Music is a huge part of my life, and oftentimes songs describe my life or impact my life greatly and I just have to share them :)
1. "Set Apart this Dream" by Flyleaf – one thing I really like about this song is that it's in ¾ time, which is unusual for most rock songs nowadays. It also tells a story – expressing God's love to "little girls" even though their situations may be rough. It always reminds me that my life is actually pretty great, no matter what is going on, and that I am always "worth so much more than you know."
2. "William and Davy" by Kate Rusby – A cute song that also tells a story. It has a more folksy, intimate feel to it, without much in the way of background music, which would distract from the story. It also teaches a lesson – don't get too carried away with your fantasies, or you'll end up with your "bellies empty and hearts still sore!"
3. "The Maiden and the Selkie" by Heather Dale – Another story-song with a folksy feel to it. The story is adorable, and gets you super involved with the characters. The imagery is also beautiful, providing a clear image of what is going on. Also provides a lesson about true love abiding through adversity.
4. "A Different Kind of Knight" by Christian Kane – Yet another story-song, describing how, as much as sometimes we wish it, a lot of times our lives do not end up like fairy tales. This song is hauntingly beautiful and dark for a country song, again with vivid imagery. Must be followed with a more cheerful tune haha.
5. "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?" by Thompson Square – An upbeat and fluffy country song, with a lovely, but realistic, love story. My favorite aspect is the emphasis of marriage as the epitome of love, instead of sex like most songs. If I'm not mistaken, the song is performed by a married couple as well, making it all the more believable and rich.
6. "God Is Not A White Man" by Gungor – AMAZING song that I think more people need to hear. Too often we get mixed up in legalism and what we think God believes about politics and such and forget that he is much BIGGER than everything around us. I also like the emphasis on how God loves EVERYONE – no matter who they are, what their background is, etc.
7. "Maid of Llanwellyn" by Kate Rusby – this song is just pretty. I plan on using it as a lullaby when I have kids.
8. "The Rigs of Rye" traditional – This is a traditional Irish song and so has 5000 versions out there – my personal favorite is Niamh Parsons, but the version I own is by Fling. YET ANOTHER story-song with a great love story and vivid imagery.
9. "Straight Through My Heart" by the Backstreet Boys - Simply put, I am a huge Backstreet Boys fan. This was one of the only non-disappointing songs on their newest album This Is Us. It retains a lot of their classic sound but with enough modernity to keep it out of the nineties. I also like their harmonization, which I miss in a lot of the other songs on the album where they are trying to be rappers :( Plus, one of my dearest friends and I recently saw them in concert (which was AMAZING :D) and this was the encore. So it brings back good memories :)
10. "Li'l Red Riding Hood" by Bowling For Soup (I know not the original version, but my favorite) - This song is like just the right mix of creepiness and sweetness to make goosepimples rise on your arms. Jaret Reddick's voice is so young-sounding that it adds an edge of innocence, urging you to trust the wolf that is singing to Little Red. Red Riding Hood is one of my favorite fairytales, including a lot of its interpretations (Hoodwinked, The REAL Story, etc). This song also fits a character for a story my roommate and I are writing, which I will tell you more about if we ever get it published XD and if it is made into a movie, this song will be on the soundtrack.
11. "Star Song" by Bowling For Soup - I LOVE THIS SONG. The message of being beautiful the way we are is something that everyone needs to hear. As a Christian I know it's especially important to remember that God creates everyone the way they are for a reason, so this is a good secular song to remind me of that :)
12. "Sweet Darlin'" by She & Him - When I found out that Zooey Deschanel sang for a band I was so psyched that I had to get their album IMMEDIATELY. And I love it. The style of this song is reminiscent of the fifties and sixties, which is great because no one makes that kind of music anymore. However Deschanel's voice is perfectly suited to the style.
13. "Best Of Me" by The Letter Black - This song is such a powerful act of worship that it demands to be sung at the top of one's lungs with the windows rolled down in the car.
