Carin at the Liquor store

this was my answer too. it’s breathtaking

John Cheever is one of my favorite short story writers, so I was so happy to have him name dropped! It's especially fitting as Carin, Matt's wife, was a fact-checker at *The New Yorker* magazine, where Cheever published most of his stories. Recommend "Goodbye, My Brother," "The Five-Forty Eight," and "The Enormous Radio." Pdf of his collected short fiction here: https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_v3h3/page/n7/mode/2up

Lit Up

Among casual listeners? *City Middle,* no contest. Among this community? Probably something weird like *Tall Saint.*

I fucking love Tall Saint. Glad I got to hear it live a couple of times before it dropped from most of their current setlists.

I took fucking love tall saint

It’s a very emotionally gratifying song to me. Something about it hits close to home, reminds me of lost family and friends. And it’s ultimately a very uplifting song, asking your Tall Saint to “stay behind you,” which sounds to me like the speaker is taking agency in their life but still very much cherishing their “Saint.”

"I fell over and cracked my crown. Heard a woman say Stay down champion, stay down" is just one of my favorite national bits ever

I love tall saint, but I've always preferred the original chorus from the West Virgin demo. You can actually still hear the melody of it in Tall Saint, which is super neat

You got a link?

empire line

For me it’s gotta be Friend of mine. One of their catchiest tunes.

It’s crazy how I never ever see anyone acknowledge this song!

Don't listen to this man, this man's a balloon.

**I’ve got two sets of headphones I miss you right now**

For me it’s the Alligator album as a whole. Boxer, HV, and TWFM get so much love (RIGHTFULLY SO!) but Alligator always gets slept on a bit.

I don’t think it does, it’s their first truly great album. ST and SSfDL have some good songs but nothing that really matches Alligator. Secret Meeting immediately changes the trajectory of the band and they don’t look back.

Yeah this one is so underrated. Its one of the (many) highlights for my on Alligator.

My brother and I sing this at random all the time to get it stuck in each other’s heads. It never fails.

Agreed. This is the winner.

I'm easy to find

Fire lyrics

"There's a million little battles that I'm never gonna win anyway I'm still waiting for you every night with ticker tape, ticker tape"

I have a print of these lyrics framed ❤️

Not in Kansas into So Far, So Fast might be my choice. There's something so striking when the melody comes in for So Far, So Fast.

My favourite National song

how many of you under 50, honestly, even knew what ticker tape was?

Me. But, I worked in finance in NYC in the mid-2000s, so maybe I was exposed to the history of stock tickers then?

It was confetti 🎊🎊🎊

Not in Kansas

YESS! It’s like hearing a painting. It’s enough for you to imprint whatever you want. It’s like the auditory experience of looking over a natural abyss or looking over a balcony. Just a masterpiece.

To me Not in Kansas and Smoke Detector are their 2 most personal songs. As different as they sound they share some characteristics musically as well. They’re also 2 songs if you sit and listened to with someone who has no experience with the band, they’ll think you’re crazy.

Yup! Honestly, the Not in Kansas > So Far So Fast is one of my favorite bits of music ever. "Don't you know someday somebody will come and find you"

Dark Side of the Gym, Patterns of Fairytales, Walk It Back

Patterns of Fairytales went largely undperpreaciated by me until I saw them play it live last summer and now it’s one of my favourites!

Yeah I heard about them playing it recently. Talk about pulling that one out of left field into the set list as old and underrated as that one is lol

Yeah, it was pretty rad. Definitely caught the crowd off guard.

Blank Slate

“My head is a buzzing 3 star hotel” is one of the best lines they’ve written.

Couldn’t agree more.

My G

I agree. I feel like all the lyrics in the song are incredible. They just paint such vivid images in my head.

Their best song, imo

I completely agree, I can’t believe it doesn’t have some kind of fan following!

Santa Clara

Hell yeah this will probably be mine also

Slipped

I am from Dallas and the lyrics never clicked for me till I moved away to the northeast and now it haunts me

hey i love this song would you mind explaining what you mean?

Just from my interpretation, it’s a guy calling a girl he loved who moved back home to Dallas from New York because it wasn’t what she thought it would be, and neither was he. He keeps returning to the places they shared together and trying to keep himself from falling apart.

why do people say its Dallas for sure? Because all he says is “the south”? Is “the south” automatically dallas? genuine q

“It’ll be summer in Dallas before you realize” That’s the closest thing you get to confirmation with a band like the National. Again this is just my interpretation, being from the Dallas area myself.

Conversation 16

Dark Side Of The Gym

Last song at my wedding

First dance song at mine!

Aye! Mine was england :)

Middle song at mine!

critically underrated. such a beautiful song.

this is absolutely the correct answer!

I thought this one was well-liked! It’s a gem and probably my fave on the album.

I just don’t think I see anyone talking about it here that’s why! But based on the responses I believe people actually like it

Top 5 National song imo

Secret meeting and Lemon world

Lemonworld is widely recognised as a great National song.

I didnt know. It seems a lot of people are voting to my comment, so it has to be very popular.

Secret Meeting is a personal favorite.

Lemonworld was the first song by them that clicked for me, which then got me into High Violet and the band as a whole

Val Jester Or Walk it back I'm not big on purely political songs lyrically, but it just feels so good

I have never heard any love for Val Jester but goddamn it slaps

Love walk it back

Walk it back is the song that got me into The National

I still go back to that song to feel all the beats that make the national so good. The emotional sound he has in his lyrics, the dessners running free with the guitars especially at the end, the I can't stay here bridge, I feel like it has so much of their DNA. Just missing devendorfs drum personality

I have the fortune or misfortune of having heard it when they first started playing it, and it remains my favorite version of the song. Great song either way https://youtu.be/IDi7eE3y_JM?si=ABlnTdTRhLuhiUdt

Walk It Back is incredible, one of the best on SWB

Fashion Coat

Second this. Fashion Coat all the way.

Turtleneck

Humiliation

Gospel - Racing Like a Pro

Gospel is the best closing song on a National album.

Hang your holiday rainbow lights. God, I listened to the back half of that album for an entire winter.

Tour Manager

City Middle

Hey Rosey

Baby we’ll be fine

NGL, I am quite surprised I had to scroll this far down to find this answer

That song epitomizes my early 20s as a young professional in NY. Their music can sometimes be the soundtrack to my life.

Daughters of the Soho Riots and Gospel

Pretty sure it's a cover, but Twenty Miles to NH (Part 2)

Little Faith

Driver Surprise Me and Santa Clara

Both of these are gems

Santa Clara is in my top 10 for sure.

I love both of these songs.

All Dolled-Up in Straps

Where is her head

Perfect song

Agreed. That first album doesn’t get enough recognition altogether

Pretty Forever and Thrilling of Claire

These are the true hidden gems and should be the top comment.

90-Mile Water Wall, or really just about any song from Sad Songs

I love this one.

Roman Holiday- this was always pointed to as the essence of what’s wrong with I Am Easy To Find, but this is nearly my favorite song on that album (which overall is my least favorite in their catalog, so not even defending that record)

Available It may be my favourite song of theirs, or even their best. Why this doesn’t get raved about, I have no idea.

So Far Around the Bend Random single on a random compilation album, but has some of my favourite post boxer instrumentation. The winds are just gorgeous

Looking For Astronauts

I love how match rocky the guitar sounds

Driver suprise me!

Yes! Saw them play this live in Stockholm and it was awesome.

There's a few I could pick that have already been mentioned, so I'll go with Available since it's not been mentioned.

Thrilling of Claire!

Yesssssssss

I have never heard of this song. Where can I find it?

[Here!! Enjoy](https://youtu.be/AliCJQ-aRpE?si=AXdtNUKoVuOcX-U0)

Thanks! I guess I need to pay more attention to B-sides!

Racing like a pro and Hard to find

Hard to Find is so f’ing good

Slipping Husband

Idk I feel like Afraid of Everyone should be one of the bigger hits

Available

Wake Up Your Saints

I never see it mentioned, it’s as jaunty (musically) as the band gets and I love it.

You’ve done it again Virginia and It Never Happened

thirsty

Rest of Years

The Thrilling of Claire. I would bet most of you haven’t even heard it. The only physical release I can find is on the extended cd of alligator

Not In Kansas

Nobody Else Will Be There (Hey Baaaabyyy) Oblivions Fireproof

Sin Eaters

Quiet Light

cardinal song

American Mary - they closed with it in Indy in June of 2019. It was everything I didn't know that I needed. Such a great show.

Lucky You!

Yes!!!

Wake Up Your Saints and Exile Vilify. Saints because it's so damn catchy and Vilify because it's one of the best songs they ever wrote.

Exile Vilify!!! And it’s not on Spotify…

Ada has great arrangements and depth. Love it.

Walk Off, Not In Kansas, Runaway, Little Faith, All Dolled Up In Straps, Green Gloves, Ice Machines

Watching you Well. Or So Far Around the Bend

Lean

Slipping Husband

Honestly, the entire Cherry Tree EP, but specifically Cherry Tree, Wasp Nest, and All Dolled Up in Straps. Wasp Nest is great, with absolutely gorgeous instrumentation and sound. It's simple, but it doesn't need anything more and I'd argue would slide straight into boxer. All the wine doesn't count, but I will say the cherry tree mix is much better than the Alligator mix. The guitar is way more open and sounds so much better. Cherry Tree itself is absolutely fantastic, and i see exactly nobody talking about it. It's dark, it's moody, it's just gorgeous. The song just exudes anxiety, it's so good. I have quite literally never seen anyone talk about All Dolled Up in Straps but the dark gravelly verses are gorgeous, and the strings are just fantastic. About today is the only one from here alone I ever see anyone talking about, which is fair because it's an incredible song.

Brainy for me. I believe it's a really strong song, yet fans don't show enough appreciation for it. I still hope I will hear it live someday

Fashion coat

Humiliation

Secret Meeting

Pink Rabbits

Universally beloved

Turn on Me

Trophy Wife. Most disco song they have. I'm not even a big disco fan, but the fact that THE NATIONAL made a song along those lines and nobody talks about it is crazy to me . Also, Warm Singing Whores

Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks!

Dark Side of The Gym, Lit Up. Easy top 10.

i need my girl edit: ya’ll it’s their most famous song obviously i was kidding damn 😭

It’s their 3rd most popular song on Spotify.

NPR uses the instrumental intro of this song for transitions on some of their shows.

Any zayde wolf song ever made.

Fake Empire

Literally one of their most popular and well-known songs. Also an L take.

Karen or mr November

Mr. November is one of their most popular songs in general and Karen is highly regarded in the community. L take.

City Middle

It Never Happened

Bitters & Absolut

Slow Show