What is the most beautiful song ever?

Classical:
Messiaen - the cello/piano movement from Quatuor Pour le Fin de Temps (yeah alright, or the violin/piano one - I'm a cellist ok?)
Ravel - slow movement from the Piano Concerto in G (this is probably the most beautiful piece ever, but I may change my mind)
Mahler - take your pick from Symphonies 1, 4, 5, 6, 7...
Schubert - slow movement from E-flat piano trio, any movement from the Quintet for strings

Pop/rock:
Elvis Costello - Shipbuilding (HIS VERSION! Kills all the others, even Robert Wyatt's)
Belle & Sebastian - Don't Leave The Light On Baby
John Cale - Heartbreak Hotel, or (I Keep A) Close Watch (live from Fragments of a Rainy Season
Cocteau Twins - oh dammit, I can't decide... ella megalast burls forever is what I played on my birthday Utility Fog the other night, so maybe that? Does HTML markup work or did I fuck that up?
Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Raincoat
Nick Drake - River Man / Fruit Tree
Elliott Smith - Waltz #2 (lots of other choices, but hey...)
Bobbie Gentry - Ode To Billie Joe
Talk Talk - The Rainbow/Eden/Desire, or your choice from Spirit of Eden or Laughing Stock...
Heligoland (astounding Tim Friese-Greene solo thing) - Bluebird
Machine Translations - Out To Sea
The Tall Dwarfs - The Slide
The Triffids - Tender Is The Night (The Long Fidelity)
Tom Waits - Cold Cold Ground / Yesterday Is Here
Mara Carlyle - Lost To Sea (etc)

I'm thinking about Tori Amos, the Clouds (or Jodi Phillis), and various other favourite artists, but... have they written really "beautiful" songs, as opposed to kick-ass, or moving, or...? I'm not sure.

Electronic/post-rock:
Aphex Twin - the suggestions above seem fine to me ;)
Autechre - eutow / that last track from Envane I think...
Boards of Canada - Everything You Do is a Balloon (this used to move me to tears, just like the Ravel above)
Dom & Roland - City (yes, it samples Badalamenti's City Of Lost Children soundtrack, but I think its beauty is down to the use within a drum'n'bass track)
Four Tet - And They All Look Broken Hearted (etc)
Fridge - Cut Up Piano And Xylophone
Funckarma - Lignite (from Part 5 12")
Gescom - Sciew Spoc
Global Communication - any choice from Pentamerous Metamorphosis, 76:14 (12:18 listed above may do the trick!)
Hood - too many to list! There must be one or two to pick out, but I can't think right now
Dntel - Suddenly Is Sooner Than You Think
Mia Doi Todd - Growing Pains (Dntel remix)
Plaid - Manyme (feat Mara Carlyle!) / Eyen
Squarepusher - Tundra
µ-Ziq (did that come out right? or:) µ-Ziq vs the Auteurs - Lenny Valentino 3 (1st track on the CD)
b.fleischmann - Take your time (esp last section)

Jazz/klezmer/gypsy
The Necks - Hanging Gardens / Mosquito (well I'm loving it right now)
Tin Hat Trio - anything from the last three albums? ;)
John Zorn - argh, not enough time to search through; one of the Masada String Trio ones from Bar Kokhba or Circle Maker probs
Kroke - Tzigoyner Tantz or... or...

...and I'm running out of steam. That'll do. Uh.

mahler 2 is really good!

(this is a shameful list cos it's basically what i would have answered in high school but then I still think the three are on the money.)

joy division 'atmosphere'
isaac hayes 'walk on by'
the cocteau twins 'cherry coloured funk'
prince 'sometimes it snows in april' (prince has probably been involved in a quarter of the 100 most beautiful)
johnny cash 'hurt'
depeche mode 'enjoy the silence'
jimmy cliff 'many rivers to cross'
primal scream 'come together'
bjork 'joga'
the beach boys 'matchpoint of our love'
daft punk 'digital love'

PJ Harvey "Sweeter Than Anything"
Pet Shop Boys "Rent"
Tindersticks "Trouble every day"
Depeche Mode "Lie to me"

But Cocteau Twins owns this thread. "Carolyn's Fingers" and "Whales Tails" in particular.

It might have been withdrawn, or limited to the first pressing, or something.

For a new nomination from a reoccuring band.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm pretty sure Run2 was a single in the UK - in fact, I know it was, because I've got it.
It might have been withdrawn, or limited to the first pressing, or something.

-- coco (coli...), January 24th, 2005.
you're lucky to get this.
is it diferent to the cd mix ?
we're both right.
it was withdrawn....according to official site

I'm not even sure how it's possible that neither has been mentioned already

I'm doing a 'songs that, in the right circumstances, in the right company, can make me cry like a baby' CDR at the the moment.

also, the correct V.U. song is "Jesus."

or Afterhours.

oh shit and Thelonious Monk's "This Is My Story, This Is My Song"

OTM.