The Song That Makes Men Cry

Real men cry. Not at movies or weddings but at important stuff: a shocking playoff upset, the cruelty of a blind referee, a perfectly executed pick-and-roll. This is the secret behind the NBA's "Where Amazing Happens" ad campaign, which sets still frames of basketball stars to a slowly building piano piece called EVERYDAY by Carly Comando. If fans are fish and the NBA is a barrel, Everyday is the bullet. The song was originally composed as the sound track for a viral video in which photographer Noah Kalina cut together pictures of himself taken in an identical pose over several years. Removed from images, the 6-min. track (available at iTunes) is a George Winston knockoff—New Age piano music perfect for contemplating autumn's arrival, though not too deeply. But with images, Everyday becomes musical tofu, taking on the flavor of whatever emotions are expressed by the visuals. Its fuliginous keystrokes, slowly building in intensity without getting intense enough to be distracting, are made for montage. Play it behind whatever gets your tears going—puppies, babies, power forwards—and let the waterworks begin.