The last time I shared a playlist with y'all was back in August, so I thought I'd do another one! Here are 13 of my current favorites. Here's a link to the playlist on Spotify. You can manually look them up wherever you get your music, but I like Spotify because it's legal (yay) and the artists get money when I listen to their music (double yay). This playlist is less eclectic than the last one but it's still pretty fun.
1. You Matter To Me by Sara Bareilles (feat. Jason Mraz)
Come out of hiding, I'm right here beside you
And I'll stay there as long as you let me
Because you matter to me
Simple and plain and not much to ask from somebody.
This song is actually from the Broadway musical Waitress, for which Sara Bareilles wrote the music and lyrics. Stop whatever you're doing and just listen to the words of this song. I cried the first time I heard it.
2. You Never Know from If/Then
You never know
If I'm a drunkard or a dullard,
too callous or too clever
Or if I might just be the man who's meant to be with you forever;
You never know.
Alright so I saw this musical in 2015 when it was in Seattle, and let me tell you, Idina Menzel is just as much of a goddess as I expected her to be. She's not in this song, but I thought you should know. I was obsessed with this song after seeing the musical. It's so sweet.
3. In Our Bones by Against The Current
Bruises come and go
But our hearts beat louder
Than the thunder from the storm
In our darkest hours
We are not invincible
But we're both stronger than we know
In our bones
I just can't help but be obnoxiously happy while listening to this song. I have no explanation for this.
4. You & Me by Jill Baylon
It will all work out;
One of these days he'll sweep me off my feet
and we'll move away to a pretty town
The message isn't very happy but it is so dang peppy and catchy and I love it.
5. To Find You from Sing Street
So bring the lightning, bring the fire, bring the fall
I know I'll get my heart through.
Got miles to go, but from the day I started crawling
I was on my way to find you
MY HEART. Sing Street is an amazing movie, and this is one of my favorite songs from it. I love how simple it is: vocals with a little piano and string accompaniment. Good stuff.
6. California Rain by Betty Who
How many times will midnight come and go without so much
As a single touch?
How many times will I find solace in the worst of you?
'Cause I do.
I love it when you're lonely;
That's when we feel the same.
Again, super simple. I love how the lyrics just take over in this song. It's very ethereal (I feel like I describe music as ethereal a lot but that's what it is, okay??) and wonderful.
7. Paper Hearts by Silver Trees (feat. Bailey Jehl)
Oh my mind, just try on patience;
Oh my heart, just lead the way.
Okay, so from here on out you're going to be witnessing my love for duets. One of my favorite things about this song is the percussion. It seems different from your typical pop drums, but what do I know? I just know it rocks.
8. Break the Cycle by You+Me
Tell me the words you long to hear
And I'll sing them loud and clear
Let me heal the wounds you've held on to for all these years
Break the cycle
Break the chains
'Cause love is louder than all your pain
Okay, so You+Me is made up of Alecia Moore (AKA Pink) and Dallas Green (City and Colour), so if you feel like you recognize their voices, that's why. I actually stumbled upon this album totally by accident and it's one of my favorites ever. I woke up to my clock radio alarm one Sunday a few years ago, and there was a Sunday morning talk show going on. I normally shut those off immediately to turn on actual music, but something compelled me to keep listening to this radio show. And then something compelled me to put in the effort to look up the music that they were talking about: the interviewer noted that sometimes they couldn't tell the two voices apart, and Moore and Green talked about how sometimes they actually forget which part is actually whose. I thought that was so interesting and I had to witness it for myself.
*Disclaimer: If you choose to listen to the album (which I highly recommend. It's called "rose ave." and if that's not the most gorgeous thing you've heard all day, you must be living a blessed life), the song "Second Guess" has some bad language, so if that bothers you, go ahead and skip that one.
9. My Love by 3rd & Union
Oh, I know that this road is long.
Sometimes I get scared, but I know I'll be safe in your arms.
Oh, 'cause when you are holding me,
I know I'm as ready as I'll ever be.
The part I've quoted above contains my favorite harmony in the song. Listen for the dissonance in the last phrase of the above excerpt (it is the second verse).
10. Wind & Anchor by The National Parks
Oh how I long for the wind;
It was here and blew away,
And like an anchor in the sand,
I was forced to stay.
Favorite parts: the harmonies all throughout, the strumming pattern in the chorus, during the second-to-last chorus when the female harmony changes, the final chorus when the guitar cuts out and they add the stomp-clap. Especially the strumming pattern, though.
11. I Will Not Let You Go by Tangled Blue
This love is for you, no matter what you do.
It does not depend
On who you are or where you have been,
On what you've said or what you have seen.
No matter what, no matter what may come,
No matter what may come, I will not let you go.
I cry. I love Tangled Blue. They're fantastic musicians and even better humans. I'm wearing one of their tees right now, actually. I have so much love for them and for this song and for the summer camp and the people that it reminds me of, and this song has so much love to share with the world.
12. Fly By by Velocity
Just like last time, I had to include some instrumental jazz. The first time I heard this song, I really felt like I'd heard it somewhere before. Don't know where that would have been, though, so I think I must've just really really really liked it. Yup, it's a little long. Welcome to jazz.
13. i carry your heart with me composed by David Dickau
This is a choral setting of probably my favorite poem in the world (I don't
