If you catch me at any random time, chances are I am going to be listening to music. Whether I am walking around campus, at my internship, doing homework, driving, cleaning, reading, or simply just sitting, Spotify is on. As we are here on Spotify Wrapped Day 2023, I wanted to share my favorite songs of all time.
In no particular order:
- “Long Live” by Taylor Swift
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I know I said that these were not in any order, but I think this is my favorite song of all time. I am sure we are all aware by now that I am a major Swiftie, but “Long Live” is just so special and never fails to make me smile. I was devastated to miss “Long Live” by a couple months during my Eras shows, and again when it didn’t make the final cut for the Eras Film, but the day I wrote this she announced that the Eras Film is going to be available to rent, and guess what’s making the extended cut!! Also, the reputation Stadium Tour’s Long Live New Year’s Day mashup has never failed to make me cry, so…
- “Laughter Lines” by Bastille
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This was one of my favorite songs when I was in middle school, and still sits on my favorite songs of all time playlist on Spotify. I don’t quite know what attracted me to this song so much, especially because I do not listen to Bastille much, but I was listening to it on repeat for months at a time, and it definitely deserves a spot on this list.
- “Sleep On The Floor” by The Lumineers
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I first heard this song in a Youtube video years ago and instantly fell in love. The video was a travel video, and I have always had a bit of a travel bug. I love listening to this song and planning trips and adventures. It is comforting in a strange way (especially for someone who hates change), but I think it will always be one of my favorites of all time.
- “Older” by Ben Platt
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I went through a deep Ben Platt phase, and will always be a fan. His voice is so comforting and smooth, and the Sing To Me Instead album was on replay in my house collectively for quite some time. “Older” is a song about growing up, and a lyric from that song (“Don’t let your wonder turn into closure”) was the first lyric I ever considered getting tattooed (I wasn’t serious about it, but it was the first time I loved a lyric enough and was old enough to consider having it written on me forever).
- “Love Story” by Taylor Swift
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Is this my favorite song by Taylor? Nope. It doesn’t even make my top thirteen. However, this song is so nostalgic and fun and truly one of her best, especially coming from someone who was nineteen when the album was released. It is such a special song, it was the first song of her stolen discography for her to own and release, and it is one of the songs that narrated my childhood, so of course it makes the list.
- “Feelin’ Alive” by The Jonas Brothers
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The day I am writing this is the day I see the Jonas Brothers for the fourth time, and the first time I saw them, they opened with “Feelin’ Alive”, and ever since then it has held a special place in my heart. If I remember correctly, that concert in 2010 was my first time experiencing live music, so the fact that this was the song that the main act, the Jonas Brothers, opened with means it rightfully deserves a spot on this list.
- “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” by taylor swift
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Does this one even need an explanation? From being a part of the fandom begging to hear the extended cut, to finding it in the Red Vault unscramble, to using every ounce of self control to listen to Red (Taylor’s Version) in order and listening to all 29 other songs before finally reaching All Too Well 10 in the actual middle of the night, this song was worth the wait. I remember laying on my floor in the dark with my eyes shut listening to it for the first time, and it was magical.
- “Appalachian Snowfall (Instrumental)” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
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My high school orchestra played this my sophomore year for our holiday concert, but as a clarinet player, I did not have to actually play, so I got to sit there and enjoy it. Now, this song is one of the first ones I listen to every holiday season, and it always gets me in the holiday spirit. As someone who is always trying to re-experience the magical feeling Christmas brought me as a kid, this song certainly helps.
- “Gotta Go My Own Way” by Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens
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High School Musical 3 might be the best HSM film, but the vibes of HSM 2 are kind of unmatched. While it was very dramatic, I wanted to be at that summer club and be part of the Wildcats. “Gotta Go My Own Way” was one of two songs I had fully memorized as a kid (the other one being Love Story by Taylor Swift), and while I did love Troy and Gabriella together, there was and is something about this song that makes it one of my favorites to come out of Disney.
- “Those Magic Changes” by Jordan Fisher, Aaron Tveit, and the Grease Live Cast
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Jordan Fisher and Aaron Tveit. That is the entire explanation.
- “Happily Ever After” by Jordan Fisher and Angie K.
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I was only going to make this list include ten of my top songs, but I had to go to eleven because “Happily Ever After” deserved a spot. I have been a Disney fan since birth essentially, and Happily Ever After is my favorite show that Walt Disney World has ever produced. It never fails to make me cry, and I was devastated when the show was stopped for the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World but was ecstatic when it came back. Also, once again, Jordan Fisher.
P.S. I do not know if this photo is from Happily Ever After specifically, but the fireworks at Disney are truly unmatched.
There we have it! These are eleven of my favorite songs of all time, and the reasoning for each. I can’t wait to see what else joins these songs in the coming years!
