Listening Post

There are break-up songs, and there are break-up songs.

Startlingly candid, The The's noir-ish 1989 single Kingdom of Rain is a song so visceral in its portrayal of a couple that's seen every bit of joy, passion, and optimism hemorrhage from their once-abundant love that it's almost uncomfortable to listen to -- like you're intruding on a moment that's simply too personal and intimate for you to be allowed an audience to.

It's the last gasp -- when there's nothing left but heartbreak, regret, and tragic resignation.

And there are times that it actually hurts to sit through.

But it's just an astonishing, and strangely seductive, song.

Here's The The, featuring a never-better Sinead O'Connor, with Kingdom of Rain.