Sam's Certified Bops n' Jams

Music has always been a huge part of my life, thanks to my dad, I grew up listening to everything under the sun and gaining a real appreciation for it. My obsession with finding music I related to started when I was a teenager, my dad picked me up from school one day and said, “I found your theme song”, he skipped to the last track on an album called “The Lion’s Roar” by Swedish sister folk duo First Aid Kit. Folk music has always spoken to me on a different level than any other genre. I call it my heart music because no matter where my musical journey takes me, I always come back to folk. The song was called “King of The World” and the upbeat tempo and earthy vocals had me hooked immediately. The lyrics were reminiscent of my youthful headstrong attitude with the chorus line “I’m nobody’s baby, I’m everybody’s girl, I’m the queen of nothing, I’m the king of the world” being the one that sticks with me still everyday. I played it on repeat for several weeks after that first listen, the song is not only special because it was something my dad had shared with me, but also because it feels like its speaking to me on a personal level even so many years later. After the discovery of my “theme song” I continued to seek out music that reminded me of myself, this has resulted in a long list over the years, so I’ll stick to the playlist highlights for now and I’ll detail some of the important songs that have come out in the last few years to keep it topical.

In 2019 a country supergroup was formed featuring female powerhouse vocalists, Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires. They took up the name The Highwomen and released their debut and self-titled album that same year. The seventh track on this album is called “Old Soul” and it spoke to me in a similar way that “King of The World” did when I was back in high school. It’s a longer song with a run time of 5 minutes and 45 seconds but every word strikes a cord and intertwines perfectly with my personality. The first line “weight of the world on these small shoulders” hit me like a brick the first time I listened to the album. Standing at 5 foot 2 inches, weighing 90 pounds on a good day, and going about life with a self-described martyr complex, I really do feel like the weight of the world is on these small shoulders. From that moment I took the rest of the song personally and held it close. I’ve never been much of a party girl, not in my teens and not now in my twenties. I like to take things easy and stick to what’s in my comfort zone. Songs that can hook you in from the very first line are rare and special, and they will have a spot on every playlist you ever make. “Old Soul” is the kind of song that you never get sick of because it feels so personal and the classic country sounds just feels like being wrapped in a summer sunset. The last line of the chorus throughout the song is “I guess I was born an old soul” until the final iteration when we instead hear “but thank God I was born an old soul” which makes me feel warm inside. Sometimes I regret not being that wild child and sticking with what’s comfortable for me, and those are the times I play this song and thank God that I was born an old soul.

Alessia Cara is a born and raised Canadian just like me. In 2015 here song “Here” was being played on the radio constantly right around the time that the Juno Awards were rolling into town. Since she was going to be in town for the awards, she was playing a concert at a small local venue for $30. A couple friends and I decided to go on a whim not knowing much about her or having heard the rest of the album. To say it was a great show would be an understatement, I maintain to this day that she is even better live than she is recorded. From that moment on I bought and listened to every album that she put out, and in 2021 “In the Meantime” hit the soundscape. Even with so many beautiful songs to choose from I found the one I connected fairly quickly; the 12th track titled “Best Days”. It’s a slower paced song with beautiful piano melodies, its perfect for a drive in the rain or a good cry in your room at 2am. All my life I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression, it’s been a long battle against my internal thoughts and feelings. The chorus of the song so perfectly portrays the way your mind works when you are struggling with mental illness that its impossible not to gravitate towards it when you relate to it so personally. It starts with the lines “what if my best days are the days I’ve left behind? And what if the rest stays the same for all my life? Not many songs can be so insightful as to the innerworkings of mental health but Alessia Cara does it so perfectly on this track. It’s a beautifully sad yet reassuring song that is always there for me when I can’t express how I’m feeling in my own words.

The third of four EP’s put out by Weezer in 2022 was titled “SZNZ: Autumn”. This was a highly anticipated album for me as I am a huge Weezer fan and the previous three “SZNZ” EP’s were incredible. The whole album was very timely for me as I was going through a break-up and the angsty vibe of the EP was just what I needed. But one track has stood the test of time and has remained relatable even after its initial release. “Can’t Dance, Don’t Ask Me” is the first song on the EP, and Is till run it on repeat from time to time. It’s got a hard rock-pop vibe with a self deprecating air to it that really sums up my personality, if there was a song playing as I went about my day to day life I think this would be it. The prelude to the chorus “Hey doctor, doctor give it to me, I got a bad case of not loving me” sung with the upbeat tone and tempo you could only expect from a Weezer song. It’s a very nonchalant song about not wanting to be yourself, which is perfect for the days where you get out of bed and just can’t believe you have to do it all over again.

When Taylor Swift released her highly anticipated album “Midnights” I was as excited as the next Swiftie and listened to it on my way home from my late-night shift at work. I never shuffle an album on the first listen, I always play it straight through so I can hear it in the order the artist intended for me to. I struggled to fully get into the first two tracks “Lavender Haze” and “Maroon” on the first listen (although I’ve since become a fan of them) when “Anti-Hero” started playing, my first thought was “Oh my god this song is about me”. I hadn’t declared anything my “theme song” since “King of The World” back when I was a teenager, but here it was, the theme song of my twenties. As soon as I heard the line “it must be exhausting always rooting for the anti hero” at the end of the first chorus I knew this was my song. When I got home I sent the track to my dad, my brother, and all my friends exclaiming that Taylor Swift had written a song about me. The album had come out the week before my birthday, and I had spent the week with the song on repeat and telling anyone that would listen about how relatable I found the song. The following week, on my birthday, I received a bouquet of roses from a secret admirer with a note that said: “Happy birthday, I’m rooting for the Anti-Hero” and I was over the moon, this was my song. Almost every day I think to myself at least once, “it’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me.” Just like “King of The World” spoke to me that one day as a teenager, “Anti-Hero” was speaking to me now. I’ve always connected with music but feeling so personally connected to a song is a feeling like no other. All the songs I’ve ever heard that speak to me on that level have made up the soundtrack of my life.