I've always believed that music has the power to influence people, so here are a few tunes that have made a significant impact in my life.
1. Dare You To Move – Switchfoot
“Maybe redemption has stories to tell, maybe forgiveness is right where you fell.”
Redemption has always been an interesting concept to me, so I love when it comes up in the songs I'm listening to. Personally, I don't believe that redemption means getting a second chance, but rather that you're fixing mistakes you've made in the past. That's why I am so in love with this song, because it shows how redemption and forgiveness correlate together. Before you can redeem yourself, there needs to be forgiveness.
2.(Un)Lost – The Maine
“Control what you can confront what you can’t, and always remember how lucky you are to have yourself.”
This song has always stood out to me because it's all about finding yourself when you don't even know where you are. Another lyric from this song that always seemed significant as well is, "unaware of where I'm going or if I'm going anywhere at all, but I know I'll take the leap if it is worth the fall." I love this because it fits perfectly with how college students are when it comes to self-discovery. Now that we are out and on our own, we are able to make choices for ourselves and question everything that we once held to be true. This song exemplifies the fact that we are able to rely on ourselves and believe in what we want to.
3. Save Rock and Roll – Fall Out Boy
“You are what you love, not who loves you.”
Sometimes, it’s okay to put yourself first. The entire world is obsessed with being each other and being influenced by outside factors, that people tend to forget who they truly are and where they come from. This lyric stood out because it shows that what defines us is ourselves, not others. Sometimes, believing and relying on yourself will benefit us in the end.
4. Alive – One Direction
“We gotta live before get older, do what we like we've got nothing to lose. Shake off the weight of the world from your shoulder, we got nothing to prove”
There is so much pressure on young adults, that we sometimes forget to have fun and enjoy the ride. Society has shown us that we have to grow up right away and focus on jobs and money rather than self-enjoyment. But that's not what life is all about in the long run. One Direction perfectly showed us that it's okay to goof off every now and then and that every doesn't have to be taken seriously.
5. Holy – PVRIS
“There's no way that there’s weight in the words that you preach, when you’re claiming your faith and you contradict your speech”
The problem that seems to never go away. People who talk the talk but don't walk the walk. This has been a growing problem in today's generation, and now more and more are willing to call each other out on it. Not that I'm siding with anyone, but I believe that this is why Christians get the bad rep that they don't deserve. They claim one thing, but then contradict what they've been preaching and go out and do things that they normally judge others on. PVRIS brought light to this issue on how hypocrisy is still a problem in our culture, affecting those who both do and don't believe in God.
6. Aquaman – Walk The Moon
“You gotta risk your neck, know in your heart it will be worth it”
This song is truly too pure for this world. Walk The Moon's slow ballad emphasizes the fact that you should live life with no regrets. I think that this is what makes or breaks people in any industry- taking a leap of faith. This song has taught me that in order to succeed, you need to be willing to put yourself out there, whether it's with relationships or job opportunities.
7. From The Inside Out – Hillsong United
“A thousand times I’ve failed, still your mercy remains”
Being the very first line to this song, it has always stood out to me. I always find it amazing that fall after fall, we are still forgiven from every past mistake we've made. There's no sin or wrong-doing that can lead us to eternal damnation, and this song brings that fact out.
8. Sweet Lovin’ – Sigala
“Prayers have been answered, memories I won’t forget”
Aside from being lyrically pleasing, this song is a bop and I recommend it for those long runs or hard workouts. It's one of those jams that never gets old and has to be listened to as loud as humanly possible.
9. West End Kids – New Politics
“We are the kids that you never loved, we are the ones that will never grow up. We’re just some kids from the west end. We are the voices you never heard, we are the fire you never let burn.”
These lyrics to me mean that people shouldn't look down upon you despite your age or where you come from. The experiences we go through shouldn't factor whether or not we're capable of something, and this song really emphasizes that point.
10. The Sound – The 1975
“It's not about reciprocation it's just all about me, a sycophantic, prophetic, Socratic junkie wanna-be"
I connect with this on a personal level because all I strive to be is philosophical. I love what The 1975 do because they want to break cliches and stereotypes of the music industry, creating sounds that have never been heard before.
11. Holding On To You – Twenty One Pilots
“It ain’t the speaker that bump hearts, it our hearts that make the beat”
I love these lyrics because it's all about going against the flow. It's easy to be influenced in this world, but it's better to create your own music and go with what your heart desires.
12. Hallelujah– Panic! At The Disco
“And if you can’t stop shaking lean back let it move right through you”
I see these lyrics as handling whatever life throws at you. Sometimes, times are going to be rough, but you're just going to have to handle them, even if that means taking a step back and letting it run its path.
