Finding the right song

My obsession for the past ten months or so has been one thing- the Nissan Z. A year ago, in exchange for some work around his house, my uncle let me borrow his. I wasn't even a car person beforehand; I had a passing appreciation for attractive cars, but I was much more focused on other things. After driving the Z for two months, though, I was absolutely, positively hooked. It is very beat up and has about 300,000 miles on it, but even after 23 years it still kicks ass down the road.

(I'm a shitty photographer)

The most endearing thing about the car, for me at least, is the stereo. Music isn't quite the same with a set of headphones as it is at 80 miles per hour, the wind violently whipping around your hair, bass drum beats resonating in your lungs, the volume so loud you can hardly hear yourself yelling. Old, tired songs took on new life in the car, and the songs I first listened to in the car I'll always associate with wind and acceleration and the summer sun.

And so, to christen the car I need to find the right song. I've literally been thinking about this since August, and I still haven't decided on an appropriate song. Here are the finalists, listed in descending order of taste with comments-

Meatloaf- Bat out of Hell
Best lyric- "I'm gonna hit the highway like a battering ram on a silver-black Phantom bike / and when the metal is hot and the engine is hungry and we're all about to see the light / nothing ever grows in this rotten old hole and everything is stunted and lost / and nothing really rocks and nothing really rolls and nothing's ever worth the cost."

I was obsessed with this song as a little kid. My dad and I took a trip to Durango, Colorado once to do some kayaking, and I think we listened to this about ten or fifteen times in a row on the way down. The song's all about love and escaping from a dead end town and going fast. The guy in the song does lose control of his motorcycle and dies in a ditch on the side of the road by the end of the song, though, so this might not bode well for me.

Avantasia- Devil in the Belfry
Best lyric- "I will forget her, but I won't forgive / the curtain has fallen, behold the messiah."

I only recently discovered this one. Avantasia's earlier stuff is absolutely incredible, although it took me a long time to get into (some) of the songs on their new CD, and this is one of the best tracks. Tobias Sammet is a massively talented singer, and instead of staying with the choir on every other chorus he keeps on going higher, and the effect just kills me. At the same time, though, I'm an increasingly big believer in bad omens and real life symbolism, and the lyrics really don't fit this period in my life. As stupid as it is to admit, I'd be half afraid that I'd jinx myself if I listened to this on such an important occasion.

(These next two are a little more barbaric)

Ensiferum- Iron
Best lyric- Either "Tasted the snakes poison, I've broken every bone / felt a thousand gunshot wounds, but there's nothing that whiskey can't cure" or "Blazing fire under the moon, burning taste of lead / we'll ride forever, cause the Iron is stronger than death."

This song is absolutely intense. It's one of the ones I first started listening to the first time I had the car, and I always imagine myself behind the wheel when I listen to it. Right when the vocalist gets into "Blazing fire under the moon..." the drummer lets out with a stream of 16'th note bass drum kicks that feels like machine gun fire. Every time --every time-- I listen to that it sends chills down my spine. Another track on the CD (Iron), "Sword Chant," is what I based this post on. Ensiferum is easily one of my favorite bands, and this may very well be the song I pick.

However, we also have-

Equilibrium- Wingthors Hammer
Best lyric- Well, the whole thing is in German, but- "Fern im Jotenreich auf einem Hügel saß er / Thrym der Thursenfürst, Herr von Riesenheim."

This song completely hit me out of nowhere. I discovered these guys over winter break, and while I was almost certain then that "Iron" would be the song I choose, this is a serious contender. The song is pretty damn nerdy --it's all about Thor losing his hammer and his quest to reacquire it-- but the first minute of the song is absolutely intense. First the guitar and trumpets, then the flutes, then a drum roll, and then the vocalist busts out with a huuuuuge, mind-bendingly long scream, gives himself a few bars of rest, and then does it again. It does lose a bit of appeal for me after the second verse though, and I've listened to it so much by now that it's getting a little old, but it's still a very likely option.


I'm still really torn on which one to pick. I really love Iron, but I'm naming the car Blitzkrieg, and it seems appropriate to compliment a German name with a German song. I've never tired of Bat Out of Hell, but I love Devil in the Belfry too. I'll probably end up playing all four at some point, but I still can't decide which to play first.