Reflecting On The Year Via Music
- Rob's Blogs
- Dec 19, 2020
- 8 min read
What Does Music Mean To Me?
I am hugely passionate about music. I don't play a musical instrument and I certainly wouldn't say that I can sing but music plays a large part in my life and whether I'm working on a document, doing a chore, driving in the car, or doing some kind of exercise, I'm usually listening to Spotify at the same time. In fact I'm sure that my wife regrets purchasing the latest Apple AirPods (Pro) for me because they are so incredibly adept at blocking out all other sound that I can switch off completely and fully immerse myself in music leaving her often flailing her arms in the air anytime she wants to get my attention.
Like most people these days I tend to listen to digital music on my iPhone via the Spotify app. For someone like myself the technology behind Spotify has been a complete game-changer. Not only do I now have access to a vast and rich library of music at the push of a button but the algorithms that Spotify has created to use your own listening habits to recommend other artists and albums means that the variety of music I'm listening to is always expanding while managing to maintain my interest by the quality of the recommendations presented. For years many people working in the music industry have been vocal in their dismay at Spotify's business model and I'm not here to judge the morality of their business practices, but for my own personal use and the way that I now access music, it has been a dream experience as a music-lover.
So why do I mention Spotify? Simply because it was this piece of software that started my train of thought... Towards the end of each year Spotify create a playlist for each user that identifies the 100 songs that you've played the most within that year, and as 2020 has been a year unlike any other I wondered whether these external influences had impacted my music choices throughout 2020. Let's delve in and see what we find...
My 'Most Played' Spotify List for 2020
At the bottom of this blog I will provide the full list of the top 100 songs I've played in 2020, however I've quickly noticed that my music habits over the course of this year seems to fall into one of six categories:
Simply great music
Unusual / experimental cover versions of songs
Songs I listen to while doing exercise
Sad Songs I listen to at my lowest ebb
Similar to above but with a slight and importance nuance, songs I listen to when suffering with grief (either thinking about my dad, or about death in general)
Happy or silly songs I listen to purely to perk me up
What is also immediately obvious is that this year's list contains a much higher percentage of songs in some of these categories than in previous years, so let's look through each of the categories...
Simply Great Music
The title of this category is fairly subjective, however this simply refers to music I would choose to listen to in any given year (simply because I love the music) and would be unlikely to be influenced by external factors (like Covid) or even internal factors (such as my mood at the time).
There are some great examples of songs in my playlist that just take my mind on a musical journey, such as; Mary Jane's Last Dance, All Along the Watchtower, Truckin', Let's Get It On, Tell Me When The Whistle Blows, Dirty Work, Midnight Rider, and Cortez The Killer. It's funny but much like a good meal I feel physically excited (almost salivating) just thinking about these songs.
Cover Versions
I don't know why but I'm obsessed with finding decent cover versions of songs, particularly versions that have a slight twist on the original. This category is similar to the previous in that I would expect to see examples of cover versions on any 'most played' playlist because once again this is about the music itself rather than finding music to fit my external environment or internal thoughts and behaviours.
Some examples of covers from this year's list include; Black Star (Gillian Welch), Optimistic (Hanson) which is surprisingly good, Youngblood (Angus & Julia Stone), Wicked Game (Stone Sour), Baba O'Riley (The Ghost of Paul Revere), Down In A Hole (Ryan Adams & The Cardinals), Changes (Charles Bradley), and Down By The River (Buddy Miles).
Exercise Songs
During the lockdown period this year I have done a lot of exercise. I'm extremely proud of the fact that I managed to lose 1 stone and 9 pounds during this period. I mention this because when I exercise I tend to listen to hard rock and on that basis my 2020 playlist features more of this than any previous year.
The latest AC/DC album came out this year so there are a couple of songs from that album that have appeared on the playlist as I've listened to the album on repeat several times but other exercise songs include; Mississippi Queen, Welcome to the Jungle, Can't Stop, Seven Nation Army, Joker and the Thief, Highway to Hell, Do I Wanna Know, and Black Betty.
Sad Songs
I'm fairly open about the fact that I suffer from depression. Most of the time I'm absolutely fine but there are moments when I feel uncontrollably low and I cling to music for comfort and to accept these periods for what they are, fleeting moments in an otherwise very fulfilled and fortunate life.
It's strange really but a song like Drowning by the Stereophonics has such a profound effect on me that just by thinking about it my eyes are already starting to well up. Much like certain foods can invoke memories of your childhood and remind you of an exact time and place, music does the same to me and invariably invokes a certain emotional state. For example as soon as I play the song Arizona by Kings of Leon, it reminds me of a time when my wife and I used to host pool parties and immediately that song brings a smile to my face.
Some other examples of sad songs from my playlist that I would have listened to while struggling with a deep depression are; Fell on Black Days, Between the Bars, Fountain of Sorrow, Whiskey and You, How to Fight Loneliness, and Goddam Lonely Love.
Grief Songs
In 2019 my dad died after suffering with illness for the previous 14 months and during 2020 it's fair to say that I'm still navigating my way through the grief. What I have noticed is that my musical choices throughout this period definitely are influenced by thoughts of my father and by thinking about death.
The song Blue and Lonesome by the Rolling Stones probably made it's way onto the list purely because that album is the last gift that my dad ever gave to me and purely by listening to the album I momentarily feel closer to him.
There are other songs such as Good with God, Rock That Says My Name, and Elephant, which are my subconscious mind considering and somehow trying to process the concept of death and then there are songs such as Wish You Were Here, which are a reminder of the feeling of loss.
Happy & Silly Songs
There's a mixture of songs that fit into this category. There are songs such as Superstition, Everything I do Gohn Be Funky, Rich Girl, or Ramblin' Gamblin' Man which are just so upbeat in nature that they instantly perk you up. Then there's songs that bring a smile because of their meaning in relation to the external environment, for example Almost Cut My Hair brings a smile because of the whole Covid situation, although the song in itself is far from a silly song. Finally there's out and out silly songs, such as Community Property or Candy Shop that are deliberately and unashamedly stupid, but in the best of ways.
Final Thoughts
Over the course of this year I've listened to more music than in previous years leading to a wider variety of artists on my 'most played' playlist. I've also definitely listened to more exercise related music than normal. It's also good to see songs such as 'Old Time Rock & Roll' appear on the list because my kids love that track so it's another reflection of having spent more time with the family in 2020 due to working from home. My kids also loved the 'Daddy Long Legs' song by Flula although for some reason it was removed from Spotify part-way through the year so didn't appear on the playlist.
All in all I think it's fair to say that my end of year playlist definitely shows that my musical selections have been affected by the turbulent and strange year we've all been through in 2020! Below is my full 'most played' playlist for 2020...
Full List
The Spotify playlist is:
Tell Me When The Whistle Blows - Elton John
A Little Bit of Everything - Dawes
Cover Me Up - Jason Isbell
Dear Mr. Fantasy - Traffic
Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Rock That Says My Name - The Steel Woods
My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) - Neil Young & Crazy Horse
All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
Dirty Work - Steely Dan
Ramblin' Gamblin' Man - Bob Seger
I Sat By The Ocean - Queens of the Stone Age
Nose on the Grindstone (OurVinyl version) - Tyler Childers
Good with God - Old 97's
Almost Cut My Hair - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Arizona - Kings of Leon
Midnight Rider - Allman Brothers Band
Kick You When You're Down - AC/DC
Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire
Paranoid - Black Sabbath
Crash And Burn - Angus & Julia Stone
Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy - Elton John
Old Time Rock & Roll - Bob Seger
Drowning - Stereophonics
Hold On - Alabama Shakes
La Grange - ZZ Top
Can't Stop - Red Hot Child Peppers
Make It Wit Chu - Queens of the Stone Age
Can't You Hear Me Knocking - The Rolling Stones
Black Star (Live) - Gillian Welch
Little Wing - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Truckin' - Grateful Dead
Cortez the Killer - Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Head Full of Doubt / Road Full of Promises - The Avett Brothers
Beg Steal or Borrow - Ray LaMontagne with The Pariah Dogs
Bukakke Tears - Steel Panther
Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N' Roses
Community Property - Steel Panther
Elephant - Jason Isbell
That's A Lie - Paul Thorn
Motion Sickness - Phoebe Bridgers
Mississippi Queen - Mountain
Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
Joker and the Thief - Wolfmother
Fell on Black Days - Soundgarden
Somewhere - Soundgarden
Whiskey and You - Chris Stapleton
Highway to Hell - AC/DC
Friend of the Devil - Grateful Dead
Million Dollar Bill - Dawes
Say It Ain't So - Weezer
How to Fight Loneliness - Wilco
Home - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Optimistic - Hanson
Youngblood - Angus & Julia Stone
Slow Ride - Foghat
Lake of Fire - Nirvana
Between The Bars - Elliott Smith
Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys
Howlin' For You - The Black Keys
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart - Jeff Tweedy
No One Loves Me and Neither Do I - Them Crooked Vultures
Wicked Game (Acoustic) - Stone Sour
Shot In The Dark - AC/DC
Redbone - Childish Gambino
Baba O'Riley - The Ghost of Paul Revere
Goddamn Lonely Love - Drive-By Truckers
Wish You Were Here - Lee Fields & The Expressions
Let the Rain Come Down - The Steel Woods
Directions - Josh Rouse
Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
I Thank You - ZZ Top
Black Betty - Ram Jam
Show Business - AC/DC
Kate McCannon - Colter Wall
My Iron Lung - Radiohead
Give It Up - Lee Dorsey
The Pusher - Steppenwolf
Black Spider - Mogwai
Blue Ridge Mountains - Fleet Foxes
Lover, You Should've Come Over - Jeff Buckley
Everything I do Gohn Be Funky - Lee Dorsey
Down In A Hole - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
Changes - Charles Bradley
Candy Shop - The Dan Band
Down By The River - Buddy Miles
Enter Sandman - Art vs Science
Rich Girl - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Lovely Day - Bill Withers
Gold on the Ceiling - The Black Keys
Thank You - Sly & The Family Stone
Girl of the North Country - Howard Tate
Pick Up the Pieces - Average White Band
Gimme Shelter - Paul Brady, The Forest Rangers
Gasoline - Audioslave
Songs That She Sang in the Shower - Jason Isbell
Abracadabra - Eagles of Death Metal
Southern Man - Merry Clayton
Blue and Lonesome - The Rolling Stones
Fountain of Sorrow - Jackson Browne
Commenti