Close to the Edge: Best prog song ever?

Not sure what my favorite 'epic' is but for repeated listening on a desert island I wouldn't choose CTTE.

 

 

We constantly see this sort of approach in the modern day.  We have lost sight of the fact that such lists in the past were merely means of promotion.  I watched a run-down of the top musical screams on MTV many years ago when they were still showing music videos.  The late comic Sam Kinneson won.  His parody song was on rotation at the time, as were most of those in contention.  No Child in Time or Won't Get Fooled Again.  Ancient history.  The problem is that now we too often take such an approach as legitimate.  To an extent, I am just about as guilty as anyone for I frequently view lists.  I rarely take them seriously, but I do like to see who places where in the listing.  Favorites are one thing, but, as is implied, objectively the best?  Even with clear criteria, that is debatable.  Still, CTTE is a great song.

Thing is, sometimes you just listen to a song and realize that you DO, in fact, like it more than all the other songs you know. Other times you think to yourself "I don't think anyone could come up with something that affects me this deeply/ appeals to me this much/ is as beautiful as this". 

I used to obsess over listing things and putting things above one another. Then I realized that you can't ever be totally satisfied with that kind of practice, as there will always something you left out or put too low on the list. Not only that, but I realized that there is no point whatsoever. Not being able to put a song on your list shouldn't take away from your listening experience and making these countdowns and the sort is only a burden on that front.

With your "favourite song" or "the song you consider the best", that's not the case. There is no extra effort spent on trying to fit it into one position, and you don't think of it as "putting all the other ones below"; you've simply been touched by a song in places never before touched, and after a while you start taking note of these sensations before you ultimately decide that this is your favourite song. 

That's been my experience anyway, and that's what makes it all the more entertaining for me. Close to the Edge, to me, is the best song of all time, and that's just fine.