What was “that song” for you?

You know, the song.  The one that formed or shaped (or transformed) your musical taste forever.

What song was it for you?

I know what mine was.  I had just come back from my friend Helen’s house.  I’d been listening to punk, alternative, and a bit of industrial music at the time.  And I happened to turn on the television to MTV.

We hadn’t had it long.  My parents weren’t fond of it at all;  I think we only got it because it was part of a cable package.

And then the video for “One” (from …And Justice For All) aired.

I’d had a similar experience the first time I heard “Mr. Roboto” as a young boy … but this was different.   This was…more.

This was the song that shaped a lot of my musical taste for decades to come. This was the song I listened to at the Vietnam Memorial at the start of the first Gulf War. This is the video that defines what a music video could be for me.  This is the song that I could ace at Guitar Hero when I first picked up that fake plastic guitar. This is the song that still gets me to stop whatever I’m doing and play air guitar.

This song is blasting from my speakers as I write this.

No matter what genre, no matter what era – there is a song for you too.

What is it?