"In the Air Tonight" (Phil Collins):

Since I was a kid, I had always heard this tune, but never really listened. Mostly, I would just skip to the drums part, as I didn't have the patience for the 'long' bit at the beginning. But a couple of years ago, I was watching a replay of the 1992 Evander Holyfield v Riddick Bowe fight, and Bowe walked out to the song. It was so eerie and dramatic that I was pulled in by a ghostly presence, making my way into the ring alongside the suspenseful fighter.

I can't give you a comprehensive analysis of why the song is so great, as I don't have the musical technicalities to do that. Instead, I'll tell you about the next time I heard it, (a couple years later), in the car, on the way back from a trip in the Welsh mountains. It was the dead of summer, and we were cruising down the motorway. The sun was beating down through the windows, and this song happened to come on. It was at full volume, and sort of took us by surprise. By the end of the first verse I felt that unfamiliar and exhilarating chill.

It was the most stunning musical experience I ever had. I stared straight ahead through my tinted sunglasses, high as a kite on this moment, watching the road expand before me. I noticed so many details about the music that I had never previously considered, like the echoes, the guilt-ridden lyrics and the alien like effects. The calm but pacing beat in the background, not altering but waiting patiently. The simplicity, the minimalism, and finally, the fucking drums – and the tune bursting with aggression. I turned to my mate who was leant back in his chair, with one hand on the wheel and his Wayfarer sunglasses on, as the gorilla battered away at the percussion. In this moment I thought, we may be invincible.