"Happy Birthday to Me (February 15)" by Bright Eyes from the album A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995–1997 (1998)

One way to measure the brilliance of an emo song is to analyze the extent to which four minutes of music can make you feel like shit. Like this one, which appeared on Bright Eyes’ 1998 debut: “With these drinks/I plan to collapse and forget/This wasted year/These wasted years. . . . I guess it’s just like breathing but not wanting to.” Are you sobbing yet? Do you hate yourself? Conor Oberst, y’all.

_Liz Pelly