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10 Songs that Changed my Life

A collection of some of the records that had extremely influential effects on me.

Sean Woytowitz

Feb 27, 2019

Emory University

356

https://www.pexels.com/photo/acoustic-amplifier-artist-audio-114820/

Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I feel like this is a sentiment that many people share. Whether I was struggling and needed a pick-me-up or I just needed a song to blast as I drove down the I-5 with my windows down, music has always been there for me. Here are some of the songs that have had the greatest effects on me:

1. "Sierra Leone" by Frank Ocean

https://www.thisismyjam.com/song/frank-ocean/sierra-leone

"Sierra Leone," one of the best track's off of Frank Ocean's infamous album Channel Orange, was the song that I was listening to when I first discovered my synesthetic connection between colors and sounds (something I would later find out Frank Ocean had as well). I cannot even begin to count the number of times that I have listened to this song and reminisced about this huge turning point in my life. Frank Ocean's musical style so easily takes you out of your own reality.

2. "Sunday Candy" by Chance The Rapper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4ooH8frBWg

If it's ever a really sunny afternoon and you're hanging out outside with your friends in an extremely good mood, play this song to make that the perfect moment. "Sunday Candy" changed my life because no matter what I'm feeling, the sentiments expressed in the song can improve my mood in 3 minutes and 46 seconds every time without fail.

3. "Warm on a Cold Night" by HONNE

https://dailybruin.com/2016/07/28/album-review-warm-on-a-cold-night/

I will stand by this statement for the rest of my life: nothing beats night drive music. "Warm on a Cold Night" is the ultimate night drive song, and whenever anybody mentions the feeling of peace they get when driving on a cool moonlit night I immediately refer them to this record. The amount of serenity this song has brought me cannot be put into words.

4. "Atlas" by Luke Christopher

https://genius.com/Luke-christopher-atlas-lyrics

When you're deep in thought, sometimes the best thing to do is listen to somebody else's deep thoughts. I've always referred to Luke Christopher as a poet before calling him a songwriter, and this song and its metaphorical beauty is the perfect example of that statement.

5. "Dancing in the Rain" by Taylor Bennett

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v93dBXyCxRk

I discovered this song while sitting alone by a pool in Hawaii one night and I will never forget that moment. Dissociation is usually referenced in a bad light, but the dissociation I felt while listening this beautiful composition in that specific place was life-changing. This song is my hidden gem.

6. "New York Soul" by Jon Bellion

https://twitter.com/jonbellion/status/740668232726675460

This is the first song by Jon Bellion that I ever heard, and I had never heard anything like it. Jon Bellion as an artist and a role model changed my life and this was the perfect launchpad for that to happen. He's brutally honest on every track he's released, but "New York Soul" takes the emotional cake.

7. "FFYL" by Quinn XCII

https://genius.com/Quinn-xcii-ffyl-lyrics

Almost every song in existence can be interpreted to be about love, but the way in which Quinn XCII is able to put his emotions into words is unmatched by any artist I've ever listened to. "FFYL" is the Quinn XCII song I always turn to when I just need an artist to relate to, and I am forever indebted to him for that.

8. "Girl on a Train" by Skizzy Mars

https://genius.com/Skizzy-mars-girl-on-a-train-lyrics

If you're a hopeless romantic like me, I could not encourage you more to go listen to "Girl on a Train." Skizzy Mars' style of rapping is definitely one of the most unique I've ever heard, and I could not appreciate that more. I will always remember the moment when I saw this song live because as stupid as it sounds, I could actually feel it.

9. "IV. Sweatpants" by Childish Gambino

https://genius.com/Childish-gambino-iv-sweatpants-lyrics

If there's any song on this list that I expect everyone to know, it's this one. This is the song that comes on in the car and everyone starts freaking out and rapping every word with awkward pauses whenever the n word came up. Either way, this song started and built friendships.

10. "Islands" by Young The Giant

https://www.iheart.com/artist/young-the-giant-431871/songs/islands-9785914/

Another night drive song, "Islands" is most definitely one of my most played (if not THE most played) songs on Spotify. No other song on the planet will put you at peace as much as this one will. Guaranteed.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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Recommended for you

10 Songs that Changed my Life

A collection of some of the records that had extremely influential effects on me.

1. "Sierra Leone" by Frank Ocean

2. "Sunday Candy" by Chance The Rapper

3. "Warm on a Cold Night" by HONNE

4. "Atlas" by Luke Christopher

5. "Dancing in the Rain" by Taylor Bennett

6. "New York Soul" by Jon Bellion

7. "FFYL" by Quinn XCII

8. "Girl on a Train" by Skizzy Mars

9. "IV. Sweatpants" by Childish Gambino

10. "Islands" by Young The Giant

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Cool Off with These 8 Beers!

Coors Light Summer Brew:

Leinenkugel Summer Shandy

Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat

Sam Adams Summer Ale

Hell or High Watermelon

Blue Moon Summer Honey

LandShark Lager

Corona

75 degrees and sunny, plus, no humidity. I mean do I really need to say more?

Perfect Weather

You'll get an effortless tan

You can exercise with a view

You don't have to worry about bug bites

In n Out all day, every day

We have outdoor concerts

We live where people vacation

Because let's be honest, we all use lyrics.

1. “Don’t get too close, it’s dark inside. It's where my demons hide.”

2. “Tonight, we are young.”

3. “Cuz I may be bad, but I’m perfectly good at it.”

4. “Tell me how they got that pretty little face on that pretty little frame.”

5. “I can’t wait to fall in love with you, you can’t wait to fall in love with me.”

6. “Sweatpants, hair tied, chillin with no makeup on.”

7. “Why you so obsessed with me?”

8. “We ain’t ever getting older.”

9. “I didn’t know that I was starving until I tasted you.”

10. “Didn’t they tell you I’m a savage?"

11. “I’m gonna make you miss me.”

12. "Cheers to the freakin weekend.”

13. “Love’s a game. Wanna play?”

14. “You don’t know about me, but I bet you want to.”

15. “Let’s set each other’s lonely nights, Be each other’s paradise.”

16. “Trippin’ on skies, sippin’ waterfalls."

17. “Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days.”

18. “But you will remember me for centuries.”

19. “Something about you makes me feel like a dangerous woman."

20. “Don’t act like it’s a bad thing to fall in love with me.”

21. “Darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream.”

22. “Find me where the wild things are.”

23. “I’m high on lovin’ you.”

24. “If you’re gonna be somebody’s heartbreak, somebody’s mistake, if you’re gonna be somebody’s first time, somebody’s last time, be mine.”

25. “Don’t be afraid to take the road less traveled on.”

Everything Bruce says in his classic rock songs.

1. "Talk about a dream Try to make it real You wake up in the night With a fear so real Spend your life waiting For a moment that just don't come Well don't waste your time waiting." (Badlands)

2. "It's a town full of losers/ I'm pulling out of here to win" (Thunder Road)

3. "You've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above" (Tunnel of Love)

4. "I got something in my heart/ I been waitin' to give/ I got a life I wanna start/ One I been waitin' to live" (Leah)

5. “God have mercy on the man/ Who doubts what he’s sure of” (Brilliant Disguise)

7. “Is a dream a lie when it don’t come true, or is it something worse?” (The River)

Why you should spend your next summer in New England.

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1. "Talk about a dream
Try to make it real
You wake up in the night
With a fear so real
Spend your life waiting
For a moment that just don't come
Well don't waste your time waiting." (Badlands)