About a week ago, The Onion's AV Club website syndicated an article about the top 10 songs a survey of men said made them cry:
http://www.avclub.com/articles/these-are-the-songs-most-likely-to-make-a...
For those of you too lazy to click, here is the list:
1. R.E.M,"Everybody Hurts"
2. Eric Clapton, "Tears In Heaven"
3. Leonard Cohen, "Hallelujah"
4. Sinead O’Connor, "Nothing Compares 2 U"
5. U2, "With Or Without You"
6. The Verve, "The Drugs Don’t Work"
7. Elton John, "Candle In The Wind"
8. Bruce Springsteen, "Streets Of Philadelphia"
9. Todd Duncan, "Unchained Melody"
10. Robbie Williams, "Angels"
When I saw this list, I had two thoughts -- which are echoed by many folks in the AV Club comments sections: 1) these songs don't make me cry, 2) who cries at songs?
Well, yesterday, I listened to the 2008 album by country singer Jamey Johnson, That Lonesome Song, for the first time, and when it came to a song called, "In Color," I got chills. It's a little obvious and sentimental, but it's not extraordinarily cheesy and expresses something that moved me deeply in what I feel was an evocative way. Read more »
My first exposure to John Peel were those odd looking records, usually in the bargan bin, with all the writing on them, at my local independent record store back in a suburb of Kansas City, KS in the late 80's. They confused me as a kid and, to be honest, I typically steered clear of them. It wasn't until many years later that I understood the significance of these records and the man behind them. In all the interviews I've seen or read of John Peel he was a man that oozed genuineness. His love and respect for not just the music but the cultural importance of the music for my generation and beyond is unparalleled. And I'm a bit embarrassed to say, even years after his death, I'm still discovering the immense influence his work has had on me. Better late than never I guess. 
