Pepper emailed me this quote from Eula Biss's book Notes from No Man's Land:
Each of us has certain clichés, I suspect, to which we are particularly vulnerable, certain songs we are compelled to play over and over again, certain words that undo us with their simple syllables. For years now I have been unable to think clearly if the lyrics of “Sweet Home Alabama” are within my hearing, or “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, or even “Long Walk Home”.
My only other though was asking for more WGOM canon nominations, but I like Pepper's idea better, even if I don't exactly get what kind of power these songs have over Bliss. Does she like them? Hate them? Are they super-earworms?
If you can figure it out, share your own. Or just any random ten. Whatevs.