Monday Morning Music: 11/15/10

This week is a 15-song shot of nostalgia for you. These are some of the songs I grew up listening to and they have a lot of really meaningful memories for me. I hope they carry something for you, too. Even if you haven't heard them before, they're worth keeping alive.

1.) "Paradise City" by Guns N' Roses. One of my earliest music memories is driving with my Uncle Eric when he first got his license, listening to this over and over again. "Take me down to the paradise city, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty."

2.) "Father of Mine" by Everclear. Discovering this song was when I really realized that having divorced parents has a real impact. I could relate to it, even though I'm closer to my real dad than the boy in this song. "I remember blue skies, walking the block. I loved it when you held me high, I loved to hear you talk."

3.) "It Is a Fine Day" by Miss Jane. When my Uncle Bryan got his license, he lived with us for a while. One of the songs I always asked him to play was this one. The repetition is really soothing and catchy. "It is a fine day, people open windows. They leave their houses, just for a short walk."

4.) "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm. This was my first real introduction to songs that screamed (or, rather, yelped) and used their voices in different ways. I still get it stuck in my head all the time, and I'll always prefer this version over Michael Jackson's original. "As he came into the window, it was the sound of a crescendo. As he came into the apartment, he left the bloodstains on the carpet."

5.) "Drive" by Incubus. Back when the radio still played songs I wanted to hear, I used to listen all day, just in the hopes that they would play this song. I've loved it for as long as I can remember. "Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there, with open arms and open eyes."

6.) "Everywhere" by Michelle Branch. I can remember second grade pretty vividly. Instead of playing at recess, I often just walked the track with people. If songs like this were stuck in my head, I just sang them. It was before I realized people didn't sing all day long. "And when I wake, you're never there. And when I sleep, you're everywhere."

7.) "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. It's because of bands like Nirvana that I love music as much as I do now. I have so much respect for these guys, doing their thing even though the lyrics hardly ever make sense and the songs are beautifully simple. "Load up on guns, bring your friends. It's fun to lose and to pretend. She's overboard and self-assured."

8.) "Don't Let Me Get Me" by P!nk. Even now, I think P!nk shows girls that it isn't about being pretty, popular or perfect. She has issues, just like everyone else, but she hasn't ever been afraid to be a badass. "I'm a hazard to myself. Don't let me get me; I'm my own worst enemy. It's bad when you annoy yourself."

9.) "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" by Jason Mraz. This is another example of a song I would listen for on the radio all day long. I loved the way he could portray a person through such basic yet pretty words. "I saw fireworks from the freeway, and behind closed eyes, I cannot make them go away, 'cause you were born on the 4th of July."

10.) "On the Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera. I remember having very serious discussions about this guy's hair. We used to make fun of it all the time, but there was something about this song that always got it stuck in my head, even though there's really not much to it. "On the way down, I saw you and you saved me from myself. And I won't forget the way you loved me."

11.) "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton. She was someone I saw as a good example. She was beautiful without even trying and her melodies were flawless when paired with her voice. I still listen to her old stuff all the time. Whatever happened to her, anyway? "If I could fall into the sky, do you think time would pass me by? 'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles..."

12.) "Hanging by a Moment" by Lifehouse. This was one of the songs that made it clear to me that it's okay to completely be in love with someone as long as you don't lose yourself in the process. I still hold this true. "There's nothing else to lose, there's nothing else to find. There's nothing in the world that can change my mind."

13.) "Dumpweed" by blink-182. In sixth grade, I sat by that random ADHD boy that the quiet girl always gets stuck next to. One day, he was dumping things out of his binder. He was about to toss a CD in the trash when, curious, I asked if I could have it instead. It ended up being Enema of the State, which changed my entire musical perspective. I used to listen to this song on repeat all the time. "It's understood, I said it many ways. You're too scared to run, I'm too scared to stay."

14.) "1985" by Bowling for Soup. I think it was when I discovered these guys that I realized that being a musician isn't about being gorgeous or getting all the hot ladies/men. They sing about being losers and not getting what they want. But they still have fun doing it, and everyone can relate. "Her two kids in high school? They tell her that she's uncool, 'cause she's still preoccupied with 1985."

15.) "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" by Fall Out Boy. Seeing them was my first real concert. My first time jumping around in a mosh pit, anyways. And falling in love with their music back in middle school was what channeled my tastes toward what they are now. This song is how I see a lot of relationships and it's so straightforward and eloquent. I miss that old sound. "Am I more than you bargained for yet? I've been dying to tell you anything you want to hear, 'cause that's just who I am this week."