This progressive rock band has some very emotional songs.
- "Turn of the Century". It's about a sculptor whose lover dies, and he works himself to starvation to complete a statue to her memory.
- After much chaos from its first three quarters, "The Gates of Delirium" ends with the eerily beautiful "Soon
", a ray of light from the bloody imagery from the previous sections. Hell, the entire song is this. It starts out so upbeat and promising, then has you headbanging during its epically heavy battle section, only for "Soon" to kick in and make you realize the brutality of what you just heard and how unpleasant war is; that it was just a perfect demonstration of just how devastating war is. - "South Side of the Sky", which deals with a expedition freezing to death. The middle section, with the vocal harmonies and Rick Wakeman's piano work, has been described by Yes historian Bill Martin as "the gates of heaven opening for the explorers"....which is a pretty apt description.
- From their 1969 self titled debut, we have "Harold Land", the story of a cheerful young man who goes off to war, only to come back emotionally scarred from the ordeal.
- The "I Get Up, I Get Down" segment of "Close to the Edge".
- "Sad Night at the Airfield": A heart-wrenching song about a failed relationship and the aftermath of it.
- In 2017, guitarist Steve Howe had been working with his son Virgil (a seasoned keyboardist who'd worked with Pet Shop Boys, among others) on an album called Nexus. It had been finished by that August, but Virgil had suddenly died of a heart attack in September. With its November release, Nexus became "a heartbreaking eulogy" in Virgil's memory. Steve pays tribute to his son in this Guitar Player magazine article.
- The video for "Leaving Aurora" is a haunting montage of Virgil's life cut alongside a lonely Steve playing Spanish guitar over his son's already somber piano-tronica arrangement.
- The video for "Leaving Aurora"
- “To Be Over” has a bittersweet feeling to it, being a relatively level-headed closer for Relayer after the chaos of the past two tracks.
- "Vevey (Revisited)", a bonus track on the 2003 Going for the One reissue.note It is a somber, pastoral improvisation by Jon Andersonnote and Rick Wakemannote that can evoke wistful feelings of times long gone, among other emotions.
- "Future Memories" hits especially hard after the tragic passing of Alan White, which occurred only seven months after The Quest released.Outro: From this moment forward, no, no
(I don't want to make another memory) I don't want to make another memory
Without you
I don't want to make another memory
Without you
(I don't want to make another memory) I don't want to make another memory
Another memory
Without you
Without you
Without you
