My Own Soundtrack (Shove It)

(Yet another piece that originally appeared in The Stall)

Everyone has those songs that they never skip over when they come up on their iTunes shuffle. The myriad of reasons that people like a particular song can range from something as mundane as a catchy bass line to more meaningful reasons like the back story of the song is just like an experience that some person may have had at some point or another in their life.

It’s been said the music that a person is an extension of their personality. My choices are no different as each song represents not only a different aspect of my personality but also a different point in my life. With all of that being said, here are my five favorite songs of all time, in no particular order.

The third single off of their 1987 album, “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me,” The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” is a song that manages to be both whimsical and haunting at the same time. The song is one of my favorites because not only the awesome musicianship of the band but the lyrics as well, which tell a story of real, heartfelt romance. This song also reminds me of that stupid crush that everyone had that during their freshman year of high school. The one that you hoped would last but knew it wouldn’t but when you look back on it, you can’t help but crack a smile.

Queen is an iconic band and “Bohemian Rhapsody” is their iconic song. The song was written by late front man Freddie Mercury for their 1975 album “A Night At The Opera” This song melds together rock and opera in such a perfect way that it will remembered for generations to come. This song opened my eyes (or ears, depending on how you want to look or hear it) to new and interesting genres of music and Queen is one of the few bands me and my parents agree on.

Furthermore, the song not only had the first promotional video but also was the catalyst for one of the funniest scenes in Wayne’s World in addition to being one of the only songs that countless bands have tried to rip off but can’t. What do you think Green Day was trying to do when they wrote “Jesus Of Suburbia?”

The second single off of Alkaline Trio’s 2001 album “From Here To Infirmary”, “Private Eye” is the antithesis of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.” With lyrics like “New Year's Eve was as boring as heaven. I watched flies fuck on Channel 11. There was no one to kiss; there was nothing to drink except some old rotten milk someone left in the sink,” you can feel the loneliness that everyone experiences at some point growing up. The song also highlights the eternal optimism that comes with growing up with the line “Maybe someday I'll find me a suspect that has no alibi.”

“Hey Jude” is another song that is considered one of the greatest songs ever written. It truly shows off the sheer songwriting genius that Paul McCartney has. This song has stuck with me not only because The Beatles are the greatest band ever but also the four summers I spent working at the Driftwood Cabana Club in Sea Bright. Not only was it my very first job, I met a whole bunch of really cool people, some of which I was actually able to keep in touch with.

The reason why “Hey Jude” has become synonymous with those four summers is because one late August night where my co-worker Stef tricked me into singing the entire song. That being said, I miss that time of my life. So much hilarious stuff happened.

The final song is Bayside’s “Devotion And Desire” which is off of their 2005 self-titled record. This song really represents all of the inner anxiety and depression post-high school. The second verse of the song, which has the lines “Situation's unbearable, I've gotten vulnerable. Now anyone is free to waltz right in. My temple's been invaded and there's nobody guarding it. All over this lonely life but what's so wrong with being all alone? Alone's the only way I've ever known,” sum up best all of the anxiety and loneliness that I’ve use to feel. Feelings which held me back so far for so long.

So why like this song if it dredges up memories of old feelings, you may ask? There’s a couple of reasons. One because it’s simply an amazing and two, this will be something that I’ll have to deal with for the rest of my life and I shouldn’t have to be ashamed of all that it took to get to the point.

I guess what I’m trying to say with all this is that the music that a person likes is partially influenced by their childhood and their surroundings. Not exactly earth-shattering I know but when you think about it, it makes much more sense.