Thursday, August 16, 2012

I Think You Should Know Thursday

For this special edition of I Think You Should Know Thursday, I am doing the "Six Songs of Me" which was recently featured in an NPR article. The article quoted another article from The Guardian where scientists are asking music lovers six questions to try and understand the nature of why we love music and what music defines us. Since music has played such a central part in my blog, I thought I would take part.
1.) What was the first song you ever bought?
I honestly don't know the answer to that question. I am sure many people in my parents generation and older can point to specific albums, but it makes me sad to say I cannot remember mine. I would say it is likely that it was a Britney Spears album, namely Oops...I Did It Again. Hey, I'm a kid of the 90's so you can hardly blame me. I also think my love for the singer had something to do with our shared first name. "Lucky" was my favorite song, I used to sing and act out the lyrics with my sister.
2.) What song always gets you dancing?
I cannot help but dance when I hear the song "Lisztomania" by Phoenix. There is just something I love about the song and the beat and the lyrics that don't quite make sense. It is so fun and happy. Phoenix is one of my favorite bands to listen to in the car because I love to wave my arms about and bop about...while driving.

3.) What song takes you back to your childhood?
My childhood was not that long ago, but the song that can take me back there is "Daughter" by Pearl Jam. I have a memory of singing that song while dancing around my living room table at a very young age. I did not know the real words at the time so I used to sing, "Fisher Price/$1.99" instead of "the picture kept will remind me." I blame my father for my eclectic tastes as a child.

4.) What is your perfect love song?
While I'm partial to "Your Song" by Elton John for a number of reasons, "All the Way" by Ole Blue Eyes himself is the perfect love song to me. I just think there is something so quintessentially romantic about Frank Sinatra's songs. For awhile now I have imagined walking down the aisle to this song which is one of the major reasons I find it so romantic. A honorable mention goes to "You and Me" by Lifehouse which held the spot as my favorite love song for many years. 

5.) What song would you want at your funeral?
This song is morbid, but a song I have always imagined during funeral scenes of films is "Hold My Hand as I'm Lowered" by Noah and the Whale. It has just the right amount of sadness and the lyrics are fitting for such an occasion.

6.) One song that makes you, you. 
I had a lot of trouble picking a song for this one. How can I possible pick a song that defines me? I did know one thing though, it had to be The Smiths. The Smiths are not only my second favorite band of all time, I feel like they define so much of what I feel on a daily basis: loneliness, awkwardness, the desire to be alone despite the loneliness because other people are annoying. One of the songs I have always felt defines me the best or at least explains how I feel a lot of the time is "Ask." The song talks about shyness preventing you from doing the things you want in life, which actually used to be a big problem for me. I used to be terribly shy, but college and some amazing friends have helped me come out of my shell in a big way. Still, I feel like this song is one of those that will always be special to me and remind me who I was. Honorable mention goes to "Just a Girl" by No Doubt for its message of girl power.