Music to My Ears

During my childhood, I was fortunate to be exposed to a wide range of music genres thanks to my family and friends. As a young kid, I found myself drawn to pop music, boy bands, and anything that made it onto the Top 100 charts. However, as my teenage years approached, I began developing a deep appreciation for hard rock, a passion that has stayed with me through the years. Creating a playlist of songs that have profoundly influenced my life is no easy task, but I believe I can narrow it down to seven songs, including the album that played a significant role in inspiring me to finish my first novel. So, without any particular order, let's dive into my top picks.

1. “Is it For Me” – Toad the Wet Sprocket

Whenever I listen to this song nowadays, a flood of cherished childhood memories comes rushing back to me. It was a regular occurrence for my dad to play not just this song, but the entire Fear album, whenever we visited our apartment pool. While he also enjoyed Teena Marie's music, it was this particular song that stood out in my mind. We would sing it together on numerous occasions, and it became a staple of our road trips from Florida to Pennsylvania. However, it's the memories of those carefree pool days that consistently resurface whenever I hear this song.

2. “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” – Shania Twain

I knew this song like the back of my hand when I was just a young kid, around 7 or 8 years old. During my brief stint as a pageant kid, I made a decision to participate in the talent portion of one of my final pageants. For about a month, I diligently practiced this song with my mom and aunt, using our trusty little boombox/karaoke unit. However, as the competition drew near, my anxiety began to consume me, and I started doubting my participation in the talent segment. Despite my wavering confidence, I impulsively chose to join the talent portion on the day of the pageant, albeit with a completely different song. Unfortunately, I didn't win the talent segment, even though there was only one other girl competing against me. Nevertheless, I managed to triumph in every other aspect of the competition, ultimately securing the overall victory. So, all in all, not too shabby.

3. “In the End” – Linkin Park

I sang this song countless times as I grew up. It was undeniably one of my all-time favorites, and my dad knew I was obsessed with it too. We often sang fragments of it together, and I would eagerly assist him with the lyrics. Recently, my dad inherited a keyboard from his late uncle, and during one of my visits, I found myself tinkering with it. To my surprise, I recognized the familiar melody of the song's opening, and I taught myself to play that brief section. Now, whenever I pay a visit to my dad, I can't resist hopping onto the keyboard and playing that nostalgic tune.

4. “Never Good Enough” – Citizen Soldier

This next song is a more recent addition to my playlist, one that helped me get through the last few years of college. I was in my mid-twenties when I first heard it, and its message resonated with me deeply. At the time, I was struggling with feelings of failure and inadequacy, particularly when I was stressing about my grades and worrying whether I would pass my courses to graduate. It was a rough period, but this song, along with many others, helped me get through those tough times.

5. “Never Too Late” – Three Days Grace

I vividly recall the time I first watched this music video upon its release, and I was immediately captivated by its allure. However, due to my lack of knowledge about the song title or the band, it slipped from my memory for a couple of years. Fast forward to early high school, when my increasing interest in rock music led me to delve into the depths of YouTube. It was during this exploration that I unexpectedly stumbled upon the same music video again. The sheer excitement I felt at rediscovering it cannot be overstated, and I eventually purchased the music video on iTunes. Throughout my teenage years, I must have listened to it hundreds of times, thoroughly enjoying every repetition.

6. “Rockstar” – Nickelback

Whenever I hear this song, it immediately transports me back to my middle school days. During 7th and 8th grade, I had an elective class called computer technology. On most days, when we didn't have much work to do, my classmates and I would spend our time exploring the unrestricted corners of the internet, such as YouTube and websites hosting Flash games. Personally, I enjoyed watching music videos, and during the year when my friend and I had the same class, we would often gather to watch them together. This particular song holds a special place in my memories, as I recall watching it a few times with my friend and even on my own. To this day, I cannot listen to it without being flooded by the nostalgia of those joyful times.

7. “Holiday” – Green Day

During my tween and early teen years, there was a particular song that I played on repeat. It was featured in the video game Tony Hawk: American Wasteland, which I owned at the time. Whenever I wanted to immerse myself in the game and freely skate around, I would enter the settings and disable all the songs except for "Holiday." I would let that song loop for hours as I attempted to perform crazy tricks. It was through video games that I discovered many bands I hadn't known about before, such as Breaking Benjamin with their track "Firefly" in WWE SmackDown! Vs. Raw 2004, Rise Against with "Re-Education (Through Labor)" in Guitar Hero World Tour, and Fall Out Boy with "Reinventing the Wheel to Run Myself Over" in Burnout 3. Although I was already familiar with Green Day and Fall Out Boy prior to playing video games, I discovered new songs from their group that I hadn't known about before.

• Album: Silver Scream – Ice Nine Kills

As an average horror movie fan, I have developed a deep admiration for the Silver Scream albums by Ice Nine Kills. Not only do I love their music, but their music videos are also incredibly impressive. In the year 2020, when everything seemed to be shutting down, I found myself in my final semester of college, set to graduate in May. During that time, I received an email newsletter discussing the simplicity of self-publishing on Amazon. Intrigued by the idea, I delved deeper into the world of self-publishing and made the decision to complete the novel I had been working on since early 2016 and publish it independently. Throughout the process, the Silver Scream album became my constant companion, playing on a loop as I wrote my psychological thriller novel, along with a short prequel created exclusively for my newsletter subscribers. The songs on the album, particularly "Stabbing in the Dark" and "A Grave Mistake," played a significant role in helping me immerse myself in a dark mindset, allowing me to focus and delve deeper into my story.