12. Faye Webster - “Alone Again”

First things first, I’m going to be honest and admit right upfront that I can’t help but hear some Twin Peaks vibes within the melody of this song –  and since I just so happen to be a big fan of the show, I think the connection may have introduced some subtle form of bias and be at least partially responsible for why I happen to be so enamored by this song.

However, while my love of Twin Peaks’ theme song no doubt enhances Webster’s song, I think the love I feel towards this song is due more to the qualities that each of the songs share, rather than some nostalgic connection to Twin Peaks itself. Each song has a haunting beauty to it, almost like staring out into a cold and barren forest covered in snow. Only in the case of Webster’s song, the forest is within. It forces the listener to look into themselves and gaze into the cold and barren loneliness within. We all have those dark corners of thought that we seldom visit, the memories that are boarded up and forgotten – our proverbial ghettos of cognizance. This song is like shining a soft light onto that darkness. It’s curling up with the memories, becoming intimate with their pain, and then working through the specter of what they left behind. It’s soul-crushing and heart-wrenching stuff, but hey, that’s what progress and growth necessitate sometimes.