I don’t know about you, but I love listening to music. There’s so much music in the world that we can listen to. You could listen to entirely new music for the rest of your life and you probably wouldn’t even make it through all that there is. It’s something that everyone takes so personally—because it is personal. People connect to music on a deep level and there are certain songs that we hold close to our hearts, so close that hearing them makes us emotional. Music is powerful that way. And I think that’s beautiful.
My philosophy is that people listen to music for specific reasons. Maybe it’s the beat or the melody that intrigues people. For me, I listen because of the lyrics. I still enjoy the beat and melody, but the lyrics are what draw me in (most of the time—there are a select few songs that are in my library because of the beat).
There are a handful of artists that I listen to regularly: Chelsea Cutler, Jake Scott, Lauv, Quinn XCII, Jeremy Zucker, Labrinth, Billy Rafoul (you’re probably wondering who half of these people are). The list could go on. So here are some of my favorite songs in no particular order, my favorite lines from them, and why I love them so much.
“Before You Go”, by Lewis Capaldi: If only I’d known you had a stone to weather
This song was just released on November 19. His voice is smooth and alluring, so it was easy for me to start listening to his music. The reason that this is my favorite line is so often, we forget that people can’t help us unless we ask or they know something’s wrong. And for me, this line serves as a reminder that I have to ask for help.
“Hello Darling”, by Jake Scott: Darlin’ just slow down, darlin’ rest those eyes
So, fun fact, I have every single one of Jake Scott’s songs saved to my Spotify account (and he’ll probably show up on this list once or twice more). And every time I bring him up to someone, their response is “Who?” (Which kills me inside). For the year of 2019, he promised to release a new song every month – which he’s kept up with. I love this song because the music and the lyrics (and his voice) are so comforting. This line, and the entire song, focuses on how we don’t need to be perfect and that it’s okay to be vulnerable.
“Like a Movie”, by Labrinth
For this song, I don’t have a favorite line. That’s because I absolutely love the music in it. It’s upbeat and powerful. It’s one of those songs that you walk to and you feel like you own the world. I don’t have any more words I can use to describe this song, so just go give it a listen. You won’t regret it.
“Easy Tiger”, by Billy Rafoul: Easy tiger, don’t you cry, people gonna love you, then they gonna leave you, that’s just the way of life
I saw and heard of Billy Rafoul for the first time when I went to a Parachute concert, another band I love. He was one of the openers and I instantly loved his music. His voice is raspy and rock’n’roll, and he fits the look perfectly too. After he played this song, I immediately went on Spotify to save it, only to find that it hadn’t been released yet. And so I (not so) patiently waited for three weeks for it to come out so that I could listen to it again. The reason this line of lyrics is so long is that when I first heard him perform this line, at that moment, everything felt so surreal. I was so present in the moment, that it’s one of my best memories. This is one of those songs I hold dear to my heart.
Billy Rafoul performing at Varsity Theater on May 12, 2019. Photo by Ally Gall.
“sometimes”, by Chelsea Cutler: Tell me you mean it, give me your pieces
“scared”, by Jeremy Zucker: I see oceans in your soul
The reason I’m putting these two together is that both of these songs are from the EP that Cutler and Zucker collaborated on, but they were recorded individually. I had a really hard time picking which songs for these two artists – whether I wanted one for each, one for both of them, or what. This seemed like a good compromise. Their voices work so well together, and all of their songs are music to your ears (ha ha). Most of these two artists’ songs are slower and related to heartbreak, whether working together or alone. I’m a sucker for slow, heart-wrenching songs, so it was easy to fall in love with both of these artists.
“She”, by Jake Scott: She’s a bullet that’s about to fire
I told you Jake Scott would be back again. I had a hard time picking a second song by him because I love all of his songs so much. The reason I love this song so much is that it makes me feel empowered. The lyrics are all focused on the things that Jake Scott admires and loves about his wife, even though she’s not explicitly mentioned. Listening to the song makes you remember all the things that are awesome about you.
I could make this list go on and on, with a ton of songs and artists (probably others you haven’t heard of). Every week, Spotify creates a playlist with new music that I might like (don’t we just love algorithms in our technology?). It opens me up to a lot of new music. And that’s what I’m trying to do for you. New music is a beautiful thing, especially when you find a new song you hold dear to your heart.