A record I pulled from my mom's dusty stash when I was 15 or 16 because of the terrifying cover art. And, oh, it did not disappoint.

King Crimson's 1969 debut In The Court Of The Crimson King (link is to a live show)

I reencountered this song while watching Children Of Men.

Like seeing a friend from high school on the movie screen, a little older, cleaned up, but still spouting that glorious proggy poetry and musical wizardry. (I suppose 21st Century Schizoid Man was too obvious a choice?)

That I recognized Krystof Penderecki's Threnody For The Victims Of Hiroshima a little later in the movie... icing on cake.

I can live in a dystopian future, if it has a decent soundtrack.

Reservoir Dogs beat me to the punch. (Eddie had his revelation while listening to K-Billy's Super Sounds of the Seventies).

It was her! She did it! Not the wife, not the cuckolded husband, not the other lover...

Everytime I hear this song on oldies radio, it holds my rapt attention right up to the shocking end. For a lyric-focused story-song, it has a particularly delicious melody. A more astute listener would infer that she's hiding something, the way she winds around those notes.

A number one hit for Vicki Lawrence in 1973.

Here's a strange video featuring the song.

Waltz metal by Metallica.

A strong contender for 'next song I learn on the guitar.'

According to the always accurate Wikipedia entry James Hetfield composed the opening arpeggio on the phone, hence the relative simplicity. Ah, E minor.