Mix Tape of the Day: February 13, 2015 - The Best of 2009

Here it is.  2009.  The best year ever.  The best songs ever.

1. Fireflies - Owl City (2009) I almost included this in my Australia mix since a dear friend from Australia introduced me to this song.  But then I remembered that she shared it with me right after we had all returned back home to America.  Still, it reminds me of that wonderful year.

2. Poker Face - Lady Gaga (2008) 2009 was when we all started realizing, "Oh dang, this Lady Gaga lady is something special."  And this song me filled with such amazing frisson the first time that I knew it would be one of my top songs of the year.

3. Fallin' for You - Colbie Caillat (2009) Aww, I hate when they don't have the official video on Youtube.  I liked that Bobby Moynihan was the object of desire in an unironic comedic fashion.

4. Green Light - John Legend ft. Andre 3000 (2008) This is just a fun song.  And it's nice to have a song that's about asking for consent.  Other contemporary songs should take note.

5. 21 Guns - Green Day (2009) Green Day! Finally!  This means that my Green Day mix should be on it's way, lest I use them all to fill slots on my best of the year mixes.  I love the Full House intro breakdown in the middle of this one.

6. Down - Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne (2009) Thanks to DJ Puppies and Kittens, I will never forget this song.

7. If U Seek Amy - Britney Spears (2008) Ah, finally, Britney Spears has arrived.  I am an unashamed Spears fan, and she had a lot of good choices for 2009.  Soon, I'll be unleashing my Britney Spears megamix.  This one earned the spot on the mix for being able to sneak curse words past the censors.  And songs about Amy are always great.

8. Please Don't Leave Me - Pink (2008) I like Pink a lot more than I realized.  I feel like she keeps showing up on all of these year-end lists.

9. Love Drunk - Boys Like Girls (2009) This song reminds me of "Somebody Told Me" by the Killers.  That's good enough for me.

10. Don't Trust Me - 3OH!3 (2008) I'm assuming this song is being ironic with it's lyrics and subject material.  Because it's a lot of fun to sing and I don't want to get in trouble.

11. You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift (2008) I've held off on using this song so often.  This is my favorite Taylor Swift song and it convinced me to give her a shot as an artist.  It's cliché, but this song speaks to me so much that I'd consider it one of my top 13 personal anthems.  Maybe one day, I'll compile that list for you.

12. Halo - Beyoncé (2008) Man, I think this is one of the most beautiful sounding songs in existence.  And maybe Kelly Clarkson was upset because it sounded exactly like "Already Gone," but hey, she'd get her own great song of 2009.  Let "Halo" be.

13. My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson (2009) Okay, I was so tempted to put the Glee version on this list, because it introduced me to the song. (I was aware of it, but the title turned me off and I'd never listen to it the whole way through.) I'll save that version for later, so let's just enjoy the original for now.

Mix Tape of the Day: January 19, 2015 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

1. Glory - Common ft. John Legend (2014) Composed for the recent film Selma, Common and John Legend combined their talents to promote the message of MLK, using a gospel-inspired chorus.  A fitting tribute to King.

2. Why? (The King of Love Is Dead) - Nina Simone (1968) This was the first song written after King's death, performed only a few days later.  It kickstarted a wave of similar songs.  Some focused on King's life, others his message, and decades later, songs about him would be linked to whatever inequalities are still being fought today.

3. If I Can Dream - Elvis Presley (1968) MLK's assassination was shortly followed by Robert Kennedy's, making 1968 a very difficult year.  For Elvis's end of the year special, it was rightfully decided that something should replace the standard Christmas fare.  And so, this powerful tribute to the year's fallen brethren was written.

4. Blackbird - The Beatles (1968) One of the Beatles' best songs, "Blackbird" was written with the Civil Rights movement in mind.

5. People Got to Be Free - The Rascals (1968) This song was more in tune with the standard call-to-action songs of the '60s.  Apparently, after the events of 1968, the Rascals refused to perform at any event where African-Americans weren't also on the billing.

6. Happy Birthday - Stevie Wonder (1980) For years after his death, people demanded that MLK's birthday become a national holiday.  It wasn't until 1983 when Reagan finally officially signed the holiday into existence.  Wonder wrote this song as a rhetorical plea advocating the change and fortunately he got his wish soon after.

7. Pride (In the Name of Love) - U2 (1984) U2 treated MLK as one of their idols and created The Unforgettable Fire album with him in mind, creating a few songs as tribute to the man.  "Pride" became one of their signature tunes that they still perform to this day.

8. Like a King - Ben Harper (1994) After the Rodney King incident of 1991 and the following riots, Ben Harper drew similarities between the two Kings in this song.

9. Renegades of Funk - Rage Against the Machine (2000) A cover of an Afrika Bambaataa tribute to history's greatest renegades, Rage Against the Machine lent their signature style and antiestablishment anger to this song.

10. Sharing a Gibson with Martin Luther King, Jr. - Lambchop (2008) This alternative country group paints a dreamlike scenario in which MLK lives on in heaven, overseeing the plights that continue to plague the world.

11. We Owe This to Ourselves - Anberlin (2010) Years later, we still need to be reminded of the tragedies of the past to avoid the tragedies of tomorrow.  This song has a simple message to never forget the past.

12. One Day (Vandaag) - Bakermat (2012) This instrumental club mix features King's words to paint an optimistic look at the future.

13. MLK, Jr.: I Have a Dream - The Gregory Brothers (2009) While it may seem tacky autotuning King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech, the Gregory Brothers at least showed restraint.  They used their skills not to make a funny mockery of the truth, but to add rhythm and power to King's words.