https://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/soundtrack-to-your-life/
Elementary to Early Middle School:
Growing up, I mainly just reflected my music taste based on either what my family enjoyed or what was popular on the radio. As such, my two songs that I’d say define me in this stage are Shawn Mendes’s Stitches and Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now. We were decently into pop music and alternative rock, so songs like these were my main taste.
Later Middle School:
For this part, I chose Panic! At The Disco’s High Hopes and My Chemical Romance’s Famous Last Words. I was going through a bit of an emo phase, as one does around the age of 13-14, but I wasn’t super into it, so it mainly just reflected in my music tastes. P!atD for when I was in a bit brighter of a mood, and My Chemical Romance for when I was feeling a little bit sadder or angrier. I do still lightly listen to both nowadays, but it’s definitely something that defines me.
Pandemic:
The COVID-19 pandemic hit me hard around this time, and my mental health declined quite a bit. Not to throw shade at the band, great music and all, but that’s probably why I started getting into Linkin Park, particularly Breaking the Habit. I was feeling a lot of irrational feelings of guilt for not being “enough” for my family, and thus was attracted to a song focused around breaking a bad habit to be “better”. I also was big on Twenty One Pilots at the time, so of course, I was instantly hooked when they released a song about their struggles with COVID, being Level of Concern.
Recovery & High School:
Between 2021-2024, I had done a bit of soul searching, gone to therapy, and most importantly to me, developed a true friend group for the first time in forever. I had often used video games as a bit of an escape from my struggles, so I had (and still do) listened a ton to soundtracks more than “proper” music for a good bit, hence the presence of Beneath the Mask from Persona 5 being on the playlist. The real catalyst for my growth mentally and emotionally, however, had nothing to do with that, and instead started when I joined theatre in high school. Disney’s Newsies was the first ever production I had been a part in, and while I could definitely give a decent story about how I got into it, that’s not relevant to this. What is relevant is that the mixture of the theming of this musical and my growing awareness of sociopolitical injustices led me to favor The World Will Know, as well as many songs with a similar vibe. I’ve come to try to embody a mindset of “this situation is shitty and I’m angry about it and I’m going to fight until things are better for myself and others”, and I feel this song embodies it.
Modern Day:
Nowadays, I often listen to more alternative or even “weird” music, with a particular focus on “I’ve left that dark point in my life and am never looking back” kinds of themes. All three of the songs that I’ve picked here embody that in my mind. Fish in a Birdcage is a super underrated artist who’s great with several genres, and Rule #46 – Poet is one of my favorites as something simple yet motivational. The Crane Wives are a lot more popular, and Icarus feels super empowering. Finally, Madilyn Mei is a small artist who embodies that “quirky and weird in the best way possible” energy I love, and I’m currently obsessed with Call Me the Bard.
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