George's Melodic Milestone Playlist

My music journey began at a young age. I first got into music thanks to my parents and a very specific CD that I used to listen to, including tracks like Octopus’s Garden, When I’m 64, Lady in Red, Puff the Magic Dragon and more. that first introduced me to The Beatles and other tracks and artists from the 60’s, 70’s and onwards.

The Song Octopus’s Garden is also special to me as I remember associating it with a school trip to IMAX and hearing it during an Ocean movie we watched, this song was playing in the background. When I’m 64 is also special to me as my mum and uncle are both big Beatles fans and have both passed this mark, so just have lots of good associations with it.

My first CD I owned was a live album by a British pop group called Busted, called A Ticket for Everyone. Including one of my favorite tracks by the group Thunderbirds Are Go! Side note Busted were the ones who originally wrote Year 3000, not Jonas Brothers.

This was followed by a Football (Soccer) CD called Football Crazy, which has several football themed songs and variations of songs like Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners, except they change it to Come On England. My favorite song from that album is Football Crazy 06’, as it’s a perfect song for any obsessive football fan. Not that I am one, but it’s a good reminder of my love of Soccer and the UK in general.

During my years of primary school at St. Thomas's, we would regularly have assemblies and sing classic Christian songs. I recently came across British comedian called Jason Mansford who made a album of classic assemblies songs, called Assembly Bangers, with a electronic remix to them and I often associate listen to this album to my primary school days, including songs One More Step Along The World I Go.

I would move to Australia from the UK in my early teens and Down Under by Men At Work seems like the most fitting some to describe this moment in time and such a great tune, truly the unofficial anthem of Australia.

I first properly started getting into music in my mid-teen when I moved to Australia and met my best mate, Jamie in high school. This is where my love of music truly began, and I’ve been a fan of music ever since. When I brought my first MP3 player from Ministry of Sound, it included the track Love Generation by Bob Sinclair.

During my teen years, specifically when I moved to Australia and started a new school. I often struggled making friends and settling in and having no real sense of who I was. I also spent several years after high school being quite depressed about it all and I often associate this time with the song ‘Lonely Day’ by System of The Down. I’m not usually a fan of this kind of music, but this song perfectly describes my circumstances at the time and often feeling very lonely and out of place in society. It’s also ironically the signature song of one of my favorite thriller movies, Disturbia staring Shia LaBouf, back in his Transformer days, before he went crazy.

During my high school years, I began learning guitar and Wonderwall was the first song I learned to play. I also distinctly associated this time with the song White Noise by The Living End, which was popular at the time. Whether that was due to high school often being a bit of a blur for me, or just the fact that part of my life often doesn’t look back too fondly on, due to not fitting in very well or could be the fact this one of my school mates’ favorite songs and popular among other students, but either way it symbolized my time there quite well.

During my mid-teens, Caribbean Rollerama, a local roller-skating ring (which also happens to be the filming location of an Australian country artists named Andrew Swift music video for his song Young Lovers) was a regular hang out for our friend group and I can always remember hearing the song 21 Guns played over the speakers during our sessions there, among other popular songs at the time.

I would also get a vinyl player from a close friend for my birthday one year and she also brought me the album Help! Because of the Beatles, being a massive Beatles fan, I was very excited to start my Vinyl collection, Act Naturally, being my favorite track from that album, maybe due to the fact it was specifying I should go through life acting and being myself.

I would later stumble across a vinyl for the band called Dschinghis Khan (no doubt in relation to Genghis Khan) a German Euro Disco Pop band who participated in Eurovision for Germany in 1979 with their self-titled song ‘Dscchinghis Khan’, which would set up my love for Eurovision songs.

During my teen years, I often struggled with life after finishing school and having no real sense of where I wanted to go. So spent several years being quite depressed about it all and I often associate this time with the song ‘Lonely Day’ by System of The Down. I’m not usually a fan of this kind of music, but this song perfectly describes my circumstances at the time and often feeling very lonely and out of place in society. It’s also ironically the signature song of one of my favorite thriller movies, Disturbia staring Shia LaBouf, back in his Transformer days, before he went crazy.

During my time at church, there was a yearly camp called SYG (State Youth Games) held every Queen’s birthday long weekend down at Warangal in Lardner Park, during the colder months spent camping, we would regularly make videos of our time spent there and it was usually accompanied by a song, and I distinctly remember one year when they used the song Que Sera by Justice Crew. That time was so much fun, and I had so many great memories of my time there and that song perfectly enraptures that feeling and moment, having fun regardless of how things go. ‘At the end of the day, some you win some, some you don’t’ I could go on, but the song speaks for itself. Loud by Stan Walker is also another song that was featured one year and also reminds me of this time.

I would travel to Thailand for a church related trip and during our stay at a hotel, they would play the same 5 or so popular western songs at the time, including Feels by Calvin Harris, I heard it so much, it got stuck in my head and I always associate my trip with this song.

I would end up leaving the church several years later and happened to come across the song Walking Away by Craig David, which seemed to perfectly song to acknowledge this moment in time, leaving my troubled life behind. I’m walking away from the troubles in my life’, I'm walking away, oh, to find a better day’ lyrics to the song which seemed very significant as to why I chose to leave my church life behind.

I would have had several relationships over the years and stumble across various songs during our times together including Young Lovers by Andrew Swift, which I briefly mention before & Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez, nothing like the excitement of love, especially when it’s new and unknown, plus some happy songs to end it all on. This is the playlist of my life thus far as I reach the age of 30, but I hope to extend this much longer over the coming years.

George’s Melodic Milestone Playlist

1. Octopus’s Garden by The Beatles

2. When I’m 64 by The Beatles

3. Thunderbirds are Go! by Busted

4. Football Crazy 06’ by 5-A-Side

5. Down Under by Men At Work

6. Love Generation by Bob Sinclair

7. Lonely Day by System Of The Down

8. Wonderwall by Oasis

9. White Noise by The Living End

10. 21 Guns by Green Day

11. Act Naturally by The Beatles

12. Dschinghis Khan by Dscchinghis Khan

13. Que Sera by Justice Crew

14. Feels by Calvin Harris

15. Walking Away by Craig David

16. Young Lovers by Andrew Swift

17. Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez

Link Below: (I've added additional songs i've mentioned as well)

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnf5m8KDQjGrqpYrx6qIfWGp0xfgx8oKj