I have this weird little hobby where I actually write down every song I hear throughout the year, collect them in a Word document, and round up the ones that were important to my year. I've been doing this since freshman year and it's always been exciting to see the results at the end of a year.
2008's been a crazy year for Planet Earth, that's for sure-- I bet we could all name at least ten external reasons why. However, here's what was going on with me as it all happened, including the best, the worst, and the truly unforgettable:
1. The Church "Under the Milky Way"
I heard this song so many times this year-- first and most importantly being as we comforted a grieving friend of ours after someone we know died (and a lot of people I know died this year). It was really perfect for such an emotional moment. Later, in the summer, I heard it playing on TV in Japan when my family was watching
Prison Break. An interesting contrast for you.
2.
Blur "Song 2"My friend and I would sing this at the most random moments ever this spring, shouting it for all to hear. At one amazing point, he and I actually sang it very loudly on a karaoke game in the middle of Best Buy. We considered none of the customers. He almost got beat up in the bathroom for it. We're never returning to that Best Buy.
3.
Patrick Wolf "The Magic Position"I heard this song playing TWICE in Madrid, which, for all the songs in the world and all the cities in the world, is pretty damn random-- first being when my friend Jenny and I were wandering the city streets alone, second being in an H&M a day later. It's such an undeniably happy song, and a wonderfully appropriate representation of the first time I'd ever felt so free...
4. Eric Clapton "Livin' on Tulsa Time"
My teacher met a friend of hers at a bar in Paris one night, allowing us to accompany her. We sat at a separate table because it made us feel cooler. Anyway, at one point in the night this song plays and my teacher was totally WEIRDED OUT. "Guys!" she shouted at us. "Did you guys request this or something?!" It was a really freaky coincidence. Of all the bars in Paris, the one we were in happened to be playing a song about home.
5.
Annie "Loco"I downloaded this song the night before I left for Tokyo and couldn't stop listening to it the next day (I swear I could lose myself in it). I listened to it on both planes and in the train that took us from Narita to Tokyo, which took us through unbelievable scenery. As the exciting beats rolled on, I was witnessing the outskirts of a landmark Asian city, sprinkled with vast countrysides, skyscrapers, castles... it was humbling. This song was making me feel like a total jetsetter-- which I had actually become! Let me tell you, it's a cool feeling to be shocked by a 45-minute plane ride.
I had this song stuck in my head for a very, very large portion of the time that I was in Japan. It was a really great background for how lost I felt in the sea of strange faces, the gibberish scrawled over every surface, the awe-inducing level of technologic advances... in spite of having my family around, it was very lonely.
7.
U2 "Ultra Violet (Light My Way)"My friend Julia is one of the few people I know to whom I can truly talk about ANYTHING and feel understood, and I was pretty heartbroken when she left for China last fall. We communicated solely through e-mail, telling each other all the fun things we wanted to do when we were together again. I daydreamed of running through fields with her in hippie dresses, this song playing in my mind. A little while after she got back, this song was playing at a bar as we walked down the street. "Oh my God," I said to myself as I stopped in the middle of the street. "What?" she asked. "Nothing, really," I replied, smiling.
After Sarah Palin was chosen as the Vice Presidential candidate for the Republican party, there seemed to be a great fear in the air. I remember watching the debate between her and Joe Biden and actually rolling up into a ball at one point. I actually started crying. I felt so doomed and worried for the future and turned on this song.
9.
Daft Punk "Aer OBAMA (vs. adam freeland)"At Milk and Knives Zombie Night, I was getting down with a bunch of my closest friends. This song came on and we had no idea what they were spelling until my friend listened-- everyone in the room immediately reacted. It was like YMCA or something. The room was filled with a positive energy, like anything could happen... and on November 4th, it did (and I voted!!). We made history. Say it!
I played this in my New York hotel room before I spoke to my Facebook pen pal for the first time. Two unknowingly kindred spirits collided. It was AWESOME. We had breakfast at the Moon Rock, rode the carousel in a rainy Central Park, and tried to sneak into the Chanel Mobile Art exhibit. We bonded over our love for riot grrrl trainwrecks and Pot Psychology, and I confessed I wanted him to be the Rich to my Tracie. Maybe he will be someday. We almost saw Repo! together. It was one of my favorite parts of this year.
In the midst of college stress, this song summed me up pretty well. I was uninspired, insecure, and feeling completely hopeless. For quite awhile, I've felt like everything in the world was so big and unattainable. This song is so sincere it makes me cry. I have to close my eyes when I listen to it.
Because
there's lots of other stuff that makes things bearable. This is on the list not only because I recently videotaped my friend dancing to this while she was drunk, but also as a mass show of love to my Brooklyn Prom Queens, who have definitely been a big part of my year. I love you all!
I was listening to this song last night, thinking about how unbelievably appropriate it felt. 2008 was a hard year, perhaps the hardest of my life. We've all had to overcome huge obstacles, intimidating amounts of fear, crippling levels of stress and pressure-- I don't know about you, but I feel it was well worth it, because I am so much stronger for it. This year has helped us come so far, that damn straight it's praiseworthy.
I loved 2008. I laughed, cried, experienced new things, embarrassed myself publicly through varied types of emotion... and I'm ready for more. So bring it, '09!
Happy New Year to you all, darlings! I hope 2009 is as memorable for all of you as 2008!
Y Lolita Hazed
