A song that always feels profound to you no matter how often you've heard it?

They always say it's a great concert when Dylan plays Johanna. I've been to 18 shows but still haven't hit that jackpot.

My favorite is Every Grain of Sand.

 

Songs of regret over poor life choices are often profound, if they're done well. I thought Roy Clark's lone pop hit from 1969 was that. "Yesterday When I Was Young" was a cover and adaptation of "Hier Encore", written and recorded 5 years earlier by the great French lyricist and pop singer Charles Aznavour (sung in French, of course). Many artists have performed and recorded it since, but other than the original, I think Clark's version is the best. I find it sad, and very profound.

Yesterday When I Was Young - Roy Clark (1969)

 

You'd sure think that reading through this thread, where some spectacularly superficial songs have been suggested!

Jake Thackray's “Famous People” is my pick: such a melancholy, incisive comment on people's desire to find immortality through public approbation:

 

Brilliant song on so many levels, musically it doesn't sound like what the Kinks did before and it's great. Then there's the prescient lyrics which fit our modern times, even more so than when the lyric was written. No, it's not Waterloo Sunset or Victoria but it is something all together more profound.

 

Sunday - Stephen Sondheim

 

The Kinks - Celluloid Heroes (was going to post 20th Century Man)

 

Billie Holiday, Strange Fruit

 

Beautiful cover by Mr. Allman as he approached Heaven’s door...

 

"The Killing Moon" - Echo and the Bunnymen

 

A short but highly emotional and mindful tune by Edie

 

and bring on the dancing horses for me

 

Thanks for contributing.
Pink Floyd--Time

 

like no other!

 

I find The Circle Game a little bit too real whenever I hear it.

 

Ha ha ha! What? I'm sorry but this is patently ridiculous. You were making some coherent points until this flat tire. I do the same thing actually, need to learn to quit while I am ahead.

 

Quicksand

 

lately it's been RAIN for me. Neat sounding guitars, great lyrics and awesome drumming by Bongo.

 

Imagining, in and of itself, is meaningless. It may feel good, but unless you do something with it, it's pointless. I guess some would say that something that does no more than make people feel good is inherently profound, but I wouldn't buy that at all.

 

It is possible that ultimately yes, imagination is meaningless, but then so is the notion of profundity.

My initial reaction was based on the fact that without imagining, humans would never have dreamed up or created anything and would still be doing this:



Oh wait. We are still doing that. Nevermind. Chalk it up to a lack of imagination.

 

Randy Newman - God's Song

 

Sam Cooke again, this one is not so popular, I should think:



He laid down his vocals immediately after his child had died an accidental death, and according to Peter Guralnick you can hear his voice break when he's singing the last line (of the studio version, but this is just as poignant).