@atp001 I think the Decemberists song is "perfect" for many reasons. It has a nostalgic quality with its reference to naivete at 17, driving your parent’s car and at the lake with a girl you admire but don’t know quite what to do. The fleeting nature of the relationship and at the end the song becomes almost melancholy. Then there is the style of the song (forgive me, I’m no musician) where the intensity builds and then subsides which is analogous to ’breathing". Of course there are the brilliant lyrics of Colin Meloy...
And on this station wagon window
Set the ghost of your two footprints
That they might haunt me when you’re gone
And when the light broke dawn
You were forever gone
There is also great guitar work that supports the lyrics and establishes the overall "feel" of the song. Sure there is much music that I like but this one is really sticking in my brain. I guess that’s another thing that makes it "perfect" is the fact that I don’t mind hearing it over and over. I try to temper myself however because just like any really savory food, you don’t want to eat it too often or it will become boring. How is that for an explanation?