I had a blast repping Brick all month! We didn’t get the gold but I look better in silver anyway. And for my post game snack, you better believe I’m eating one of these Brick cookies. Great game, @mfitejohnson.bsky.social! 🧱

March Xmas 2026@marchxness.bsky.social · 5mo ago

THAT'S THE BUZZER! MARCH SADNESS 90S EDITION HAS CROWNED A NEW CHAMPION! FINAL SCORE: CELINE DION, "My Heart Will Go On" and @mfitejohnson.bsky.social 784, Ben Folds Five, "Brick" and @cicilybennion.bsky.social 474. Congratulations to both our finalists for an outstanding game.

“When Folds sings ‘she’s a brick’ and he’s ‘drowning slowly,’ I can’t help but wonder if the song is being fair, if there is not some way to take more ownership for the events unfolding.” @cicilybennion.bsky.social has my vote! marchxness.com#/sadnesscham... @marchxness.bsky.social

March Sadness 90s Edition

A yearly March Madness-style tournament of essays about songs we love (and occasionally loathe)

marchxness.com

Aahhh!! The final! Got too busy & fell behind on March Sadness! but I’m back to say that both are great essays, so I’m going with the song for my final vote. Ben Folds holds a special place in my heart for being a good song storyteller & Brick has always gutted me.

March Xmas 2026@marchxness.bsky.social · 5mo ago

THE March Sadness National Championship: (6) Ben Folds Five's "Brick" & @cicilybennion.bsky.social against (1) Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" & @mfitejohnson.bsky.social! Listen to the songs! Read the essays! Which is the saddest? YOU DECIDE (by 9am AZ time 3/31): marchxness.com#/sadnesscham...

MARCH SADNESS 90S EDITION CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCORES, 145’ TO PLAY: My Heart Will Go On 750, Brick 436 Folds gonna need some magic to pull a comeback for the ages. Could it still happen? Listen, read, vote by 9am AZ / Noon Eastern at marchxness.com#/sadnesscham...

It’s mid-morning where I live and I’ve spread the word about my @marchxness.bsky.social essay on Brick to everyone and in every way I know. The game is not over, but it does feel now as if it’s out of my hands. We’re down by over 300 votes, but I can honestly say I’m happy.

I'm prrrrrrobably Team Brick in the @marchxness.bsky.social final—but I AM considering how the clock-punching professionalism of "Heart" leaves empty space that listeners can fill w/ their own emotional stuff w/o feeling like they're trespassing or piggybacking. That ain't nothin'!

March Xmas 2026@marchxness.bsky.social · 5mo ago

THE March Sadness National Championship: (6) Ben Folds Five's "Brick" & @cicilybennion.bsky.social against (1) Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" & @mfitejohnson.bsky.social! Listen to the songs! Read the essays! Which is the saddest? YOU DECIDE (by 9am AZ time 3/31): marchxness.com#/sadnesscham...

I was starting to wonder where we were going and then whoa! Would watch a baking channel where the treats are all Xness themed.

If you are looking to vote for an underdog, may I submit Brick?

March Xmas 2026@marchxness.bsky.social · 5mo ago

MARCH SADNESS 90S EDITION CHAMPIONSHIP HALFTIME SCORE My Heart Will Go On 679, Brick 360 Big lead for Celine but we've seen Brick do numbers in the second half. We'll be watching. Vote by 9am AZ time / NOON Eastern 3/31 at marchxness.com

What does it take to make the Final Four? On the March Sadness 90s Edition Championship day, a giant THANK YOU to all who supported me & my essay about "You Had Time." As a last token of this tournament, I offer this glimpse into the past 4 months of my life. youtube.com/shorts/BfGN6...

March Sadness 90s edition - What does it take to reach the Final Four?

YouTube video by Susanna Donato

youtube.com

As promised, I am following up with a part 2. Watch me nearly have a breakdown over frosting color! (And then get it exactly right, all because I want you to vote for Brick). @marchxness.bsky.social youtu.be/NXcKfXGE78s

Vote for Brick (Part 2)

YouTube video by Cicily Bennion

youtu.be

Yes I did.

March Xmas 2026@marchxness.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Enjoying this shade from Cicily Bennion's video this am which is simultaneously cast on Canada and the US: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKLf...

"My Heart Will Go On" is unironically one of my favorite songs of all time, but I'm voting "Brick" in @marchxness.bsky.social due to Cicily's incredible essay & Mormon-girl solidarity marchxness.com#/sadnesscham...

March Sadness 90s Edition

A yearly March Madness-style tournament of essays about songs we love (and occasionally loathe)

marchxness.com

This is amazing and I wish I’d planned it.

Aaron Wolfson@awolfson.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Just discovered that if you put on Whatever and Ever Amen and immediately start reading @cicilybennion.bsky.social's fantastic essay on "Brick" you will (at my pace at least) reach the paragraph where she introduces the song at *exactly the moment* it starts playing.

Here’s the snapshot I almost used as my author photo for this @marchxness.bsky.social tourney. It is the essayist holding a doll of her own likeness. Too on the nose? We’re down by a lot, but it’s not too late to vote for Brick! marchxness.com#/sadnesscham...

cicilybennion.bsky.social@cicilybennion.bsky.social · 5mo ago

BEFORE YOU VOTE in today's championship game, here are some late night baking thoughts for your consideration. (Hang tight for part two, coming later today). Vote for Brick! youtu.be/OKLfpx5G6hs @marchxness.bsky.social

he's a brick and she'd be drowning slowly

This final feels pretty inevitable to me, especially as an Xennial. Both essays are so good, and so sad, and this is a true 90s heartbreaker of a matchup. My Heart Will Go On is iconic, but Brick devastated an entire generation, and still makes me cry every time. I've gotta go Brick for the win.

March Xmas 2026@marchxness.bsky.social · 5mo ago

THE March Sadness National Championship: (6) Ben Folds Five's "Brick" & @cicilybennion.bsky.social against (1) Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" & @mfitejohnson.bsky.social! Listen to the songs! Read the essays! Which is the saddest? YOU DECIDE (by 9am AZ time 3/31): marchxness.com#/sadnesscham...

Just gonna leave this here for anyone still on the fence in this round of @marchxness.bsky.social

I was profoundly moved by @cicilybennion.bsky.social’s take on Brick, and it made me appreciate the song in a way I never had before. I’d never liked it; the narrator is kind of whiny and i assumed it was about divorce or something. But the essay offers a powerful take on it

Let’s gooooo!

March Xmas 2026@marchxness.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Two songs and essays remain. They've bested all opponents. They've survived close games. (6) Ben Folds Five's "Brick" and @cicilybennion.bsky.social took out (11) Skid Row, (14) Mazzy Star, (7) Sade, (5) Bush, and (13) Ani DiFranco to get here. Now they're up against their toughest opponent.

THE March Sadness National Championship: (6) Ben Folds Five's "Brick" & @cicilybennion.bsky.social against (1) Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" & @mfitejohnson.bsky.social! Listen to the songs! Read the essays! Which is the saddest? YOU DECIDE (by 9am AZ time 3/31): marchxness.com#/sadnesscham...

BEFORE YOU VOTE in today's championship game, here are some late night baking thoughts for your consideration. (Hang tight for part two, coming later today). Vote for Brick! youtu.be/OKLfpx5G6hs @marchxness.bsky.social

Vote for Brick (Part One)

YouTube video by Cicily Bennion

youtu.be

You guys, it has my name on there! It’s like the letterman jacket I never had.

March Xmas 2026@marchxness.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Ok while we're getting tomorrow's Championship Game ready we just dropped some new merch in the merch store: the I Heart Sad Songs and I Cannot Lie / Final Four shirt (feat. this year's Final Four) + 2 Sadness Mugs (a camping mug and a ceramic one): marchxness.com/merch

And allow us to remind you that it's release week for Hit Repeat Until I Hate Music: the March Xness anthology. It's like this whole tournament got shrunk down into book form! Thanks to @splitlippress.com for bringing this beauty into the world: www.splitlippress.com/product-page...

As we get pumped for the @marchxness.bsky.social Sadness Big Game & process the news that the next tournament will be March Xmas, it seems fitting that "Brick" made the final since it is also—forgive me if this is obvious—a Christmas song.

Erin Keane@erinkeane.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Ben Folds Five vs Queen Celine in the Final! Now there’s a GAME.

Ben Folds Five vs Queen Celine in the Final! Now there’s a GAME.

March Xmas 2026@marchxness.bsky.social · 5mo ago

MARCH SADNESS 90S EDITION FINAL FOUR FINAL SCORE BEN FOLDS FIVE 389, Ani DiFranco 348 ! The championship is set for MONDAY. Until then, stay strong!

Wow, good game @susannadonato.bsky.social! You had me dropping everything at IKEA and going deeeep in my contacts to dig up some votes. I loved your essay and covers. Just sorry we’re not both moving on 💛

March Xmas 2026@marchxness.bsky.social · 5mo ago

MARCH SADNESS 90S EDITION FINAL FOUR FINAL SCORE BEN FOLDS FIVE 389, Ani DiFranco 348 ! The championship is set for MONDAY. Until then, stay strong!

Hello @marchxness.bsky.social people! I made this account and sang this song in the hope that it would persuade you to vote for Brick. Let's take it to the championship! Big thanks to @elainehickb.bsky.social and my brother Kimball for doing all the heavy lifting with the music. youtu.be/v6eMu-Tm6Cs

March Xness Brick Cover

YouTube video by Cicily Bennion

youtu.be

Waiting for all the @marchxness.bsky.social peeps to wake up and start voting like:

All right everyone, it’s time to get your vote for Brick in. We are only 16 down! And Brick is sad! Really, really sad! @marchxness.bsky.social

March Xmas 2026@marchxness.bsky.social · 5mo ago

MARCH SADNESS 90S EDITION FINAL FOUR HALFTIME SCORE You Had Time 226, Brick 210 Close, hard-fought game here by two essays and songs that have shown their quality throughout the tourney. It's anyone's game. Vote by 9am AZ time SAT at marchxness.com

I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow being hyped when my older brothers say something nice about me. Fun fact: Kimball also put his name in the lottery this year for @marchxness.bsky.social, but my name got drawn and his didn’t. Probably for the best. A house divided, etc.

Kimball (is cool)@kimball.bsky.social · 5mo ago

There is a March Madness bracket for essays about sad songs from the '90s and my extremely talented sister's essay about "Brick" made it to the final four. Go to marchxness.com and vote for it! @marchxness.bsky.social