Mix Tape of the Day: March 27, 2015 - The Best of 2003

It's time to take a look at 2003, a year with a lot of great songs to choose from, many of them staples of school dances and bus rides. But once again, I had to settle on the songs I listened to most frequently at the time.

1. Ignition (Remix) - R. Kelly (2003) This song just screams summer vacation for me.  I don't even know what have these lyrics mean, but I love them.  ("It's like Murder, She Wrote once I get you out them clothes"?)

2. Where Is the Love? - The Black Eyed Peas (2003) And in 2003, the question on everyone's mind was "Where is the love?" Another 4 chord song to get us through some difficult times.

3. Like a Stone - Audioslave (2002) Remember Audioslave?  They were pretty cool.

4. Headstrong - Trapt (2002) Thanks to my high school's dance team and their constant performances, I'll always remember this song and the choreography that went along with it.  Especially the sharp movements during that really cool part of the song.

5. She Hates Me - Puddle of Mudd (2001) Maybe you find this song a bit too whiny, but sometimes, when you're upset, you need a song like this to get you through.

6. When I'm Gone - 3 Doors Down (2002) Ladies and gentlemen, 3 Doors Down!  Love them when they're gone!

7. Your Body Is a Wonderland - John Mayer (2001) Good ol' John Mayer, giving us the sweet love songs that were missing from the radio in 2003.

8. Bring Me to Life - Evanescence (2003) Finally, the big Evanescence song that we all know and love and sing to our children.

9. Fighter - Christina Aguilera (2002) 2003 was just filled with Christina Aguilera's female empowerment songs.  Since we already listened to "Beautiful," let's listen to "Fighter."

10. Are You Happy Now? - Michelle Branch (2003) Oh yeah, Michelle Branch was a person!  She was everywhere to me at one point.  Sorry that I forgot about you for a moment there!

11. I'm with You - Avril Lavigne (2002) After the success of "Sk8r Boi," many worried that Avril Lavigne would be a one trick pony, lost in the crowded genre among the Spearses and the Aguileras.  But "I'm with You" should she had some depth and that she'd be here to stay.

12. Don't Know Why - Norah Jones (2002) It was either this or the biggest hit of 2003, 50 Cent's "In da Club."  I was in more of a Norah Jones mood today.

13. Intuition - Jewel (2001) I did not realize that this was a Jewel song.  It doesn't sound like what I soundpicture a Jewel song to...sound like.  But it's pretty cool and one of my favorites of the year.

Mix Tape of the Day: March 8, 2015 - Girl Power!

It's International Women's Day!  Let's celebrate with some of the best songs about female empowerment and independence.

1. Respect - Aretha Franklin (1967) Aretha Franklin took this song from Otis Redding, where the original context was about a man complaining about having no respect from his wife.  By switching the roles, Franklin created an anthem for the entire female population.

2. Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves - Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin (1985) Aretha Franklin's iconic status as a role model made her the perfect collaborator for this song.  Celebrating women's history rocks!

3. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor (1978) Many empowering songs feature the narrator's discovery that they are so much more than their relationships.  :I Will Survive" is the poster child for this subgenre.

4. Survivor - Destiny's Child (2001) Serving as a spiritual successor to "I Will Survive," Destiny's Child takes a more proactive approach, claiming that they can move on quickly and without complaint.  And it doesn't just have to apply to relationships.  Any pitfalls in life can be climbed out of.

5. I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross (1980) Also used as a gay pride anthem, "I'm Coming Out" celebrates the freedom of being true to yourself and escaping oppression.

6. Wannabe - Spice Girls (1996) In a market filled with boy bands, the Spice Girls burst onto the scene, claiming "Girl Power!" as their rallying cry.  While the Spice Girls have since moved on, their catchphrase has remained a part of our cultural lexicon.

7. Bitch - Meredith Brooks (1997) Speaking of repurposing words, Meredith Brooks claimed this derogatory slur towards woman as her own, feeling no shame at all.  She's complicated and has flaws.  We all do.  Accept it.

8. You Don't Own Me - Lesley Gore (1963) A powerful song during the second wave feminist movement of the '60s, "You Don't Own Me" takes a stand against all guys who treat their women like property.  And at 17, that's a very bold move on Gore's part.

9. This One's for the Girls - Martina McBride (2003) McBride speaks directly to girls and women everywhere, giving support, letting them know that life can and will get better.  Plus, it's nice to have a song that acknowledges our Spaghetti-O's consumption.

10. Bad Reputation - Joan Jett (1980) A great punk rock song or the greatest punk rock song? No one has to fit into anyone's boxes.

11. Shake It Out - Florence and the Machine (2011) Hey, sometimes, life will get you down.  So when it gets too overwhelming, just shake it out.

12. Skyscraper - Demi Lovato (2011) Raspy-voiced Demi Lovato delivers a powerful performance in this emotionally devastating song.  It really feels like every struggle can be overcome when you listen to this song.

13. Beautiful - Christina Aguilera (2002) Finally, we end with a more direct message to the listener.  While most of the rest of these songs feature empowering statements for the singer that listeners can sing along to and imagine themselves in the role, this is a song specifically about "you."  You are important.  You are worthy.  You are beautiful.

Mix Tape of the Day: January 9, 2015 - The Best of 2014, Part 1: Billboard Hot 100 Edition

Okay, so I wanted to start doing some year specific mixes, and I figured while we are still in the New Year's haze, 2014 would be a great place to start.  Today, I'm picking my 13 favorites from the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart (as it's a helpful guide to see what was popular in each year, to capture that year's "sound").  Any favorite songs that didn't chart will appear on tomorrow's Best of 2014 list. (Also, if a song appeared on a previous year's chart, I'll consider it for that year.)

1. Shake It Off - Taylor Swift (2014) Of course, we're starting with "Shake It Off."  2014's theme seemed to be self-empowerment.  As we shook off the liars and the haters and the dirty, dirty cheats of the world, we found ourselves surrounded by optimism and joy at every turn.  Thank you, Taylor Swift, for everything.

2. Happy - Pharrell Williams (2013) You could tell that 2014 was going to be the year of positivity when it's first hit song was called "Happy."  I almost didn't include this song since it's been overplayed.  But then I remembered how happy I was when I first saw that 24-hour music video, and I knew it belonged.

3. Let It Go - Adele Dazeem (2013) Shake it off.  Be happy.  Let it go.  This playlist speaks for itself.  (And no, I never got sick of this song because...well, I hadn't seen the movie yet, so it just seemed like a recurring taste of something grand.)  And hey! When was the last time a Disney song was all the rage on the radio?!

4. Turn Down for What - DJ Snake and Lil Jon (2013) And once you let it go, you just get silly.  It may be the stupidest song that came out last year, but sometimes we need that stupid.

5. All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor (2014) So, I was stuck at 12 songs for a long time.  Nothing was really leaping at me for being absolutely necessary.  And then I remembered that despite all its flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed "All About That Bass" the first time I heard it.  It was (mostly) positive and progressive and it reminded me of my favorite musical Hairspray.  All songs should aspire to do that.

6. Come with Me Now - Kongos (2011) It's always great when songs are suddenly pulled out of years of obscurity and shared with the masses.  This was one of the few alternative favorites of mine that managed to chart on the Hot 100.

7. Team - Lorde (2013) This isn't my favorite Lorde track of 2014 (come back tomorrow for that one) but it's refreshing to have someone like Lorde as a pop star.  Hearing her voice and words on the radio always makes me feel content.  Something about her perspective of the world just makes sense.

8. Cool Kids - Echosmith (2013) Okay, we're getting into less positive territory now.  But hey, being a teenager isn't always the most positive experience.  What I like about this song is that everyone can relate to feeling this feeling at some point in their lives, so there is the implied message that it all gets better once we realize that being "cool" is all relative.

9. Pompeii - Bastille (2013) Even if you're two poor citizens of a doomed city, at least you can have a great theme to score the surrounding destruction.  Yes, this one has a more pessimistic vibe, but it also delights in irony and sarcasm, so if that isn't positivity in the face of adversity, I don't know what is.

10. Story of My Life - One Direction (2013) We shall finish off this mix by dealing with heartbreak because all years have heartbreak.  Got to have some bad times in order to stay positive.  One Direction takes a mature, refined look at an ending relationship, resulting in me putting One Direction on my Best of 2014 mix.

11. Say Something - A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera (2013) For a more pained take on a crumbling relationship, A Great Big World presents this masterpiece.  I originally opted to put just their solo version of it on the mix, but I realized that it needs Aguilera's voice to make it that much more powerful.  Both versions are great, but this duet makes the heartache more brutal and universal.

12. Chandelier - Sia (2014) And once again, when you feel so much pain from what the world has dealt you, you just have to break free and let loose.

13. Love Runs Out - One Republic (2013) We've had our heartbreak.  We've run around and shouted and let it go!  And now, we start anew.  New life, new loves, and then we'll do it all over again.  Apparently, this song was held back from being a single because it had no chorus/verse structure.  Instead it just built in intensity repeatedly, over and over again.  Um, that's how you make the best song of 2014!