Music is a very big part of my life, I listen to music basically all day, during school, at home, in the car, in the shower, and I even fall asleep to music sometimes. For the most part I like all genres of music, for example, rap, country, pop, EDM, R&B, alternative, there’s not really a genre of music that I don’t like. My life is dominated by music, and it helps me convey my emotions. I listen to music when I’m sad, or when I’m mad, or when I’m happy. I have 28 playlists all categorized by artist, genre, and mood. One of my favorite things to do in my freetime is to just drive around aimlessly and blast music in my car. Music plays a very major role in my life, and I think it helped shape who I am today. Here are some of my favorite / most meaningful songs:
Ascension – by Mac Miller
Lyrics:
(Mac Miller talking)
Yo, I’m f****** zooted right now in the f****** bathroom, dog. And, you know what I’m saying, I’m just recording this s*** cause I feel like I got so much f****** s*** to say and like, you know what I’m saying, this is the only way that I’ma get it out
Yeah, can I get the littlest bit of reverb on my voice?
I’m trying to hide from something, I just don’t know what
Oh, it’s not sad baby, you know
(Between Heaven and Hell)
Yeah, um, I saw a mountain, you know across the horizon
When I got there realized it was just a pile of rocks
Yeah, so God damn
I wonder if everybody hope
That this song is not depressing as the last one was
Heaven smelled like Nah Champas
Come here darling, ash my blunt (smoke)
Waiting on hallucination, ain’t a single fact I trust (no)
Dear family, my sanity go down when my cash go up
Rap too much, how the f*** get through the verse
I came from house parties
Find a b**** and go through her purse
All I need is a little good ***** and whole lotta universe
I met God before I ever stepped into a church
And that motherf***** still owe me money
Ohhh I need a religion to follow
I swear to God that I got more problems
Than there is b****** in Carlo
Lord have Murcielago, yeah
And I don’t know how the f*** I’m supposed
To look into my parent’s eye when I’m scared to die
My eyes same color as a cherry pie
Woah, see I’m terrified
Crucifix heavy, who gon’ carry mine?
Yeah, what’s with all this talk about Hell and Satan
And sleep deprivation
If this is planet Earth, then my Hell’s a basement
Ascension
A brand new me
Yeah, yeah
Why you wanna do me like that, Miss Conception?
Between Heaven and Hell
What’s between Heaven and Hell?
A brand new me
Oh it’s a brand new me
Okay, if I could tell these kids one thing
Just make sure you handle your business
A criminal leave no witness
And don’t ever trust these b******
What happened to your life when your house become a home?
Where your children at? Where your children at?
You got two sons, all they do is fight
You up through the night like gimme-gimme-gimme dat
Yeah, nice *******, got a pic, go and send me that
Sendak books, can you give her that?
F*** rap, make a million off a s***** app
Yeah, smoke trees in the cab
Pittsburgh, show you where the city at
And don’t forget that H, get you smacked in your face
Got so many sons, I was young, now they half my age
90K out in Portgual, smile on my face, backlit stage
My b**** bats*** crazy and that s*** fascinates me
Yeah, on my tongue where the tab is
And it burn like battery acid
I was in the backs of my classes
By the kid having asthma attacks
Cause he panicked every single time he sat on his glasses
Every Wonderland have an Alice
Yeah, but I’m a king God can I have a chalice?
I’m demanding the truth, put your hands to the roof
Be a man, that’s a challenge
Ascension
(Challenge, are you up for that challenge?)
A brand new me
Yeah, yeah
(Yeah, everybody got to have balance)
Why you wanna do me like that, Miss Conception?
Between Heaven and Hell (salvation)
What’s between Heaven and Hell?
(And the underworld, welcome to Heaven
But I gotta keep that b**** waiting)
A brand new me (fascinating)
Oh it’s a brand new me
(And that’s fascinating, please be a little patient)
Ooh, I ain’t a doctor, could you be a little patient?
Yeah, be a little patient
Everything will be okay then, if you be a little patient
One world, one nation, done waiting
Yeah, yeah, um
Now I’m still sipping moonshine
We discovered a new high, me and Jerm done this a few times
Yeah, but who’s high now?
(I can’t believe I done changed my life around)
Talk a lot of s*** but will you die now?
(I been wanting to cry over this shit. Every day I think about f****** dying)
What you gonna do when everybody die out, just go die out
Let’s ride out
Mac Miller is by far one of my favorite artists for many reasons. The way he uses his music to talk about things that most rappers don’t talk about really amazes me. At first, Ascension just sounds like a normal rap song but if you really listen to the lyrics and listen to what Mac Miller is trying to say this song becomes so much more. Also his lyrics, in most of his songs, are very complex and that interests me so much. My favorite verse from this song is: “and it burn like battery acid, I was in the backs of my classes by the kid having asthma attacks, cause he panicked every single time he sat on his glasses, every Wonderland have an Alice, yeah, but I’m a king God can I have a chalice? I’m demanding the truth but your hands to the roof, be a man that’s a challenge.” The lyrics, production, and messages that he uses throughout all of his songs is so unique and interesting to me. Even if you’re not a fan of rap, I would reccomend everyone to listen to Mac Miller, I think he is one of the most complex and influential artists of this decade.
(Some songs I’d reccomend: Nike’s on My Feet, Donald Trump, Objects In the Mirror, REMember, Avian, Cinderella, Weekend, 100 Grandkids, Ascension, Perfect Circle / God Speed, When In Rome, Self Care, Jet Fuel, Come Back to Earth, 2009, Ladders, Missed Calls, and Under the Weather).
You Are the Best Thing – by Ray LaMontagne
At the end of my freshmen year, one of my best friends moved away to Portland, Oregon. She has visited a couple of times but for very short periods of time, so over this past summer me and four other friends flew out to Oregon to stay with her and her family for a week. Usually, I was always the first person to wake up, and the way I knew other people were awake was by hearing Ava (the friend who moved) blasting You Are the Best Thing while she would make breakfast. Now, whenever I hear that song I immediately think of my time in Oregon and it makes me very happy.
Broken Crown – by Mumford & Sons
There is a very large age gap between me and my sisters, a nine-year age between me and my oldest sister Jianna, and a six-year age gap between me and my other sister Emma. Because of this, I am not as close with my sisters as I’d like to be, just because we don’t get to see each other very often. But when I was younger, and when they still lived in Naperville, they both had very similar tastes in music, and one of their favorite songs was Broken Crown by Mumford & Sons, so whenever I hear that song it always makes me think about all the fun memories I have with my sisters.
Throwin’ Elbows – by Excision featuring Space Laces
Like I said earlier I like and listen to all genres of music, but for a very long time I never really liked EDM music, I never understood the point of songs with no lyrics, just noises. That all changed after my first year of Lollapalooza. I saw so many EDM sets when I was there. The way you could feel the bass resonating through your body, and the usage of lights and lasers, and fire and smoke made it an out of body experience. From that point on I loved EDM music. I also found out that listening to EDM was very helpful whenever I was feeling stressed or mad. I would get into my car, start driving around, and blast EDM music. Throwin’ Elbows is not my favorite, but it is the first EDM song that I really liked.
Vertigo – by Khalid
There isn’t much I can really say about this song besides for the fact that I just love it so much. I can listen to it during all types of moods, everything from sad to happy. Like Mac Miller, Khalid is one of my all-time favorite artists, and Vertigo is one of my all-time favorite songs by him.