A thousand apologies to anyone who noticed that I haven't written anything in a while. I assure you, my creative juices have found other outlets. I've been busy innovating new and increasingly irrelevant things to worry about. I've been creatively overthinking my love life. I've also been writing rap lyrics. I go by the name of MC G-Rock (my real-life surname is pronounced similarly) and I will be collaborating with a friend of mine who has a record deal. I will post an update the second the track hits vinyl (mp3).

On to the topic at hand: songs that make me cry. Music has the power to affect emotions, as anyone who has ever gotten an erection while listening to the Bosnian national anthem will tell you. However, whenever I tell my friends that I'll cry simply because of a tune, it seems I'm in the minority. Maybe you don't want to own up to it, but I've selected three songs that make me cry, for various reasons.

1. Ween - "Baby Bitch", from the 1994 album Chocolate and Cheese

Ween is one of my favourite bands. I love their complete lack of pretension, and that they play almost a different genre on every song, to say nothing of the stylistic jumps from album to album. That's not to say that they are incapable of heartfelt emotion. I've been in a few relationships. The first is one that in some ways I'm just now recovering from, years later. "People say 'how beautiful, how sweet, how kind. You're perfect, you've got nothing to hide.' But I, for one, have seen the sun and the bitch that you've locked up inside." This spoke to me at a time when I was simultaneously in the emotional Bastille that is clinical depression, as well as raging and wanting to punch her in the face. Now, time has passed, other girls have come and gone, and I feel more in line with an earlier quote from that song: "Baby, baby, baby bitch. I'm better now! Please fuck off." I am better, but the song takes me right back to that time and I cry.

2. Bob Dylan - "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" from the 1963 album the Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bobby Zimmerman has ingrained himself into the psyche of every thinking, feeling soul in America. He is America. I almost feel stupid writing about him; it seems that all the world's a choir, and I'm futilely preaching to it. "I'm walkin' down that long, lonesome road, babe. Where I'm bound I can't tell. But goodbye's too good a word, gal, so I'll just say fare thee well. I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind; you could have done better but I don't mind. You just kinda wasted my precious time, but don't think twice, it's all right." Fast forward to another relationship. It was perfect. We were truly meant for each other. Then, it turned out that her priorities were vastly at odds with mine, and that was it. I can't feel the anger that I did for previous lovers, as I was treated better than ever before...but I can't help but think of my time as wasted in some ways. I still fare her well, though. And cry when Zimmy makes me think of her.

3. Bright Eyes - "First Day of My Life" from the 2005 album I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
I am no fan of Conor Oberst's. I find his music precious in the pejorative sense and boring. However, I saw the music video for this song on MTVU whilst doing laundry and I melted. If you haven't seen it, it features shot after shot of couples holding hands and smiling. They are of every race, age, and orientation. As cynical as I get at times, thinking of my past and current romantic failures, I still have some semblance of hope for the future. "This is the first day of my life. I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you. But now I don’t care, I could go anywhere with you and I’d probably be happy." All of your relationships are doomed to fail, until one doesn't. It only takes one. This song makes me cry in a good way because I'm thinking of that person.