The Six Songs

So I was mindlessly checking my Twitter account, when I happened to stumble upon a blog that mentioned this new book by Daniel J. Levitin entitled "The World in Six Songs." Although the book apparently has virtually nothing to do with the concept of an individual's personal six songs, the author of the blog site remarked that this got her to thinking as to what her six songs would be that represented her life. This then in turn got me to thinking what six significant songs I would choose. Here was what I landed upon:

1. "Watershed" by Indigo Girls:

I first heard this song at a conference dealing with my future profession, when it was presented to me during a presentation by one of my professors, who explained both where she had been and how she got to where she is now in life. She explained that this song held a particular significance in her life during her youth, and played the song for us while the lyrics were posted up on the PowerPoint slides. Not only did it have a catchy tune, but I also quickly fell in love with the lyrics:

"Up on the watershed, standing at the fork in the road,
you can stand there and agonize, 'til your agony's your heaviest load.
You'll never fly as the crow flies, get used to a country mile,
when you're learning to face the path at your pace, every choice is worth your while."

It's a beautiful song, and I could go on and on about its significance and symbolism in my life, but I'll spare most of the explanation. Simply put, it's a wonderful reminder that life is comprised of a bunch of decisions, and although you may struggle through many of them you ultimately can never go wrong, as they will help to compose your life as it is intended to turn out.

2. "Over the Rainbow" (cover version) by Dave Koz:

This song reminds me of both of my parents, although the special thing about this song is that it does not remind me of my parents necessarily together, but rather as two separate individuals. Growing up, rainbows have always played a significant role in not only my mother's life but also my own. As corny as it sounds, rainbows as well as this song always seem to pop up at pivotal points in my life, like high school break-ups, deaths, and college orientations. Even from the start of my life, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" has played a large role, playing on the radio even during the time I was born (I kid you not).

My mom's favorite song has always been "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland, and although I am not the greatest fan of that version, I absolutely adore this version by Dave Koz, a jazz saxophonist. This is then where my father comes in, as his favorite genre of music is jazz. Growing up as a little girl, I would always remember walking downstairs into the basement where my father would be working at his desk, listening to some sort of jazz music. I also recall a number of trips driving in the car with my dad, to and from school or other events with the windows down listening to the same Dave Koz CD that I would always request. I loved the smooth jazz sound, and still continue to listen to his music today as I've grown older. Although my dad and I never really listen to the music of Dave Koz together all that often anymore, this artist will always remind me of him.

I've also played with the idea of having this be the song of my father-daughter dance at my wedding, despite the fact that the song has absolutely no words (which I guess is a bit strange). Even if I do not choose to have it to be "the song," I will most certainly guarantee that this song will be played at some point during my wedding reception not only for it's beautiful melody and jazzy sound, but also for the significance that it has played in my life, and the connection it shares with both of my parents.

3. "Lost" by Michael Bublé:

This is the only song on my list that I included off of my "Top 25 Most Played" list in my iTunes. A beautiful song, I typically only ever play this song whenever I am having a bad day and need a reminder that although things may not be going the way I think they should go, that I am not alone. This song reassures me that there is someone else out there going through the same thing, and that there will always be someone there to help me figure things out, even if they are a phone call or prayer away. The lyrics seem to say it all:

"'Cause you are not alone,
I'm always there with you,
And we'll get lost together,
Till the light comes pouring through,
'Cause when you feel like you're done
And the darkness has won,
Babe you're not lost.
When the world's crashing down
And you can't bear the thought,
I said, babe, you're not lost."

4. "Don't Cry" by Seal:

This song is not only one of my favorite's to listen to, but also holds a lot of significance in my life, albeit second-handedly. When I was in high school, I was on my school's flag team, performing in football games and marching in parades with large colorful hoops of streamers and ribbons. In the fall of my senior year, I experienced a bad sense of burn out where I wanted to quit "guard" the entire season, and move on with the rest of my life. In the winter/spring, my school formed its first ever "Winter Guard" team that did not march with the band, but rather danced and did flags to more "popular" music. This was the song that the choreographer chose, although I was no longer apart of the guard at that point. Having quit due to burn out, I simply went to the competitions only to cheer on all of my best friends, watching from the side-lines. The lyrics and melody of this song put to Seal's voice are beautiful, but in one way remind me of a small sense of regret. Looking back, I knew that I wouldn't have enjoyed doing Winter Guard, but I always kind of wish that I would have just gone through with it after wishing we had one for the three years prior.

Upon entering college, I was determined to no longer have any regrets during the time I was given to complete my degree. After all, you only get four-years (assuming you can complete your schooling in that time) to do things right, just like high school. Since they are supposed to be the "best four years of your life," I made a promise to not look back on my college experience with any regrets. This fear of regret has prompted me to run for exec positions for many organizations, helped get me through sorority recruitment, and has helped introduce me to people I may not have met otherwise. After all, "I overcome the pain, and I'm stronger now, there can't be a fire unless there's a flame..." Beyond the lyrics, this is just a beautiful song that I enjoy listening and dancing for fun to, and I felt at least one sappy Seal song had to be included on this list.

5. "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" by Josh Groban:

First off, I'd like to point out the fact that I was lucky enough to have heard this particular song live in concert last night, which was awesome. Besides the fact I happened to hear it sung in person less than 24 hours ago, this song certainly would have still made this list, as it is just one of my all-time favorite songs (ironically enough not on my Top 25 Most Played songs). I absolutely love the music in this song: the strings, the percussion, the piano, and of course the smooth vocals provided by Josh Groban. This song probably has the most significance upon my life, symbolizing memories mixed with a love of music.

This song first appeared on Josh Groban's CD, "Awake" in 2006, which I asked for as a Christmas gift that winter. A few days after Christmas, I traveled to Florida with my school's marching band to perform in Disney's Magic Music Days parade as well as in a college bowl game halftime show. I remember listening to this CD the entire trip down there, specifically when I had difficulties falling asleep on the bus. I have one memory of this song waking up in the middle of the night when everyone else around me was still asleep as the bus travelled down the road to Florida in the dark. I looked around me and saw all of my best friends surrounded around me both in the seats and lying on the floors and was not only excited to be on a road trip with them, but also realized that I was lucky to have them all in my life. The trip was a memorable one, and this song will always remind me of the entire week, driving down to Florida, marching in Disneyworld, seeing the castle lit up at night and the people in the crowd, inside jokes shared with my friends, and other memories that I've never forgotten. All memories aside, this song is simply one of my favorite's due to its beautiful music combined with lyrics, reminding listeners that "You are loved... don't give up."

6. "Swing Life Away" by Rise Against:

I'm not a huge fan of the band Rise Against, but I am a huge fan of this song. Although not the first memory I hold with this song, the title and subject of the song generally reminds me of many summers at home, walking to my old elementary school with my best friend to swing while catching up on any other life events that may have transpire over the course of the year as we were apart. This song reminds me that it's the simple things in life that count, and that everything else is just there as an extra bonus.

This song most poignantly reminds me of my Freshman year of college, specifically one night in the dorms with two of my best guy friends at the time, Bill and Calen, where we were just drinking together, playing guitar, and singing along. I had never heard this song before, but quickly learned to sing along to the lyrics with Bill and Calen played along on guitar. Although I still have one year of college left to go, this is my favorite college memory to date. I have always been Miss Responsibility, and this particular night I remember deciding to just let go and have fun, staying up until 5 a.m. (and then going to class at 8) in order to drink and sing songs on guitar sitting next to two of my best friends on the couch. Later at the end of that year, I was to "teach an unknown song," as part of a proficiency exam for my major. I taught this song, as I knew it would not only be unknown by my professors, but also because it held such a great significance for me the year prior. Not only do I love the acoustic guitar in this song, but this song reminds me that every now and then you just need to sit back, relax and "swing life away."