I suppose that with a Playlist titled, "You Can Only Listen To These Songs For The Rest Of Your Life" (and therefore, no other songs), it's almost the equivalent of "My Favourite Ever Songs" Playlist. But it's not quite the same. Especially if we cap the songs at a certain number, let's say 23, because, of course. I can have my 23 favourite songs of all-time (a list for another day), but that doesn't mean that I only want to hear these 23 songs for the rest of my life and no other songs.
What if all these songs are "happy" in nature, and I need an "emo" song? Or what if there aren't any songs that could hype me up? So if we're going to have 23 songs in this arbitrarily determined list, it needs to be an "all weather" type of playlist. Something for every occasion. Each song doesn't necessarily have to fit every occasion, but it needs to fit at least one occasion (ideally at least two). For instance, Kanye's "All Of The Lights" makes this list because there are very few songs that can both pump me up and make me feel wistful; versatility is key for this.
I haven't written a real blog post - op-eds don't count, since they're technically more "formal" or "serious" in nature - in ages, but just like when I restarted this blog to get back into the writing habit all those years ago, it started with music and it started with Blink 182. In a relatively similar moment, Blink 182 reunited after a long time; I got to see them live and it was a top three moment in my life. And they've just released a new album called ONE MORE TIME (caps are theirs, not mine). And I've been listening to it on repeat which has led me to think - If I could only listen to some songs for the rest of my life and only those songs, what would they be?
Hence, blog post!
I used to be ambitious, attempting to write two blog posts a week just to keep the habit going. I don't think I am going to be as ambitious or even as consistent. But if a neat idea strikes, who knows? Anyway, the only rule here is that I'm capping this at 23 songs. In terms of how the songs are selected, I'm going to have two criteria (at least this is what comes to mind for now), which are, "How much do I actually like this song on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being "I cannot imagine my life without this song" and 1 being anything from Simple Plan?" and which moods can these songs fit? So, in no particular order:
1. Oasis - Champagne Supernova
Which moods can this song fit? Really, any mood. I've listened to it in every possible mood. So it's as versatile as an be.
Favourite Lyric: "Someday you will find me / Caught beneath the landslide / In the Champagne Supernova in the sky"
2. Blink 182 - Dammit
How much do I actually like this song? This is also a 10. My favourite song by my favourite band, first introduced to me at age 13 by a friend who I still occasionally see (that being said, he isn't the "Someone who understands / Sees through the master plan"). Also fun fact; if ever someone put a gun to my head and said, "The only way you can save your own life is to sing a song - that isn't a Birthday song or a nursery rhyme - and get every single part of the lyrics right", I'd choose Dammit.
Which moods can this song fit? Emo (The amount of emo-ness and pining I've done over this song is extraordinary), Angry ("When he's gone, I won't come back"), Pumped Up
Favourite Lyric: "And it's happened once again / I'll turn to a friend / Someone that understands / Sees through the master plan / But everybody's gone / And I've been here for too long / To face this on my own / Well I guess this is growing up"
3. Blink 182 - Adam's Song
How much do I actually like this song? To no surprise, this is also a 10. The first time I listened to this song was on the Enema of the State album, which I had to buy twice, because someone "borrowed" my album and never returned it (is it "borrowing" if the person had zero intention to return it?; it was a fricking mistake bringing it for a party). But actually, it's presence on this list came as I grew up, possibly in the last 10 years of so, simply because of the favourite lyric below.
Which moods can this song fit? Emo (Duh), Melancholy, Exhaustion, Wanting-to-block-out-the-world-after-a-massive-event.
Favourite Lyric: "I never conquered, rarely came / Tomorrow holds such better days / Days when I'll still feel alive / When I can't wait to get outside / The world is wide / The time goes by / The tour was over, I'd survived / And I can't wait, till I get home / To pass the time in my room alone"
There are so many days where I really just can't wait till I got home to pass the time in my room alone.
4. Blink 182 - Man Overboard
We may as well get the Blink 182 ones out of the way because, as you can imagine, there are plenty of them.
How much do I actually like this song? Another 10. First heard it at the end of "The Mark, Tom and Travis Show" live album. I've lost a lot of friends; many of those situations are my fault, but not all of them. And this song helps me get through those times.
Which moods can this song fit? Emo (recurring theme here), Melancholy, minor Anger
Favourite Lyric: "There's so much more that I wanted and / There's so much more that I needed and / Time keeps moving on and on and on / Soon we'll all be gone"
5. Blink 182 - Pretty Little Girl
Which moods can this song fit? Emo, Romantic, Hopeful
Favourite Lyric: "It's a cry from the past / We have been through a lot / Every year has been great / And a few have been tough / And our kids they will reach for the stars up above / We'll sit and relax as we're cheering them on / All the ropes to the light / From the crypt to the grave / We started alone, in the end we're okay"
6. Blink 182 - After Midnight
How much do I actually like this song? The first non 10 Blink 182! It's a 9, but still. The album from which this song comes inspired my return to blogging (after a horrendous attempt at food blogging). And while the album has plenty of bangers (especially "Up All Night" and "Even If She Falls"), After Midnight has grown on me the most. It's one of my Go Tos for midnight contemplation.
Which moods can this song fit? Emo, Hopeful, Exhaustion
Favourite Lyric: "We'll stagger home after midnight / Sleep arm in arm in the stairwell / We'll fall apart on the weekend / These nights go on and on and on"
To note: There are so many other Blink 182 songs I love - Apple Shampoo, Untitled, Pathetic, Dick Lips, Carousel, Going Away to College, Party Song, The Rock Show, among others - but I needed to make space for versatility purposes.
7. Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On
How much do I actually like this song? It's also a 10! (Maybe this isn't exactly the most helpful criteria since almost everything seems to be a 10). First heard it on the radio, and went to look it up after realising it was sampling "Float On" by Modest Mouse, a favourite on Guitar Hero World Tour. I'd liked Lupe Fiasco since "Tilted" in NBA Live 2006, and I just find this song so inspiring. Also a favourite for karaoke.
Which moods can this song fit? Pumped Up, Eff You Defiance, Anger, Emo
Favourite Lyric: "So no matter what you've been through / No matter what you into / No matter what you see when you look outside your window / Brown grass or green grass / Picket fence or barbed wire / Never ever put them down / You just lift your arms higher / Raise 'em till your arms tired / Let 'em know you're there / That you struggling, surviving / That you gon' persevere"
8. Kanye West - All of the Lights
Which moods can this song fit? Pumped Up, Eff You Defiance, Pride, Emo
Favourite Lyric: "Lights, cop lights, flashlights, spotlights, strobe lights, street lights (All of the lights, all of the lights), fast life, drug life, thug life, rock life every night (All of the lights)"
9. Box Car Racer - Cat Like Thief
How much do I actually like this song? You know the score by now. Some time in 2002 (?), I learned that Tom and Travis from Blink 182 were doing a side project band called Box Car Racer. Naturally, the album wouldn't come out in Malaysia and I asked a cousin to bring it back from the United States. The album was fucking fantastic. And the best song was Cat Like Thief - it launched a million replays on loop as it was perfect for a 15 year old (and above) pining after a girl.
Which moods can this song fit? Emo, Melancholic, Pining, Eff You Defiance
Favourite Lyric: "I wrote it down a list a month ago / 16 chapters of one thing you've blown / The best thing yet to help you through and through / That she was I feel her more than you" (I just feel like this set of lyrics can be interpreted in whatever way you want to)
10. Green Day - Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
How much do I actually like this song? A 10 of course, but not actually my favourite Green Day song. That honour probably goes to "When I Come Around" or maybe "St Jimmy". But this is where favourite doesn't automatically make this list. I first heard "Time of Your Life" on the radio and it's always stuck. It's also another Go To midnight contemplation song.
Which moods can this song fit? Emo, Melancholic, Peacefulness, Contentment, Nostalgia
Favourite Lyric: "So take the photographs and still frames in your mind / Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time / Tattoos and memories, and dead skin on trial / For what it's worth, it was worth all the while" (Some day, when I die, whenever that is, I hope to be able to say that for what my life was worth, it was worth all the while - and that is why this song absolutely has to be on this list).
11. The Shins - New Slang
How much do I actually like this song? Again, another 10. I first learned about this song from my secondary school best friend. The song was popularised by the movie, Garden State, which, in my view, is overrated. I never understood the fuss. But The Shins did change my life. And it's always made any of my "Wistful" or "Songs for the Cabin" type playlists.
Which moods can this song fit? Peacefulness, Reflective, Emo
Favourite Lyric: "I'm looking in on the good life / I might be doomed never to find / Without a trust, a flaming field / Am I too dumb to refine"
12. The Shins - Simple Song
How much do I actually like this song? A 10, surprise! I first heard it on How I Met Your Mother; the song was played at the end of Season 8. HIMYM, despite being a 9 season series that really should have been 5 at the very most, had a really incredible song selection. Anyway, the song really grew on me. In fact, it was my single most played song in 2022 (according to Spotify).
Which moods can this song fit? Romantic, Hopeful, Reflective, Contentment
Favourite Lyric: "Remember walking a mile to your house, aglow in the dark / I made a fumbling play for you heart, and the act struck a spark / You wore a charm on a chain that I stole, special for you / Love's such a delicate thing that we do, with nothing to prove, which I never knew"
13. The Postal Service - Brand New Colony
How much do I actually like this song? Again, not really that great a criteria since it's another 10. For this song, I'd actually seen my favourite lyric (was posted as an emo post) from a college friend's Facebook post before I'd actually listened to the song. This was probably senior year of college. It's always stuck, and it's a lyric I actually send out as encouragement to friends who are going through a difficult time. In terms of lyricism, this song is probably at the very top (among the songs I know at least), and so needs to make the list.
Which moods can this song fit? Encouraging, Reflective, Romantic
Favourite Lyric: "I'll be the fire escape that's bolted to the ancient brick where you will sit and contemplate your day" (It's one of those lyrics where I felt like it was written for people like me who like to be emo on fire escapes at the side of an ancient brick building. New York has a lot of such buildings).
14. The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
How much do I actually like this song? A 9/10 for me, primarily because there's a lot of "down time" in the song. Takes a while to get going. That being said, this is probably my ultimate late night long drives by myself song. There have been plenty of those over the years, essentially because it's a really good way for me to think and clear my head. I do it less now, in large part because I'm older and can't stay awake for as long, but since this is my go to late night long drive by myself song, it makes the list.
Which moods can this song fit? Emo, Melancholy, Reflective, Loneliness, Peace
Favourite Lyric: "The district sleeps alone tonight after the bars turn out their lights / And set the autos swerving into the loneliest evenings / I am finally seeing why I was the one worth leaving"
15. Bon Iver - Holocene
How much do I actually like this song? 10/10. I'm obsessed about this song. It's, hands down, the best road trip song. Perfect to be played at that time of the day when the sun is going down, you're on a long road, your travel buddies and you have settled into a comfortable silence, you're just reflecting on life, there are snowy mountains in the distance (look, this isn't a road trip to South Beach, Miami kind of song). Or perfect to be played when you're on a train going through the Alps and you're just reflecting on life, how far you've come, where you're going, that kind of thing. Look, I love road trips, especially with mountains involved; there's no type of travel I love more and this is the quintessential song for that. I don't think I can adequately describe how much this song means to me in the right setting.
Which moods can this song fit? Awe, Emo, Melancholy, Peace, Reflective, Contentment
Favourite Lyric: "And at once, I knew I was not magnificent / High above the highway aisle / Jagged vacance, thick with ice / I can see for miles, miles, miles"
16. Zedd featuring Foxes - Clarity
How much do I actually like this song? A 8/10 (finally, one breaks the mould!). To be very honest, it's not a song that has any kind of historical significance to me (I know it's been out since 2012) and I'd always found it catchy. That said, the style of this song isn't one that is my typically genre of music, but it's really, really grown on me in the past few years. It's a karaoke favourite (despite being ridiculously difficult to sing) and one that I sing at the top of my voice when it comes on Spotify while I'm drawing. I also trawl Youtube for covers of the song. There are many songs I love more than this one, but I also know that I can't keep it off this list.
Which moods can this song fit? Reflective, Emo, minor Anger
Favourite Lyric: "Walk on through a red parade and refuse to make amends / It cuts deep through our ground and makes us forget all common sense / Don't speak as I try to leave cos we both know what we'll choose / If you pull, then I'll push too deep and I'll fall right back to you" and of course, "If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy? / If our love's insanity, why are you my clarity?" (at the top of my voice)
17. The Beatles - In My Life
How much do I actually like this song? A 9/10. This isn't my favourite Beatles song - I think "With a Little Help from my Friends", "I've Just Seen a Face" and possibly "Here Comes the Sun" are higher. But it doesn't take some neural network to see the pattern in this song list. Nostalgia and reflectiveness have far higher weights than "happier" songs. Aaron first introduced this song to me in secondary school, and it's been with me ever since. What's incredible is John Lennon wrote this at the age of 25. Who the fuck is that deep at that age?
Which moods can this song fit? Reflective, Peace, Nostalgia
Favourite Lyric: "Though I know I'll never lose affection / For people and things that went before / I know I'll often stop and think about them / In my life, I love you more"
18. Thrice - A Song For Milly Michaelson
How much do I actually like this song? 10/10. Zain introduced this song to me in junior year of college. And it became an instant "play this song on loop a million times till your roommate complains about it". What I like about it so much is that I've always loved the city lights; driving around at night through downtown Kuala Lumpur with all its lights is still something I very much enjoy. And I've always thought that looking over the city lights is romantic as hell. This is my second favourite love song of all-time (after Pretty Little Girl) and the second best late night drive song (after The District Sleeps Alone Tonight). It has to make the cut.
Which moods can this song fit? Romantic, Reflective, Peace, Contentment
Favourite Lyric: "Here we go / Hold on tight and don't let go / I won't ever let you fall / I love the night, flying over these city lights / But I love you most of all"
19. The Killers - All These Things That I've Done
How much do I actually like this song? 10/10. I really enjoyed the first Killers song I'd ever heard, Mr. Brightside. And when this song came up, I was initially not super convinced, but over time, it's far outshined Mr. Brightside for me. Because "All These Things That I've Done" isn't really just a song, it's an anthem. A perfect karaoke song. Also an excellent late night drive song. And it's got a little "pump up the spirits" thing going for it too.
Which moods can this song fit? Pumped Up, Reflective, Emo
Favourite Lyric: "Another head aches, another heart breaks / I'm so much older than I can take / And my affection, well, it comes and goes / I need direction to perfection, no, no, no, no"
20. Taking Back Sunday - Slowdance on the Inside
How much do I actually like this song? Another 10. It's not my favourite Taking Back Sunday song (that's probably 180 By Summer) but this is the song I played on loop when I was 18 and had just broken up with my then girlfriend. Zain introduced all of us at INTEC to Taking Back Sunday and this was the break up song we all used. Lol. Blogger wouldn't let me paste the original album version of the song here so this live one here will have to do. Another song that requires "singing at the absolute top of your voice" when it comes on.
Which moods can this song fit? Anger, Emo, Melancholy, Heartbreak
Favourite Lyric: "One of us never did it but we're taking it all / And tell me why you never promised that you wanted it all / Her eyes never batted when she said it / It's a long night, open, know it"
21. Fort Atlantic - Let Your Heart Hold Fast
How much do I actually like this song? Another 10, of course. Another one from the HIMYM playlist. And possibly my favourite of them all. I genuinely think that if I knew about this song when I was in secondary school (assuming it was around back then, which it wasn't), this might have been my most played song ever. It's perfect for the pining teenager. You never know when one of these might come in handy.
Which moods can this song fit? Emo, Heartbreak, Melancholy, Emotional Exhaustion
Favourite Lyric: "All the miles wrecked, every broken step / Always searching, always blind"
22. Good Charlotte - Dance Floor Anthem
How much do I actually like this song? 9/10. If you're wondering what's the difference between a 9/10 and a 10/10, I'm wondering the same too. It's completely arbitrary; almost as if the writer doesn't want to give everything a 10. Anyway. I don't recall where I first heard this song, but I love the spirit. It's the song I send to anyone who's just gotten out of a long relationship. And it's prefect for singing at the top of one's voice too. To be honest, there are many more songs I like better than this one, but for the message it expounds, I couldn't leave this off.
Which moods can this song fit? Eff You Defiance, Pumped Up, Hopeful
Favourite Lyric: "We break up, it's something that we do now / Everyone has got to do it sometime / It's okay, let it go, get out there and find someone / It's too late to be tripping on the phone here / Get off the wire, you know everything is good here / Stop what you're doing, you don't want to ruin / The sense that you've got to find a new one"
23. Nine Days - If I Am
How much do I actually like this song? Fine. It's a 10/10. Wouldn't make sense to end it any other way. So as it turns out, "How much do I actually like this song" is a terrible criterion. But it lets me write what I want about the song. I first heard this song on the radio, and actually, as I got older, I started to actually understand the lyrics. In fact, when I am confused, a bit defeated, this is one of my first go-to songs. It has a really important message, which is in the favourite lyric later.
Which moods can this song fit? Defiance, Hopeful, Emo, Melancholic
Favourite Lyric: "The answers we find are never what we have in mind / So we make it up as we go along / You don't talk of dreams, I won't mention tomorrow / We won't make those promises that we can't keep" (Look, if things go sideways, which they're always prone to do, it's always important to remember that that's what things do - i.e., "The answers we find are never what we have in mind" - and we're all just iterating and adapting on the fly - i.e., "So we make it up as we go along".
So there we go. My "You Can Only Listen To These Songs For The Rest Of Your Life" Playlist. Heavy does of Blink 182. And a whole lot of emo and melancholia. But I think that's, of course, part of who I am too. I have never been the most emotionally expressive person, and I think music - and especially the lyrics - helps me express things to myself (and sometimes to others) which I don't know how to on my own. I find lyrics that say what I intend to say, and they stick. I need to make a list of life lessons I've learned from song lyrics (idea for new post!).
The following 10 songs just missed the cut (10 because heaven forbid I ever took a shortcut). I love them all, and choosing not to include some was really difficult. Anyway, here they are, in no particular order:
1. Anna Kendrick - Cups (When I'm Gone) - I just love the line "It's got mountains, it's got rivers / It's got sights to give you shivers / But it sure would be prettier with you." Another reflective song.
2. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago - One for the train ride through the mountains. "I toured the light, so many foreign road, For Emma, forever ago." I just got nostalgia-induced chills.
3. Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue - Classic sing at the top of your voice song. "I remember the look in your eyes / When I told you that this was goodbye / You were begging me not tonight, not here, not now / We're looking up at the same night sky / We'll keep pretending the sun will not rise / We'll be together for one more night, somewhere somehow."
4. Cat Stevens - The Wind - Another HIMYM classic. "I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul / Where I'll end up, well I think only God really knows." Perfect for some reflection and just general contentment. This was possibly the hardest cut.
5. The Weakerthans - This is a Fire Door, Never Leave Open - Karen introduced this to me in 2005. Been on nearly all my playlists since. "So tell me it's okay / Tell me anything or / Show me there's a pull / Unassailable / That will lead you there from the dark alone / To benevolence that you've never known / Or you knew when you were four and can't remember" and also "And I love this place, the enormous sky / And the faces, hands that I'm haunted by / So why can't I forgive these buildings / These frameworks labeled home." Another super difficult cut.
6. Vanessa Carlton - White Houses - A song which tells a full story in and of itself. It has a terrific nostalgic vibe (am a sucker for that as you already know), doubled down with that story being a coming-of-age story (am also a massive sucker for such stories). "I feel so far from where I've been / So I go, and I will not be back here again / I'm gone as the day is fading on white houses / I lie, put my injuries all in the dust / In my heart is the five of us in white houses."
7. Blessid Union of Souls - Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me For Me) - A classic I played on loop repeatedly during my secondary school years. Very upbeat. A nice change from the melancholia which adds to the versatility. "Gazing at the ceiling as we entertain our feelings in the dark / The things that we're afraid of, are gonna show us what we're made off in the end."
8. New Radicals - You Get What You Give - Arguably the best song of the 90s. Always gets me in a good mood and if it comes up on Spotify or on the radio, I'm not skipping the track or changing the station. "This whole damn world could fall apart / You'll be okay, follow your heart / You're in harm's way, I'm right behind / Now say you're minnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeee."
9. Sam Cooke - Let The Good Times Roll - Just such a happy, upbeat, cheerful song. Nice counterbalance to all the gloom. But sadly(?), the gloom won. First heard this song on a brilliant Nike Kevin Durant commercial during the 2011 lockout. "It might be one o'clock, and it might be three / Time don't mean that much to me / I haven't felt this good since I don't know when / And I might not feel this good again."
10. Taking Back Sunday - One Eighty By Summer - A super hard cut because this is a song with genuine anger. And I don't really have one of those at the moment. My favourite Taking Back Sunday song. "She says live up to your first impression / Well, my best side was your worst invention / Why can't you live without the attention / Why can't you live without the attention" - It might be just me, but I think "live up to your first impression" is one of the meanest things you can say to someone.
Anyway, this is a wrap. Writing this was fun and therapeutic. Till next time (whenever that might be).
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