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: January 1, 2015 - New Year, New Beginnings

I like music, but I feel as if I know nothing about it.  I know what I like, but my iPod tracklist is suffering with barely any songs on it.  So, my New Year's resolution is to fill each day with music.  A 13-song mix tape for each day.  Sometimes there will be a theme (band, album, year, topic) but overall, each playlist should be filled with songs I enjoy (i.e. I won't skip them when I hit "shuffle").   Some will be old favorites and some will be new discoveries.  Input and suggestions for daily themes are welcome, as 365 is a lot of days to cover.  (And maybe one of these days I'll figure out the whole Spotify thing to make this more user-friendly.)

So, hey, 2015!  Here is your first mix tape: New Year, New Beginnings

1. Intro - The xx (2009) This isn't just the introduction to today's mix.  It's the introduction to the whole project.  So I needed a track that represented the start of something grand.  Judging by the popular activity of taking "Intro" and extending it into a looped mix that lasts long beyond its two-minute runtime, it is clear to me that this is a piece of music no one wants to end.  As a New Year song, it lets me know that the days ahead may not all be joyful, but they may not all be dreadful, either.  They will all be meaningful.  That I guarantee.

2. Happy New Year - ABBA (1980) Leave it to ABBA to capture everything great and devastating in this holiday.  The lyrics promote optimism for grand changes and peace on Earth, but there is a pessimistic undercurrent that implies humanity can never really change, no matter how many resolutions we make.  The melody has grown on me over time.  I first dismissed it as the generic ABBA sound, but it can easily become a beautiful mournful piece if one just plays it instrumentally.

3. Turn! Turn! Turn! - The Byrds (1965) But even if humanity struggles to change, life goes on.  And, as this scripture-inspired song tells us, everything occurs when it needs to.  There is always a time for everything.  There were a few "call to action" political songs I was considering for this spot on the list, but the timeless lyrics of this piece kept it forever relatable in my mind.  You can apply it to any change you want to see in the new year.

4. New Year's Day - U2 (1983) Of course, I couldn't skip the most famous song that shares this day's name.  While "New Year's Day" isn't my favorite U2 song, there is no question that this pops into my head every January 1st.  It's a protest song mixed with a love song that once again leaves us a little scared about the upcoming year.  The lyrics aren't particularly hopeful, but they are strong and empowering, preparing us for the challenges of the new year.

5. This Year - The Mountain Goats (2005) If you've resigned yourself to the fact that nothing is going to be different this year, at least you can change one thing.  Your attitude.  Terrible things will happen daily.  Some of them will happen to you.  So, grit your teeth, and survive.  "I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me," isn't the best mantra to have your whole life, but goodness knows you're going to need to repeat this philosophy to yourself at some point this year.

6. First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes (2005) Let's move onto happier outlooks on the future.  Sometimes we need to remember that a new year brings so many possibilities.  We sometimes forget that so much happens and we're biased toward the past, assuming we'll see nothing we haven't seen before.  The future doesn't hold a candle to our best memories, right?  Well, you never know when the first day of your life is really going to occur.  In this case, it's a romantic notion, about meeting someone new.  It's a song I feel is necessary to take with you each day.

7. The Middle - Jimmy Eat World (2001) I know the theme of today is new beginnings, but that doesn't mean we should forget that life is just one big middle.  So New Year's Eve was a bust.  So what?  It's just the middle.  Maybe New Year's Day was just as disappointing.  It's just the middle.  Everything, everything will be all right, all right.  (This also happened to be my middle school personal theme song, obviously.)

8. Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield (2004) And in keeping with this idea of life as a series of beginnings and middles, we have "Unwritten." As a person who views his life as a literary work, this song speaks to me and grounds me in reality, reminding me that while I may see patterns leading from one point to another, nothing is set in stone.  You are the author of your story...

9. It's My Life - Bon Jovi (2000) ...so take it and run with it!  Like Frankenstein, you'll do it your way!

10. Everybody's Changing - Keane (2003) But even with all of this embracing of the unknowable future, sometimes you can't help but notice that other people's lives tend to move a little faster than yours.  We talked about the New Year bringing changes, and often it will be more evident in the world around you.  It's time to make a resolution.  One you can stick with.  And there is only one point to every resolution...

11. I Wanna Get Better - The Bleachers (2014) Isn't that really what we all hope to get out of New Year's resolutions?  Screaming at the world for the problems about ourselves that we need to fix?

12. Let Go - Frou Frou (2002) This is my personal resolution.  Maybe you can identify with it.  I need to let go.  Of unhealthy relationships, of total control, of the past.  It's the only way to move forward.

13. Let's Get It Started - The Black Eyed Peas (2004) It's the end of New Year's Day, so it's time for our annual helping of Black Eyed Peas.  I couldn't think of a more fitting way to kick off the new year.  All right, 2015, I'm ready for you!