lack that little extra something that sends me into full adoration mode. I could imagine A Change of Seasons or Metropolis being the most loved song on DTF, but Learning to Live winning this and also most of the leagues we did? it doesn't give me the vibes of the most adored DT song ever, but hey, it's a masterpiece anyway so no big deal.

Congrats to all those who helped their favorite song being crowned DTF's favorite song!

[Indiscipline]

First of all, a big round of applause for ReaperKK for brilliantly finishing Kev's job!!!!

[...] First off big thanks for pg1067 for putting this idea out there, and Kev for getting the ball rolling. [...]

Learning to Live: 1. The perfect song on the perfect album at the perfect time in my life.

The Score:

1 - Learning to Live
2 - Scarred
3 - The Spirit Carries On
4 - Lines in the Sand
5 - In the Presence of Enemies
6 - Trial of Tears
7 - Misunderstood
8 - Metropolis
9 - Space-Dye Vest
10 -  Voices
11 - Beyond This Life
12 - A Change of Seasons
13 - Breaking All Illusions
14 - Stream of Consciousness
16 - Under a Glass Moon
17 - Bridges in the Sky
19 - Illumination Theory
21 - A New Beginning
23 - Disappear
24 - Pull Me Under
25 - Surrounded
26 - Fatal Tragedy
27 - The Best of Times
28 - Outcry
31 - Erotomania
32 - Strange Deja-Vu
33 - Surrender to Reason
34 - Take the Time
35 - Finally Free
36 - This Is the Life
38 - Hell's Kitchen
39 - The Count of Tuscany
42 - Another Day
43 - One Last Time
45 - Vacant
46 - The Gift of Music
47 - Beneath the Surface
48 - The Silent Man
49 - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
50 - In the Name of God
51 - Home
53 - Octavarium
54 - Peruvian Skies
55 - The Dance of Eternity
56 - The Bigger Picture
61 - Wait for Sleep
64 - Blind Faith
65 - Pale Blue Dot
68 - Our New World
69 - Overture 1928
70 - Innocence Faded
71 - Behind the Veil
72 - The Looking Glass
76 - Lifting Shadows Off a Dream
77 - At Wit's End
78 - Lie
79 - Hollow Years
87 - Ytse Jam
88 - The Mirror
89 - Through Her Eyes
90 - Lost Not Forgotten
91 - 6:00
92 - The Killing Hand
93 - Endless Sacrifice
95 - Barstool Warrior
96 - Fall Into the Light
97 - A Fortune in Lies

Not Ranked: 33

[Podaar]

I had Learning to Live at 31.

Thanks, Reap and Kev!

[HOF]

For a while Learning to Live was my favorite DT song. I’m not sure when 6:00 took over. I may have just gotten fatigued on I&W in general and that caused it to slide. Nonetheless, it’s still like a top 5 DT song for me at least. Outstanding song, killer intro, awesome mood on the verses, amazing chorus, wonderful instrumental passage with the callback to WFS and an amazing guitar solo, plus the nice little flamenco/jazz section. And then that amazing outro. Great lyrics, and for sure one of James’ greatest moments. Great great song.

[Zydar]

My #1 DT song, indeed. I can't express in words why I love certain songs the way I do, but this one just do something to me that few other songs do. I'll just leave it at that. Pure perfection.

A big thanks for all your work running this, and to all the great people participating. We'll see how many songs off the next album will place in the top 100 next time!

[jingle.boy]

Glorious tune, but I just have 5 more that I like better.  I probably could swap it with ITNOG to make it a Top 5 tune, but we're splitting hairs at that point.

Kay... AMAZING job at running this.  Enjoy your time off.

P.S.  Also, it seems 8vm had the most #1 votes.
8vm: 13 (omitted from 0 lists)
ACOS: 12 (omitted from 2 lists)
Learning to Live: 10 (omitted from 0 lists)
Metropolis: 8 (omitted from 1 list)

43/55 #1 votes.

P.P.S ... I didn't go back and check the rest of the Top 10, but it seems only ToT, 8vm, and LtL made every list.  I can understand the latter two, but I'm kinda surprised there wasn't at least 1 person who didn't rank ToT.

[SwedishGoose]

Learning To Live  ended up at rank 10 for me. Yes it is a really good song but nr 1 consensus is a bit astonishing for me.

It's not Astonishing that the bulk of my songs that did not rank in the consesus are from my favorite album. An album that  is soo much bigger than it's parts.

My 3 top ranked that did not make consensus:
23 Through My Words - short but oh so sweat
29 Brother, Can You Hear Me?   - love the military wibe and the melodies
30 Whispers On The Wind - short but very nice, piano and vocals shine

My ranking

1 Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (9)
2 A Change of Seasons (3)
3 Octavarium (4)
4 Metropolis, Pt. 1: the Miracle and the Sleeper   (2)
5 Take the Time (17)
6 Another Day (38)
7 Space-Dye Vest (30)
8 One Last Time (46)
9 Trial of Tears (6)
10 Learning To Live  (1)

11 The Dance of Eternity (33)
12 The Spirit Carries On (26)
13 Surrounded (20)
14 Home (5)
15 Voices (7)
16 Pull Me Under (14)
17 The Mirror (27)
18 Finally Free (19)
19 The Silent Man (66)
20 Illumination Theory (25)
21 Caught In a Web (51)
22 6:00 (34)
23
24 Scarred  (12)
25 Fatal Tragedy  (13)
27 Wait For Sleep (44t)
28 Through Her Eyes  (74)
29
30
31
32 Awaken the Master (81)
33 Sleeping Giant (85)
34
35 Beyond This Life (24)
36 Strange Deja Vu (18)
37 Our New World (93)
38 Innocence Faded (42)
39
40 Lifting Shadows Off a Dream (35)
41 A View from the Top of the World (49t)
42
43
44 The Great Debate (53)
45 To Live Forever (76)
46 Under a Glass Moon (16)
47 Lie (47t)
48 Erotomania (40)
49
50 Answering the Call (75)
51
52
53
54 Beneath the Surface (64)
55
56 The Count of Tuscany (10)
57 Pale Blue Dot (62)
58
59 Transcending Time (90)
60
61 At Wit's End ( 37)
62 Stream of Consciousness  (39)
63 Bridges In the Sky (23)
64 Sacrificed Sons (63)
65 The Looking Glass (92)
66 Hollow Years (59)
67
68
69
70
71
72
73 As I Am (43)
74 The Root of All Evil(36)
75 The Alien (69)
76 Breaking All Illusions (8)
77 A Nightmare To Remember (49t)
78 Misunderstood (31)
79
80
81 Behind the Veil (89)
82
83
84
85
86 Peruvian Skies (44t)
87 Surrender To Reason (83)
88 Ytse Jam (67)
89 Forsaken (95)
90 The Glass Prison (15)
91. The Gift of Music (98)
92
93
94. Never Enough (100)
95
96 Endless Sacrifice (29)
97
98
99 These Walls (54)
100 Honor Thy Father (71)

Ranked by me but did not make the concensus list
23 Through My Words
29 Brother, Can You Hear Me?  
30 Whispers On The Wind 
31 Three Days  
34 Act of Faythe
39 The X Aspect
42 Enigma Machine   
43 Hymn of A Thousand Voices
49 Astonishing
51 A Savior In The Square  
52 Regression    
53 Far From Heaven
55 The Path That Divides
58 Lord Nafaryus    
60 Losing Faythe
67 Heaven's Cove  
68 Moment of Betrayal  
69 Ravenskill  
70 Invisible Monster  
71 The Walking Shadow  
72 A Better Life 
79 Cover My Eyes  
80 Eve
82 Anna Lee     
83 When Your Time Has Come  
84 A Life Left Behind  
85 The Answer   
92 Chosen   
93 Prophets of War
95 The Enemy Inside
97 The Answer Lies Within  
98 A Rite of Passage

Highest ranker of
8 One Last Time (46), 1 Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (9)

Not rated
Wither (99), Vacant (97), Afterlife (96), S2N (94), A New Beginning (91), This is the Life (88), New Millennium (87), Constant Motion (86), The Enemy Inside (84), Only a Matter of Time (82), I Walk Beside You (80), The Shattered Fortress (79), A Fortune In Lies (78), The Best Of Times (78), Lost Not Forgotten (73), Fall Into the Light (72), The Dark Eternal Night (70), The Killing Hand (68), Raise The Knife (65), The Ministry of Lost Souls (61), The Bigger Picture (60), Outcry (58),  Hell's Kitchen (57), On The Backs Of Angels (56), Panic Attack (55), Barstool Warrior (52), This Dying Soul (47t), Disappear (41), Overture 1928 (32), Lines In The Sand (28), In the Presence of Enemies (22),  Blind Faith (21), In the Name of God (11)

Rated: 67
Not rated: 33

[JiM-Xtreme]

Firstly, a few words for Metropolis to catch up from yesterday... it was 3 for me so only 1 behind. It is the quintessential DT song. All the elements are there - the soaring, majestic vocals, the incredibly technical parts, the "epic" song structure, fantastic lyrics... and even a bass solo!! And it hasn't lost a shred of its impact over the years, I would be more than happy if they wanted to include this in every live setlist between now and the day they hang it up. An absolute classic.

But...

1. Learning to Live ... also my 1. Guys, I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that my 1 is also THE 1. I had no idea that would be the case as I haven't followed the rankings from previous years. But the fact that it means as much to you guys (well, the consensus) as it does to me makes me very, very happy. It's simply a perfect song, there is not one single thing about it I would change or is not quite as good as it could be, which is not even strictly the case for my 2 song. That middle section may well be the best, most beautiful and glorious passage of music the band have ever, ever produced. And that outro... I would happily sit and listen and sing along to that all day long. Honestly, if I knew I had about 10 minutes to live, I would put this song on and go out feeling absolutely epic.

And there we have it. Thanks so much to Kev for getting the ball rolling and Reaper for seeing this through to the end. Same time next year I guess... maybe there will be a few new songs in the mix by then 

[devieira73]

Learning to Live (my #5) is fantastic, with great dynamics and lyrics. That flamenco section until the end of the solo is indeed still one of the greatest things DT ever done! Thanks, Reaper, for the great job, and Kev, the Master Yoda of the top lists.

[Zydar]

For comparison, this was the Top 20 the last time this was done.

20. At Wit's End (37 now)
19. The Mirror (27)
18. Fatal Tragedy (13)
17. Lines in the Sand (28)
16. Bridges in the Sky (23)
15. Surrounded (20)
14. The Count of Tuscany (10)
13. The Glass Prison (15)
12. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (9)
11. In the Name of God (11)
10. Finally Free (19)
09. Scarred (12)
08. Home (5)
07. Trial of Tears (6)
06. Breaking All Illusions (8)
05. Voices (7)
04. Metropolis Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper (2)
03. Octavarium (4)
02. A Change of Seasons (3)
01. Learning to Live (1)

[Metro]

100. Never Enough Not ranked
99.   Wither 77
98.   The Gift Of Music Not ranked
97.   Vacant Not ranked
96.   Afterlife 32
95.   Forsaken Not ranked
94.   S2N 52
93.   Our New World 80
92.   The Looking Glass 83
91.   A New Beginning 100
90.   Transcending Time 33
89.   Behind The Veil 86
88.   This Is The Life Not ranked
87.   New Millennium Not ranked
86.   Constant Motion 78
85.   Sleeping Giant 91
83t.  The Enemy Inside 89
83t.  Surrender To Reason 60
82.   Only A Matter Of Time Not ranked
81.   Awaken The Master 12
80.   I Walk Beside You Not ranked
79.   The Shattered Fortress 45
78.   A Fortune In Lies 94
77.   The Best Of Times 75
76.   The Live Forever 24
75.   Answering The Call 74
74.   Through Her Eyes Not ranked
73.   Lost Not Forgotten 95
72.   Fall Into The Light 51
71.   Honor Thy Father Not ranked
70.   The Dark Eternal Night 15
69.   The Alien 43
68.   The Killing Hand 81
67.   Ytse Jam 58
66.   The Silent Man 66
65.   Raise The Knife 65
64.   Beneath The Surface Not ranked
63.   Sacrificed Sons 30
62.   Pale Blue Dot 31
61.   The Ministry Of Lost Souls 76
60.   The Bigger Picture 41
59.   Hollow Years Not ranked
58.   Outcry 54
57.   Hell's Kitchen 69
56.   On The Backs Of Angels 27
55.   Panic Attack 98
54.   These Walls 59
53.   The Great Debate 85
52.   Barstool Warrior 35
51.   Caught In A Web 73
50.   A Nightmare To Remember 22
49.   A View From The Top Of The World 53
47t.  Lie 55
47t.  This Dying Soul 34
46.   One Last Time Not ranked
44t.  Peruvian Skies 61
44t.  Wait For Sleep 56
43.   As I Am 71
42.   Innocence Faded  29
41.   Disappear 62
40.   Erotomania 25
39.   Stream Of Consciousness Not ranked
38.   Another Day 42
37.   At Wit's End 37
36.   The Root Of All Evil 39
35.   Lifting Shadows Off A Dream 21
34.   6:00 67
33.   The Dance Of Eternity 63
32.   Overture 1928 64
31.   Misunderstood 50
30.   Space-Dye Vest 48
29.   Endless Sacrifice 97
28.   Lines In The Sand 14
27.   The Mirror 44
26.   The Spirit Carries On 23
25.   Illumination Theory 49
24.   Beyond This Life 10
23.   Bridges In The Sky 36
22.   In The Presence Of Enemies 40
21.   Blind Faith 20
20.   Surrounded 9
19.   Finally Free 11
18.   Strange Deja Vu 46
17.   Take The Time 8
16.   Under A Glass Moon 19
15.   The Glass Prison 6
14.   Pull Me Under 57
13.   Fatal Tragedy 28
12.   Scarred 38
11.   In The Name Of God 16
10.   The Count Of Tuscany 7
09.   Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence 3
08.   Breaking All Illusions 13
07.   Voices 17
06.   Trial Of Tears 26
05.   Home 18
04.   Octavarium 1
03.   A Change Of Seasons 4
02.   Metropolis, Pt.1 2
01.   Learning to Live 5

Thanks for doing this, Reaper! 

[hefdaddy42]

Learning to Live is an all time classic, and was # 3 for me at this point in time. It was my # 1 for years, and may yet hit that mark for me again in the future.

Thanks for running this!

[Ben_Jamin]

01. Learning To Live - (#04)

 I have always loved this song since first hearing it on Live Scenes. I then asked my friend to borrow I&W so I could rip onto my desktop. I like the added Reggae section and JLB's vocals following JP's guitar after the build-up on Live Scenes. There are certain songs that have this certain quality, tone, and atmosphere to them due to KM keyboards. LTL is one of these songs. There's a certain mood and vibe that KM's keyboard patch choices give off that make these songs have a certain charm.

[Dream Team]

Not to flame anyone, just curious who didn’t have Metropolis?

[Cool Chris]

Learning to Live is #9 for me.

The biggest differentials between my list and the forum's list:
Beneath the Surface  Me: #1 Forum #64  +63 points
The Count of Tuscany: Me: #70, Forum #10  -60 points

Songs I had as the highest:
Beneath the Surface #1
Disappear #3
Endless Sacrifice #5

Songs on both my list and forum list: 78

[Evermind]

Fabulous song. Nothing else needs to be said.

Reaper - thank you for running this, I had a lot of fun following. Great job.