It’s Alright Ma was the song that permanently set the hook for me when I was young. It came at a time when I was feeling more than a little existential alienation and despair in high school. (My best friend was hit by a car and killed first day of junior year and I was in a bubble of sorts. Everything seemed empty and meaningless.).
But there’s no one song… I have a small pool of songs that I return to including Hard Rain, Desolation Row, Not Dark Yet, Things Have Changed, Visions of Johanna…. among others. All of Oh Mercy is solid, and I will select two there: Most of the Time, and What Good Am I?
Thanks for asking.