I’ve been trying to find a way to incorporate more music into my blog, since it’s what I listen to every time I write a post. I think I found the solution. Please give this a chance.
With every song I hear, there are thoughts that come to mind. Maybe I remember the first time I heard it. Maybe it brings up a certain time in my life. Maybe it reminds me of a memory, person, place, thing, food, funny story, or a Blockbuster Video.
Regardless, I feel like sharing those thoughts.
So this is what I’m going to do. My list of songs has been put on shuffle. I’m going to hit next, write down the name of the song, and share with you the thoughts that come to mind.
I have no clue how many songs I’ll do, so I’ll stop when I feel like it. Keep track of how many songs you recognize and let me know in the comments section. The person with the most is my honorary best friend for the day.
1. A Thousand Miles – Vanessa Carlton
What a gem to start off with. This song always seemed to come on the radio as I was going home from a softball game when I was a kid. I remember one night, in particular, it was raining and for the duration of the song I watched the raindrops on the window race each other to the bottom. Raise your hand if you used to do that.
I’m willing to bet that fewer than two people will know what this song is. This is the old theme song to Friday Night Smackdown. If you don’t follow wrestling, you’ve probably skipped to #3 by now.
3. Not Ready To Make Nice – Dixie Chicks
Should I be embarrassed to have this song? I’ve always been self-conscience about admitting to like certain songs for some reason. Regardless, I first heard this song on American Idol when I was a young lad and really liked how the contestant sang it. Fight me.
4. If It Means A Lot To You – A Day To Remember
I can probably credit blogger Meghan for me finding this song. I remember she mentioned this band on her blog, so I looked it up and came across this one.
5. Shut Up And Dance – Walk The Moon
This was big in 2014. I don’t know many people who didn’t like this song.
I think I heard this song in some sort of sports montage video in 2016. But I remember it coming on my iPod as I walked 40 minutes in downtown Toronto to a charity softball tournament last summer. My calves were screaming.
First heard this song in high school. Over the last few weeks I’ve been listening to this song quite a bit. I finally took the time to read the lyrics and figure out what it means. Plus the live versions on YouTube are fantastic.
First heard this song in Madden 2004. It was menu music. It always got me pumped up. Or as pumped up as a 12 year old can get while sitting down.
As someone who “hails from the six”, you’d think I’d be a big fan of Drake. I’m not. This song, though, I heard at a hockey game during pre-game warmups. It got me going. But beyond this, I couldn’t care less about his music. And I hate how Toronto is called “The Six”.
10. The Maple Leaf Forever – Anne Murray
Anne Murray sang this song during the closing ceremony of Maple Leaf Gardens in 1999 when I was 8, why wouldn’t I have this song? It’s a good song. It could probably be our second national anthem.
I listened to this song on repeat while reading Ronda Rousey’s book at the end of 2015. I don’t know why. It just worked. Like butter and bread.
12. Handwritten – The Gaslight Anthem
This was definitely recommended to me by my best friend Chris. A lot of my poetry comes from listening to this band. I like songs with many different words. This is one of those.
My favourite line is: “Here in the dark I cherish the moonlight, I’m in love with the way you’re in love with the night.” I used a variation of that line in one of my older poems.
13. Bat out of Hell – Meatloaf
Every time a Meatloaf song comes on, I say to myself, “Meatloaf smells like feet loaf” which I stole from a movie or television show. When I was a kid, my dad only had one CD in the car – Meatloaf. So when I got tired of the radio, he would put the CD in and this 10-minute juggernaut of a song would come on.
14. Broken – Seether
This screams high school to me, for no other reason than that’s probably when I heard it first. I like how the female vocals overlay the male vocals in the song at certain points. Who doesn’t?
This song made me feel like it was okay to pull all-nighters in university to complete assignments because if a song could be named “3AM” then I could do work at 3AM. The reasoning makes no sense, but have you met me? I don’t make sense.
Found this song while doing a Grade 11 Media Studies project. We had to analyze a recent song, but I had leeway with the teacher and figured I’d dig up an old song and ask if I could analyze that instead. My teacher read the lyrics and said, “I like it. It has a ‘seize the day’ theme to it”. I said, “Yup. That’s what I was going for.” I really had no clue, but when the teacher does your work for you, you go with it.
17. Stray Paper – The Gaslight Anthem
Again, wouldn’t have found this one if Chris hadn’t kept mentioning this band for years and years. I listen to this song when I’m writing poetry, sometimes. I like the structuring of the second half of the song.
This song played in an episode of One Tree Hill, I think, which I was binge watching a couple of months ago.
19. From Where You Are – Lifehouse
Man, what a sad song. I had to check when I added it, and it was exactly when I thought it was. It was a couple of weeks after I started this blog in the summer of 2013. I had graduated from school and found myself missing everything and everyone. That eventually lead me to write my first featured post: I Miss School, Already, a month later.
20. Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler
I can’t remember the first time I heard this song, but it was a long time ago. At one point in high school, I’m pretty sure I knew every line that started with “every now and then” which is basically the whole song. What a tune. Every now and then I fall aparrrrt. Okay, I’m done.
21. The Real Slim Shady – Eminem
This is from elementary school, when people grew their hair out and let their pants down too low. It was a weird time. If you ever try rapping Eminem songs to yourself, you’ll quickly run out of breath (trust me), which makes what he does even more impressive.
If anyone knows this song, I want to ask you why and how. This is from Madden 09. A lot of songs I have are from video games.
Pretty sure blogger Jess suggested this one.
24. She’s So High – Tal Bachman
I have this song for pure nostalgic reasons. It is so 1999 and that’s what I like about it.
This was in NBA 2k10. BUT the band played at my university in 2009, however, because I had no clue who they were, I didn’t go see them.
This was the theme song to a WWE pay-per-view event back in 2005 or 2006. It’s amazing what I remember, isn’t it? The music video starts out with a guy in an airplane but as the camera zooms out, you see it’s a fake airplane. That sentence came out more boring than I imagined it would.
This was the song used in the closing video montage of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. I liked it then. I like it now. You should like it too. Just one of those homey songs.
28. The Kill – 30 Seconds To Mars
I discovered this song, and this band, in April 2010 during a really bittersweet time. The best school year of my life was coming to an end and all my friends in residence were moving out and it hit me that things would never be the same. This band got me through that period, and a lot more since then.
My mom really likes this song. I’m a good son. What more do you want to know?
Discovered this song in March 2013 and included it in the final presentation of my university career. Our theme was “Take A Walk with the Ice Dogs”. If you don’t follow junior hockey, you’ll have no clue what that means.
31. Where The Streets Have No Name – U2
If you ask me what my favourite song is, I’ll say this one is tied in first with about three others. U2 sung it at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2002 as a list of names of victims from 9/11, scrolled behind them. I also used this song in a Grade 12 Religion presentation. We had to pick a song and explain its meaning.
I’m going to stop at 31, just in case I do this again. And because it’s long enough.
If you would like to steal this idea, go for it! This is my subtle way of finding new music without straight up asking for it.
What’s funny is that I’m pretty sure I started a blog post exactly like this years ago, but I don’t think I finished it? I can’t really remember haha BUT YAY to Ophelia. I remember suggesting that one and Cleopatra and I was so proud of myself that I found you two songs you semi-bitterly admitted to liking.
I know 15/31, which means I will most likely not be your honorary best friend for the day. Sad. BUT some of my favorites you mentioned were #19 – I could fall asleep to that song, and #28 – a girl I used to dance with did a contemporary solo to this song and it was awesome.
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Well so far you’re the only one who’s commented sooo you’re winning by default. What is a contemporary solo and how is it different than any other dance solo? I’ve always wondered.
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Lolol wooooooo! Someone will eventually beat me for sure. Contemporary dance is very complicated to explain. You’ll have to YouTube it haha
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Oh God.
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This is so sad! I’m only in love with a few of them!
First of all) “A Thousand Miles” classic 🙂
Second) “Not Ready to Make Nice” ahahahaha yes! I would sing it when I was little and never knew what it meant…till I was older. I’m gonna listen to it after I finish commenting.
Three) “Bright” 🙂 Oh I love that song so much. I actually heard it when I was a Residential Assistant at Summer Camp in 2015!!!
So, that’s my short list. I’m sure I heard some of the others, but I didn’t jump like crazy when I saw them okay? Haha good list.
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If there were three songs on here that I could’ve guessed you’d like, it would probably be those three haha. Don’t feel bad. I’m sure I have a lot more songs you like, they just didn’t pop up when I did this!
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“Hate Me” was popular the summer after my sophomore year of college. Every other person I was friends with on MySpace had it as their profile song. I can never hear that song anymore without thinking of the horrible breakup I went through that summer.
I also remember U2’s Super Bowl performance of “Where the Streets Have No Name.” Really powerful.
“Right Now” was our Homecoming theme song one year; it was perfect.
“She’s So High” reminds me of the final summer I practically lived at our town’s public pool and the final summer of an amazing decade. It was such a perfect tune for that time of year, too…a good song to blast with the windows down.
I’m familiar with most of the other songs, but the ones I mentioned stand out the most for me.
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Hate Me does seem like such a MySpace song haha. I always like hearing the first 50 seconds or so of Right Now. If the whole song were instrumental, I wouldn’t mind.
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Same here! “Right Now” also was used for a Crystal Pepsi commercial (which was either before my time or I was too young to notice, I can’t recall). Of course, it is on YouTube. And of course, it is super cheesy.
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Cool! And you were right, the Smashing Pumpkins cover of Landslide was good.
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What can I say, I have good taste. 😉 My husband calls me a music snob. I will neither confirm nor deny that claim.
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Oh, one more thing I’ll mention is that if you’ve never heard the Smashing Pumpkins’ cover of “Landslide,” you absolutely must. It is hauntingly beautiful.
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I’ll check it out! I like the Smashing Pumpkins, or at least a song or two of theirs.
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I knew 21 of these. I’m not going to fight to be your bff because I already know I am duh! I was hardcore jamming to If It Means A Lot To You in my car an hour ago! ADTR also played that at their concert this summer! Ah! I didn’t realize you write poetry to gaslight anthem. That’s awesome. Brian Fallon needs to go back on tour. Okay bye. Remind me on Monday to steal this blog idea. I don’t have my computer rn
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Bff4lyfe (or is that redundant?). I’m picturing you shaking your head back and forth and not focusing on the road haha. Last I saw on Fallon’s instagram was he was touring by himself somewhere with members of his different bands but I’m not sure. I’ll send you an overly excited reminder on Monday.
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Last time I saw he was overseas
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I’m pretty sure I only know 7 of these – by name, anyway. I didn’t go listen to all of them. I am currently listening to the Lifehouse one, since I like them – and the name didn’t ring a bell.
I like the real reason you did this “This is my subtle way of finding new music without straight up asking for it.”
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7!? Well I think that officially puts you in 3rd place, which isn’t terrible – still on the podium. Lol sometimes I’m too honest about my ulterior motives for some of these blog posts.
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Too honest – no such thing.
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I’m way not in the running for BFFTD as I only recognized that one dance song from 2014 that I know one line from. My playlists apparently look a lot different than yours, lol. I am, however, raising my hand and waving it in the air BUT I DO CARE because I still love raindrop races.
I really want to do this post soooo thanks for the idea 🙂
Squid
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That’s ok, bonus marks for raindrop races though! I’m curious to see your list.
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This is such a great idea, love it and your song choices.
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Thank you!!
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3am is one of my absolute favorite songs. Did you know that it’s about Rob’s (he and I are on a first name basis) mother and the time he spent caring for her while she had cancer?
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I did not know that! I just read the lyrics and they make sense now. Thanks for sharing that!
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U2 is one of my favorite bands ever and is heavily featured on my favorite songs list, which I usually shuffle, too. I’ve never heard of some of these songs (ok, ok, I know I’m old), don’t like some of the artists, but love some of the others. And yes, you’ve given me an idea for a blog post. As music makes us remember an event, this post made me think of how I view music. Fleetwood Mac is an early favorite of mine and I like every song Eminen has done.
What is interesting to my, but should be obvious, is how many songs on your list are linked to sports events. Nice post!
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A lot of songs I like are from hearing them at sporting events, hearing them in montage videos or from video games. And since I only ever got sports video games, there are a lot from there. I guess we didn’t play the same video games Barb! Hahaha. Otherwise we’d know more of the same songs. Though I’ll admit, this song wasn’t a great representation of what I listen to since I did this randomly.
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What’s a video game? KIDDING!
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Well for starters, it’s not even a video! #VHS
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#beta ?
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Worse?
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Ha
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Y’all, I’m so lame. The only song I knew was Shut Up And Dance which is my JAM!!! I was with a big group of girls the other day and it came on on the radio. There was a party going. We were singing and clapping and I wish they made vans with a dance floor and disco balls. We had the best time. We weren’t holding back 🙂 (that was a lame attempt to try and be punny)
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