10 Perfect Rock Songs That Are Ridiculously Long
2. Wings for Marie - Tool
None of Tool's songs are for the impatient. As much brilliance that you can hear on every single one of their tracks, it makes for one hell of a sit whenever you go over all 9 minutes of Lateralus or try to understand all the intricacies of what's going on in Schism. Tool doesn't always have to be complex though. When they want to, they can really tug on your heartstrings.
Across most of the album 10,000 Days, Tool went for a far more emotional look at lyrics, with ragers like Vicarious added in for good measure. While most of the album can be broken down into pieces, the real centerpiece is the Wings for Marie suite, comprised of two different songs that span across nearly 20 minutes. If you know the story behind this song though, Maynard James Keenan needed as much time as he could to air out all of his grievances.
Towards the end of the production for this album, Maynard's mother passed away, and each of these tracks are just portraits of him grieving over losing one of the most important people in his life. While not every piece of this song is flattering, you can feel the love that he felt for his mother throughout her various health struggles and and the respect that he had for her for keeping faith during her final days. Though Maynard hasn't really commented on being a religious man, here's hoping that if there is a God that he has a pair of wings for Marie.