Repetition.

Last night, as we were driving home from a visit to family, we got to talking about music. The question was: what are the songs that you could listen to over and over again, winding the tape back or skipping the CD to the start of the track, because there’s something about them that makes your scalp tingle? (I’m sure you know what I mean.)

I could quite happily think of several dozen. Some because they capture a particular emotion; some because they evoke a time in my life (this was the criterion that prompted my wife most of all); some are faintly embarrassing while others are broadly accepted classics; some draw me in through the vocal, some through instrumentals; some are even notable simply for the tone of the guitar.

The following are a few of those songs that, at some time in the past, I have listened to again and again — just because.

• Pacing The Cage by Bruce Cockburn
• American Pie by Don McLean
• Vienna by Billy Joel
• Run-Around by Blues Traveler
• A Long December by Counting Crows
• Dry County by Bon Jovi
• Love Like A Tide by Brian Houston
• Birdhouse In Your Soul by They Might Be Giants
• The Good In Me Is Dead by Martyn Joseph
• One by U2
• Float On by Modest Mouse
• Come What May by the Maroons
• On her Majesty's Secret Service by Propllerheads
• Shoebox by Barenaked Ladies

Like I said, there’s some fairly embarrassing music in there, but all are tracks that at some point have grabbed me and not let go. For each I could go into great detail why it’s here, and I could go many more again. Any to add?