Music and Lyrics

"We cling to music, to poems, to quotes, to writing, to art because we desperately do not want to be alone. We want to know we aren't going crazy and someone else out there knows exactly how you are feeling. We want someone to explain the things we can't."

-Unknown 

Music and lyrics. There are so many ways to compose them, to convey them, to hear them, to feel them. Music takes on many forms; classical to rock to rap to country to r&b to pop to punk and everything in between. Lyrics are written to express what words cannot; scorned lovers, feel-good-moments, deep sadness, heartache, even politics. Music and lyrics are created to inspire, to move people to take a stand, to help people feel less alone.

Music and lyrics soothe the soul. Or at least they do that for me.

My first year of college, I took an advanced writing course and to this day, it was by far the best class I have ever taken. The theme was "Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll". We were given writing assignments based on themes of sex (contraception and the controversies of sex education), drugs (should they be legalized and how do they influence music), and rock and roll (how sex and drugs combine to create music and in what ways does music influence people in general). We watched Pink Floyd's The Wall in class and analyzed its' hidden meanings. But the best assignment was one of our two finals: we had to compile a list of our musical tastes over the years, create a playlist of the songs, and document how music made us feel and why it was influential to us. I learned so much about my classmates; the quirky kid who listened to techno was bullied when he was younger until he started going to raves with his friends while the quiet, "boho-chic" girl found herself through writing and composing her own songs. But most importantly, I learned a lot about myself.

Music was an outlet for me. A living, breathing entity that said what I simply could not.

I learned that music was closely related to my emotions and personality development; my tastes evolved as I grew up. My final presentation sectioned my "musical life" into three separate eras: Disney/Pop music, "Emo/Punk" music, and "Country". When I was younger, I was incredibly family oriented; we watched a lot of movies together, kept to ourselves, and relished our once upon a time Disney trip. We lived and breathed family time and subsequently my favorite genres were Disney songs and then gradually pop songs. "Can't Wait to Be King" from the Lion King lifted my spirits while the soundtrack to Beauty and the Beast gave me visions of a future me exploring Paris and having my own library (still waiting for that btw). As I transitioned to middle and high school, I became "less" family oriented. I was angry at my mom for being too strict, for my dad being too absent, for my sister for being the one who got away with everything, for always having to be the responsible one. I experienced a lot of rebellion, got into a lot of trouble, and found solace in bands like Sum 41 and Simple Plan. "Welcome to My Life" spoke to me about feeling different while "Fat Lip" gave me a reason to be angry and rock out; I still remember how those songs made me feel and how I loved to listen to them laying on my bedroom floor feeling angry at the world. Then my senior year, I finally figured out who my "fake" friends were and how far I had reached to "try to fit in"; it was also the year I fell in love. I met my (now) husband and he showed me exactly what adoration felt like; he showered me in gifts, terms of endearment, and provided me with a sense of freedom. He also reintroduced me to country music; soon "Good Morning Beautiful" by Steve Holy became my anthem (Chris sang it for me after spending our first night together) and "Friends in Low Places" was my favorite song to sing and dance to at the bar. 

Music became my solace in those years. And it never stopped being a way to express myself.

Today, I listen to everything. I still belt out the lyrics to country songs, I have been to Fall Out Boy concerts, the pop-country station is one of my favorites, and jazz music helps me relax while I do school work. I still am not a fan of "screaming" music, rap, or classical. I don't have a specific category of songs that I listen to, but music is still one of my favorite outlets. I have a playlist for when I blog, I have Saturday dance parties in my room while I get ready, music is always blaring when I bake, and when I am feeling sad, I listen to songs that make me cry. It is the easiest way for me to feel connected to others.

Music and lyrics are so important to me.

Therefore, Day Two of Mindfulness, will revolve around music for me. I have a running playlist on YouTube that I titled "Feeling Up" and it just so happens to have 15 songs on it, which makes today's writing prompt perfect. Feel free to look up these songs on your own or to access my playlist by clicking the link attached above (click on "Feeling Up").

Build a List of 15 Songs that Can Help Change Your Mood

1. "High Hopes" - Panic at the Disco (I know, "played out", but it always makes me want to shout the lyrics)
2. "Most Girls" - Hailee Steinfeld (A great feel-good anthem that never fails to make me feel good about myself)
3. "Renegades" - X Ambassadors (I guess I still feel a little rebellion inside)
4. "Gives You Hell" - The All American Rejects (If you don't shout these lyrics, then we cannot be friends 😉)
5. "Shut Up and Dance" - Walk the Moon (Such a fun song and I love to dance)
6. "One Foot" - Walk the Moon (Love this band and they always make the best songs to sing along to)
7. "Jumpin' Jumpin" - Destiny's Child (Because you cannot take the 90s out of the girl)
8. "Semi-Charmed Life" - Third Eye Blind (See above. Also, no explanation needed)
9. "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" - Nine Days (Something about tragically different and beautifully broken always gets to me)
10. "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" - Fall Out Boy (This band will always have a special place in my heart - they were my first concert and their original sound was so much better than everything else at the time)
11. "Good Girls Go Bad" - Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester (The ultimate "club" song and also, Cobra Starship performed with Fall Out Boy at my first concert)
12. "1985" - Bowling for Soup (Honestly, one of the most underrated bands out there. This song is pure gold and perfect for anyone who loves the 80s)
13. "Party People" - Florida Georgia Line (A great song to sing to and this band has the ultimate blend of thoughtful and party songs)
14. "(I'm Gonna) Party Like a Rockstar" - JTX (Probably a one-hit wonder but this song is brilliant and makes me want to be a rockstar who smashes things in my hotel room)
15. "Timber" - Pitbull ft. Kesha ("It's going down, I'm yelling tiiiiimmmber" - don't you already want to dance and rap to all of Pitbull's lyrics?!)

Music and lyrics are magical. What songs make you feel alive?!