Music Will Save Your (My) Year

Here’s a feature I have not done in forever. Last a week, a ton of music came out of thin air or rather across digital waves. A ton. Like, a ridiculous amount. I am so blessed.

 

I actually have to go and re-do part of this post because I just discovered a ton more music. I’m not going to be able to talk about it all in detail, but I’ll share my favorite songs as well as a couple other lists. Wow. What a month for music though? I don’t think I’ve been this stunned in…well, forever. Scratch that, I was pretty shocked when Dark Before Dawn came out a couple years ago, but this is pretty close to that.

 

(99%) Some of these artists I had no idea were coming out with new music, others I had been impatiently waiting for. I’ll also throw in a few songs from earlier this month.

 

The first up is Paramore

 

The one that caused me to almost scream because PARAMORE. I had heard they were coming back, but wasn’t too sure on that. I didn’t think it’d be this year, but, well, yes! Paramore is back and poppy as ever. Embrace the lovely upbeat popppiness.

 

Hard Times gives me Tegan and Sara vibes which I definitely don’t hate. Their album is coming out in ELEVEN DAYS which is just, wow. I am so excited.

 

Their song? Hard Times and wow, they have a way of making a song that could easily sound a bit melancholy to making it the next Pop hit. Not much unlike the song Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People.

 

The second is Young and Menace by Fall Out Boy. I’ve missed Pete Wentz’s voice. This song almost made me cry because I had NO idea they were coming back. They even have an album coming out in September and it’s such a long wait. Come quickly Fall.

 

This song is a bit of a departure from their last era but I will be the very first to say “Bring it” because yes. I am loving the soulsy, slower sound of this song. I am 100 percent positive the “Oops I did it again lyric” is a  Queen Britney reference. How could it NOT be?

 

Fall Out Boy does so good with songs against exes though. I love that it’s not even a toxic “you ruined my life, you were awful” song like some bands do.

 

Oops, I did it again,

I forgot what I was losing my mind about

I only wrote this down to make you press rewind

And send a message I was young and a menace

 

Can we please talk about the Nikki Sixx shout out because oh my goshhh. I freaking love it a million times over. For those that don’t know, Nikki Sixx was a co-founder of Motley Crue as well as the main songwriter and bassist. He’s now in the band he founded called Sixx AM (who also have an album out). He dealt with a lot of addiction between these two bands which, I believe, is where the “kill me twice” lyric Wentz references there.

 

My third amazement of last week was a triple feature by Foster The People. Yes, they, much like Jojo (Mad Love is out now!) came back with an EP of three songs. Their EP even has the same title as the Queen Jojo’s ep (III).  Doing It For The Money is my favorite song of the trio. I love the poppy sound of it and the mellowness.

 

I just discovered Lady Gaga has a song out called The Cure. It may also be coming to her possibly-soon-to-be-announced album? I’m here for it, even though I must admit I didn’t listen to Joanne.

 

I made a lovely playlist on Spotify that you can listen to here.

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Now, to sum it all up –

Favorite Songs:

Doing It For The Money by Foster The People, Hard Times by Paramore, Most Girls by Hailee Steinfeld, Say My Name by Tove Stryke, Last Young Renegade by All Time Low

Biggest Surprises:

This is obvious by now, but I was really surprised by Paramore, Fall Out Boy and Foster The People coming out with music all of a sudden.

The Letdown:

Torches, No Vacancy and Thunder and J-Boy

The Albums I Need Now:

Lorde, Lana Del Rey, Halsey

New Discoveries:

Charlie Puth, Amelia Payne, Melokee and Sigrid. . . Really, just 75% of these songs.

Those With Albums or EPs Out::

Lea Michele Places

Mary J. Blige Strength of A Woman

Foster The People III

The Albums You Should Look Out For:

Paramore After Laughter (May 12th)

Ingrid Michaelson Alter Egos (May 12th) (What kind of This Is Acting tea?)

Papa Roach Crooked Teeth (May 19th)

All Time Low Dirty Laundry (June 2nd)

Bleachers Gone Now (June 2nd)

Halsey Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (June 2nd)

Allie X CollXtion II (June 9th)

Phoenix Ti Amo (June 9th)

Rise Against Wolves (June 9th)

Lorde Melodrama (June 16th)

Royal Blood How Did We Get So Dark? (June 16th)

Haim Something To Tell You (July 7th)

Fall Out Boy Mania (September 15th)

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So, have you heard any of the songs I posted? What are you thoughts? Did you hear any songs I don’t have on my playlist? Let me know! I can never have enough music. Ever.

My Favorite Albums of ’15

Musical Monday is a feature where I talk about musicals, songs, make bookish playlists and feature authors to make bookish playlists for their own books.

YAY, MY FAVORITE TOPIC: MUSIC. This is my final music recap post for the year. Tonight I’m going to list and talk about my favorite albums of the year! I’ve also added Spotify links to almost all of them (coughs), so check those out! This list will be in NO particular order (though I did list my first favorite and my second favorite and I mention what my third favorite is, as well as one that’s in my top five, but other than THAT), no order. Let’s get started!

 

Carly Rae Jepsen – Emotion

Yes, okay, when I heard Call Me Maybe, I was like “Who is this girl? What is this song? I wish it’d go away.” as I’m sure a lot of you did as well. 😉 Well let me just be the first to say, I’M SORRY, CARLY, PLEASE FORGIVE ME. Do NOT let that one song put you off of this album or her debut (which is amazing) for that matter. One song does not represent an artist. Say it with me: One song does not represent an artist. Okay, good. This album is just super relatable and popish and I adore it so, so much. Listen to it and get your life.

Favorite Songs: Let’s Get Lost, Making The Most of The Night, Boy Problems, I Didn’t Just Come Here To Dance and Favorite Colour.

 

Hilary Duff – Breathe In. Breathe Out.

I know. You’re all super surprised to see this album on the list. I’m sure my previous post totally dedicated to this album gave no clues that it was a favorite. This was one of my biggest surprises of the year. I don’t know what I was expecting from Hilary, but this was amazing. The first half is an upbeat pop sound then the second half is more laid back and folkish. The song Tattoo reminds me a ridiculous amount of Lyla and Riggins from Friday Night Lights.

Favorite Songs: Confetti, Breathe In Breathe Out, More Than A Memory and Tattoo.

 

Marianas Trench – Astoria

Ah, one Canadian band that did not let me down this year. This album was astounding. It was inspired by The Goonies and is a soundtrack of sorts for the movie. It’s kinda genius really. It really has a movie feeling to it with it’s sweeping soundscapes it has. It’s very concept album-ish, which I adore.

Favorite Songs: Astoria, Yesterday, and Wildfire.

 

Grimes – Art Angels

When I heard Grimes had a new album coming out, I sort of set it aside in the back of my mind. I remember vaguely of her former albums and didn’t think anything new would be done. So you can imagine my shock when this album came out and reached the top three for my favorite albums of the year. Grimes combines electronica with video games and manga/anime inspiration. It’s amazing. There’s also a song criticizing record labels, which is always good stuff, called California. That took some getting used to, but I now really like it. It’s a pop album through and through. One of the best this year.

Favorite Songs: laughing and not being normal, World Princess Part II, and Life In The Vivid Dream.

Troye Sivan – Blue Neighbourhood

I loved Troye’s previous EP, Wild, which the first six songs from Blue Neighbourhood are taken from. An on-going theme in the album is this person dealing with his feelings for his boyfriend. I think it’s really interesting in how openly gay the writing for the album is. I mean, it does go either way, but as Troye is gay, it’s refreshing to see that ‘showcase’ (for lack of better term) in a full album. One of the small problems with the album is that a lot of the songs are mellow and have very similar sounding, but other than that, it’s great.

Favorite Songs: Talk Me Down, Fools, and Youth.

 

I’ll admit that I have to be in a certain mood to listen to this album, but that’s because it’s not in one of my usual genres of choice. It’s dance/electronic music. It features The Weeknd, Sam Smith, Lorde, and others.

Favorite Song: Magnets

 

Beach House – Depression Cherry

This is such a pretty album. I love how mellow it is. Dare I say? I think it’d be perfect on Gilmore Girls, maybe for the four new movies they’ll be making? 🙂

Favorite Songs: PPP, Beyond Love, and Space Song.

 

Adele 25

Unfortunately, this album isn’t available streaming anywhere online. 😦 I never really listened to Adele’s first two albums, though I own both (somewhere…). When I heard she was coming out with a new album though, of course I had to give it a listen. Give My Love (To Your New Lover) took a few plays to get used to since it’s such a different sound from her ballads. It’s very Taylor Swift-ish with the snakiness, in my opinion.

Favorite Songs: When We Were Young, All I Ask, and Million Years Ago.

 

Alessia Cara Know-It-All 

This album caught me by surprise. I went and bought this on a limb after finding it had been released a week earlier than I’d thought. This is Alessia’s debut album, previously she had an EP called Four Pink Walls, which I never heard. It’s a very youthful album, much like Troye’s in term of subject matter, there’s a lot of high school subject in it, which I like.

Favorite Songs: Seventeen, River Of Tears, and Scars To Your Beautiful

 

Melanie Martinez Cry Baby 

Another concept album! I adore this album, it reminds me of Marina and The Diamond’s Electra Heart. It also makes me think of Emilie Autumn in terms of the songwriting and titles (Training Wheels, Tag You’re It, etc.), they’re all very kid-ish.This concept album revolves around a girl dealing with her family who looks perfect on the outside. It deals with other topics such as love, sexual assault, plastic surgery, etc. It’s really interesting.

Favorite Songs: Dollhouse, Sippy Cup, Soap, and Pity Party.

 

Maria Mena Growing Pains

One of my new favorite singer/songwriters. This is a great album. It’s really cohesive throughout the entire thing and some songs are a bit similar melodically, but I think that’s okay. Maria had wrote this song as she was going through a hard divorce and it just really shows that in the album. Even if I hadn’t read about her going through the divorce, I would be able to tell this was real life inspired. The album goes from being upset about her choices to eventually coming full circle and knowing it was the right decision. It’s beautiful.

Favorite Songs: I Don’t Wanna See You With Her, Not Sober, and Where I Come From.

 

a-ha Cast In Steel 

The only reason I ever gave this album a chance was because I was intrigued at this 80s band (that I never previously listened to) was making an album in 2015. I heard an album sample on Popjustice.com and that sealed the deal for me. I bought it on it’s release date, listened to it and fell in love. This is a lovely album and has gotten me through quite a bit. I love how mellow it is.

Favorite Songs: Cast In Steel, Living At The End of The World and She’s Humming A Tune.

 

Chvrches Every Open Eye 

This is such an upbeat album, I had it on replay for several days. It’s in the top five of my favorite albums. I loved all three of the singles they put out for it,  Leave A Trace, Never Ending Circles and Clearest Blue.

Favorite Songs: Never Ending Circles, Keep You On My Side, Afterglow and Make Them Gold.

Smallpools Lovetap!

I have loved these guys since I first heard their song “Dreaming” in The Vampire Diaries. Their album was one of my most anticipated of the year. I fell in love with their song Karaoke immediately. That song got a lot of play out of me, but I had the album on repeat a lot.

Favorite Songs: Dreaming, Killer Whales, and Karaoke.

Marina and The Diamonds Froot

Since Marina’s last album was a concept album, it was interesting to hear her have just an album of ‘regular’ songs. I could relate to a lot of the songs on this album. It was a lot more “quiet” with it’s meanings and in terms of sound, which I really loved. I don’t like it more than Electra Heart though, but it’s still really good.

Favorite Songs: Happy, Forget and I’m A Ruin.

 

Breaking Benjamin Dark Before Dawn

Of course they made my list. A bit late though, ha. Anyway, I fell in love with “Failure” immediately, as well as “Angels Fall”, their final single, “Defeated” took some getting used to though. The first song on the album is more of intro and the last song is an intro. It was interesting to go into this album having already heard the first (Dark) and last (Dawn) “real” songs on the album (Failure and Defeated). I would have liked to not have the songs placed that way, but they make sense. I didn’t immediately like this album a lot, so it took some growing, but now it’s clearly one of my favorites. This album brought me straight back to high school, it was insane. Their sound is very much the same as their previous albums (which I highly recommend) and while that would turn some people off, I loved it. It’s such a nice album.

Favorite Songs: Failure, Breaking The Silence, Close To Heaven, and Never Again.

 

Allie X CollXtion 1 EP

I discovered Allie X pretty recently due to random browsing on Popjustice.com. This is actually just an EP, but it is really good.  Dare I say her sound and album kind of remind me of Madonna? Quite a bit really. I think it’s the song style, it reminds me of Madonna’s album Ray of Light. She is due to have CollXtion 2 out next year, which I am really excited for.

Favorite Song: Never Enough

 

Hailee Steinfeld Haiz EP

How gorgeous is that album cover? I am seriously just so in love with it. It really fits the mood of Carly Rae Jepsen’s album, actually. I wish Hailee would take up a more night time club vibe (don’t let that scare you) in her debut album, which I think is to come out in the new year? Crossing fingers.

Favorite Song: Hell No’s and Headphones

Hamilton

Favorite Songs: ALL OF THEM. I mean, did you expect another answer? 😉

I had to add this album, of course. It’d be horrible if I didn’t, especially since it’s overtaken all my other musical listening to. . .

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So, what do you think? Have you listened to any of these albums? If you haven’t, you absolutely must, especially Carly’s, Hilary’s, Grimes’ and HAMILTON. Hamilton is a MUST. It’s actually an order. 😉 What albums have you really liked this year? Did any of them make my list?

(Most of) My Favorite Songs of ’15

Musical Monday is a feature where I talk about musicals, songs, make bookish playlists and feature authors to make bookish playlists for their own books.

Hi everyone! Oh my gosh, I’m so excited, I get to talk about my favorite thing in the world, music. Okay, I lied, it’s not exactly my ‘favorite’ thing in the world, okay, nevermind, it is! I love music. I love books too. And God, but God’s not a thing so, music it is! Tonight I am going to be talking somewhat about (or maybe mostly listing) my favorite songs. I will try to keep this to the sensible number of 25, we’ll see how well I do.

All of the songs will only be ’15 songs, so nothing before this year (or after. Ha ha ha. No? Okay).

I will be (mostly…) restricting myself to *waits for it*  one song per artist.

There’s no telling how many songs will be in the playlist, it will be at least 21 (because that’s how many I have down in a text document) and the max will be anywhere from 50 to 100. You’re welcome.

This is actually going to be a really short post because I now don’t feel like talking much, ha, I will a little though.

I’m actually not going to list the songs here, aside from my ‘favorite’ favorites. For the full playlist, you can go here. 🙂 There will be a mix of pop, rock and alternative. I’ll give Youtube links for the songs below.

~My Top Five Favorite Songs (or what I like to call, Life Savers)~

She’s Humming A Tune by a-ha

And I don’t suppose she knows

everything that’s bound to happen,

how and where the story goes,

and I don’t why I care.

She’s up tight, not right,

how could it matter to me?

This song was all kinds of perfection when I heard it. An immediate favorite of the year in September. I seriously never listened to this band aside from Take On Me, ha. I’ll be looking into the backlist now, of course.

She Used To Be Mine by Sara Bareilles

It’s not easy to know
I’m not anything like I used to be
Although it’s true
I was never attention’s sweet center
I still remember that girl

She’s imperfect but she tries
She is good but she lies
She is hard on herself
She is broken and won’t ask for help
She is messy but she’s kind
She is lonely most of the time
She is all of this mixed up
And baked in a beautiful pie
She is gone but she used to be mine

Once again Sara Bareilles gets all my feelings down in a way I never could. I love how well this song works without the musical background of the album. If you took out the pie references, it’d be another ‘regular’ song. 😉

Talk Me Down by Troye Sivan

So if you don’t mind, I’ll walk that line
stuck on the bridge between us,
grey areas and expectations,
but I’m not the one if we’re honest.
But I wanna sleep next to you,
and I wanna come home to you,
I wanna hold hands with you,
I wanna be close to you.

This is such a sad song, I love it so much.

River of Tears by Alessia Cara

Go ‘head and wish me well,
I’ll cry a wishing well,
I’ll fly before I fail,
I’ll set sail and drift away,
so I won’t need you here.
Love sinks and hope floats
In a river of tears

This song reminds me of Love The Way You Lie by Sky Ferreira (which was officially recorded by Rihanna but I love Skye’s version).

Never Gonna Let Go by Shinedown

Caught in the act of flying solo,

this acrobat is lost
and I don’t know
where I’ll land.
As I reach for your hand,

all of the lights can be so blinding
every time I jump you always find me
without a net.
So please don’t forget
’cause right now I’m out of control,

swear you’re never gonna let go

This song was finally put on the latest album, thank God. I’d been replaying the live version for a while and couldn’t wait to hear a studio version. It’s amazing, but it’s also not on Spotify unfortunately. 😦

Failure by Breaking Benjamin

Tired of feeling lost, tired of letting go.

Tear the whole world down, tear the whole world down.

Tired of wasted breath, tired of nothing left.

Tear the whole world down, tear the whole world down.

Failure.

Talk about your flashbacks. Ugh, feels. When I first heard Breaking Benjamin was going to have a new album out, I was in shock. Breaking Benjamin had broken up (I guess that’s the term) years ago and came back renewed with the lead singer, Benjamin and a new lineup. This was the perfect song to be the first single.

If I said I found them super relatable, that’d be really cliche, right? Either way, I did and they definitely helped days pass by easier, especially She’s Humming A Tune and Never Gonna Let Go.

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What were some of your favorite songs of the year? Have you heard any of these songs? Were there any others by the artists that you liked more/better than the ones I listed?

Favorite Music Discoveries of ’15

Musical Monday is a feature where I talk about musicals, songs, make bookish playlists and feature authors to make bookish playlists for their own books.

Hi! I decided to I would finish off the year with some posts about my favorite music of the year. Tonight I’ll be talking about my favorite music discoveries of the year. The artists’ names will lead to Spotify links. Without further ado,

~Favorite Music Discoveries~

Maria Mena

This past year I became involved on PopJustice.com. It was on this website that I disocvered a message board/thread on Maria Mena with the topic named after her single, “I Don’t Wanna See You With Her”. I heard that song and I was in love.

Maria’s album came out on the fourth of this month and I remember being amazed at her number of albums she had out since I hadn’t even heard of her before last month. However, my amazement was short lived and I’d forgotten about the album.

On the fourth of this month, I went on Spotify to listen to Coldplay’s album which released the same day. Since Coldplay didn’t have their album on Spotify, I decided I’d listen to Maria’s album instead. Wow, I was not prepared to hear that album. Among first listen she reminded me of Sara Bareilles with her honest songwriting and simple-ish melodies.

Troye Sivan 

I can’t remember when or why I started listening to him exactly. I remember hearing Happy Little Pill and liking it, then later I’d heard Talk Me Down which I really liked, especially after watching the trilogy of Blue Neighbourhood videos he did. I was really excited for his album, which came out on the fourth of this month, but I still haven’t given it a proper listen.

Alessia Cara

This is another artist that I’d heard a song from on her EP, Four Pink Walls, but never really gave a proper listen to until her album came out. I love it. What really got me into her was the song Here which immediately reminded me of Lykke Li’s “Everybody But Me“, both songs are about being at parties and not really wanting to be there.

Hailee Steinfeld 

I’d heard Love Myself and was like “Oh, okay then.” and I liked the song well enough so I figured I’d stick around for her EP. It didn’t hurt either that her EP is sooo gorgeous. It actually reminds me of Carly Rae Jepsen’s album, E*Mo*TIon for some reason. My favorite song of hers was Hell No’s and Headphones which was inspired by “Here”. Once again, the song gave me “Everybody But Me” vibes. I’m all about the “anti-party, I love music more” anthems.

Coeur De Pirate

I discovered Coeur De Pirate with a random itunes search into the alternative section. I liked the mellow sound that they had. I still haven’t listened to their album fully, but I liked what I heard.

The Mynabirds

I remember hearing about The Mynabirds before, but never really heard too much by them. After hearing the first song All My Heart though, I really enjoyed the album.

Halsey

I’ll admit it, I tried to resist Halsey, 1. Because she’s just so popular and I’m “that person” that tries to stay away from those artists, unless they’re already popular. Ha. I’m always up for a dark album though, so I gave in.  I’ve been more into her Room 93 EP than her debut album though. I adore Empty Gold and I’m so, so upset that it’s not on her main album. That’s just wrong.

Melanie Martinez 

I came across Melanie Martinez with another random itunes album search! Yay random searching. I loved her dark, upbeat sound. She reminds me of Emilie Autumn with the way her songs are written, in a sort of poetry/nursery rhyme way and Sky Ferreira with the dark sound of them.

Allie X 

One of my newest favorites from this year, I had randomly clicked on her thread title on Pop Justice and gave her EP a quick listen. Like most some underground pop singers, I immediately loved her sound. A ton. My favorite song of her was the newest one that was released called NEver Enough. It’s been tacked onto the deluxe version of her first EP called CollXtion 1.

Katy B 

Once again, I discovered this singer on Pop Justice. I don’t remember what songs by her that I really enjoyed, so I still need to give her a thorough listen, but I remember really loving the lyrics and her sound.

Years & Years 

I haven’t properly listened to these guys, but I really like the song King and I like the way they sound.

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These are most of my favorite new artists, I’m sure there are more. What are some of your favorite singers/bands that you heard this year? I’m always up for recommendations! Tell me what you think of the artists above in the comments too. If you haven’t listened to them, you need to do so. Immediately. 🙂

Musical Monday-Tamara Ireland Stone Guest Playlist (Every Last Word)

Musical Monday is a feature where I talk about musicals, songs, make bookish playlists and feature authors to make bookish playlists for their own books.

Hi everyone! Oh my gosh, I am so excited because Tamara Ireland Stone, author of the Time Between Us duology and Every Last Word (published tomorrow, June 16th!) accepted my author for her to make a guest playlist for Every Last Word.

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You can download my photo and cover art here: www.tamarairelandstone.com/press. Synopsis here: www.tamarairelandstone.com/books

Huge thanks to Amber for inviting me to be part of Musical Monday.

My new novel, Every Last Word, hits shelves tomorrow, June 16^th! It’s a story about a girl named Samantha who looks perfect on the outside but feels broken on the inside, until an underground poetry club and its misfit members help her see herself in a whole new light.

Like my other books, Time Between Us and Time After Time, music plays a big role in this story. There are actually four Every Last Word playlists: The main one—which is more like the soundtrack for the story—and three more that are mentioned in the book:

• I recently shared my Every Last Word playlist/soundtrack, “Anything But Empty”, here in Justine Magazine.
  

• Over the weekend, The Lifelong Bookworm unveiled “Song For You”, the playlist Sam makes for AJ.
  

• Today, I’m here with YA Indulgences to tell you all about “Right Beside You”, the playlist Sam makes for her friend Caroline.
  

• And on Saturday, June 20, the 16-year-old who inspired Every Last Word will be sharing the playlist she created, “In The Deep.” She’ll be a guest on Gone With the Words to tell you why these songs are so special to her.

First, About Sam

Before I tell you about “Right Beside You”, there are a few things you need to know about Samantha McAllister:

• Sam has obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

• She feels the need to do things in sets of threes

• She has a thing for words—especially words that occur in threes 

• She loves music and lyrics

• Her playlists are important to her, and she puts a great deal of thought into how she titles each one. Here, I’ll let her explain:

Get it?

When Sam Meets Caroline

Sam is skilled at hiding her OCD from her best friends. They’re “normal” and “perfect” and they’d never understand. But everything begins to change for Sam when she meets Caroline, a quirky girl a few lockers away who wears snarky tees and openly shares her opinions.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet’s Corner—a secret poetry club hidden beneath the school theater—and a group of people who are nothing like her friends. They read poetry aloud, wear their hearts on their sleeves, and care very little about things like clothes and makeup. Sam is drawn to them immediately.

Over time, Sam begins to feel accepted with the Poets, more “normal” than she ever has as part of the popular crowd, and with Caroline’s help, she begins to tap into the writer within—this part of herself she never even knew existed.

Caroline is a different kind of friend; one Sam can drop her guard and be herself around. They become close, even though Sam’s keeping their friendship a secret.
“Right Beside You”

Sam creates this playlist to try to capture what Caroline’s friendship means to her. “Right Beside You” comes from three words in the lyrics of “Run” by Snow Patrol:

Light up, light up,

As if you have a choice.

Even if you cannot hear my voice,

I’ll be right beside you dear.

I love all the songs on this playlist, but there are a few that are especially close to my heart because the lyrics so perfectly fit Sam, Caroline, and the story of their friendship. 

“Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield

No one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in.

No one else can speak the words on your lips.

Drench yourself in words unspoken,

Live your life with arms wide open.

“Shadowplay” by The Killers

I was moving through the silence without motion,

waiting for you.

In a room without a window in the corner,

I found truth.

“Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane

And if you have a minute why don’t we go

Talk about it somewhere only we know?

This could be the end of everything

So why don’t we go somewhere only we know?

“Checkered Floor” by Silversun Pickups

Concealed

Pass it on

Appeal

Play along

Are you ready to hear to the rest of “Right Beside You”? Here it is:

CLICK HERE to listen to all four of my Every Last Word playlists.

Follow me on Spotify to hear these and more.

Thanks again for hosting me, Amber. Happy Musical Monday!

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Thank you (again) Tamara for stopping by! I love Keane. And The Killers. And Natasha Bedingfield. And I like Silversun Pickups. 😉 Wasn’t that a great post? This is a great post. Let me know what you think in the comments and pick up Tamara’s book Every Last Word tomorrow!

Musical Monday Guest Playlist: Adi Alsaid for Never Always Sometimes

Musical Monday is a sporadic feature where I share songs, musicals, bookish playlists and have recently opened it up to author playlists for their own books. 🙂

 

Hi everyone! I am so happy to share this post that Adi Alsaid (author of Let’s Get Lost) so kindly put together for his new book Never Always Sometimes which releases August 4th from Harlequin Teen!

 

Playlists for Dave and Julia from Never Always Sometimes

Dave

1. “Eres” by Café Tacuba- A longing love ballad that Dave would strongly related to, and it being in Spanish would maybe help keep his longing secret.

2. “Fell in Love with a Girl” by The White Stripes- Okay, Dave’s not just about love songs. But this is a huge change of pace from the above, and speaking from experience, it’s a song that hits home when you’re a teen in unrequited love.

3. “By Your Hand” by Los Campesinos- A little cheekier and wilder than just a love song, but something about it makes me think of the mental place Dave is a few chapters into the novel.

4. “True Love Will Find You in the End” by Daniel Johnston with Beck- And we’re back to the mopey love ballads. But oh so pretty. The harmonica just feels like an instrument that would speak to Dave.

5. “Talk to Strangers” by Saul Williams- The spoken-poem vibe of the song could easily make it go onto Julia’s list, but the content is all Dave.

6. “Find Love” by Clem Snide- Despite the title, not a mopey love ballad. One that another character specifically plays for him.

Julia

1. “That Teenage Feeling” by Neko Case- This song makes a specific appearance in NAS, so its inclusion in this playlist is necessary. But I won’t say much about it, other than the fact that Neko Case kicks all sorts of ass and Julia loves her.

2. “The Body Electric” by Hurray for the Riff Raff- A tongue-in-cheek “screw you” to the folk ballad cliché of murdering your wife. That sounds pretty Julia to me.

3. “Get Lonely” by The Mountain Goats and “Song for Zula” by Phosphorescent- More songs specifically mentioned in the novel that I’ll refrain from analyzing to avoid spoilers. Different tones entirely.

4. “A Case of You” by Joni Mitchell- A love ballad, Julia-style. The first verse even has a clever, biting retort, but is not without its sweetness.

5. “Does Not Suffice” by Joanna Newsom- Beautiful, cutting lyrics about a relationship that will not withstand surface emotions or apologies.

Instead of an intro to the characters, I thought maybe I’d present the playlist as the introduction. Dave and Julia are two best friends who share much in the way of tastes and opinions, with Julia’s strong will perhaps swaying a decision or two.

 

But it’s interesting to me how well these lists came together, and how different they are once I finished trying to place songs for each character. I didn’t realize how many songs I’d specifically mentioned in the book, or how many I recall listening to during certain scenes. More impressive though, is thinking of a song that I haven’t even heard in years and thinking: Yup, that’s a Julia song.

---

If you haven’t heard of Never Always Sometimes, here is the description from Goodreads:

Never date your best friend

Always be original

Sometimes rules are meant to be broken

Best friends Dave and Julia were determined to never be cliché high school kids—the ones who sit at the same lunch table every day, dissecting the drama from homeroom and plotting their campaigns for prom king and queen. They even wrote their own Never List of everything they vowed they’d never, ever do in high school.

Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never die your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he’s broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It’s either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember.

Julia is beautiful, wild and impetuous. So when she suggests they do every Never on the list, Dave is happy to play along. He even dyes his hair an unfortunate shade of green. It starts as a joke, but then a funny thing happens: Dave and Julia discover that by skipping the clichés, they’ve actually been missing out on high school. And maybe even on love.

Thank you so much Adi for putting together this playlist! ❤ I can’t wait to check it and Never Always Sometimes out. 

Musical Monday: Guest Playlist from Will Walton (Author of Anything Could Happen)

I’ve recently revamped my Musical Monday to now consist of author playlists! This is something I’m really excited to do. In addition to talking about musicals, music and creating book playlists, I’m opening up my Musical Monday platform for guest playlists by authors! If you are an author and would like to contribute to my Musical Monday feature, please fill out my contact form here.

Hey everyone! It’s Musical Monday and for the first time in forever, I am doing it again! Last week ago I had read Anything Could Happen by Will Walton and I was just so happy with it. I then noticed all of the music that was spread throughout the book and had an idea to ask Will if he would make a playlist for it!

If you haven’t heard of Anything Could Happen (firstly, shame on you!), you can check it out on Goodreads here. It’s published in only eight days (MAY 26TH), it’s almost like I planned this post or something. 😉

 

So without further ado, here’s his playlist!

~Will’s Playlist~

1. “Lipstick LADY,” WANDA

If Anything Could Happen were ever adapted into a movie (I can dream, right?), I would want WANDA’s irresistible “Lipstick LADY” to play over the opening credits. There’s something inherently YA about a song that contains only the phrase, “Go away,” for its chorus. I also love how unpredictable the song’s ending is—so melancholy. It’s like you work out all your angst over the first two choruses, then you’re left all exhausted and spent: the feeling of having been hopelessly in love with someone for quite some time.

2. “Q&A,” Kishi Bashi 

The lyrics to this song (“We were together in another life / In that dreaming, you were probably my wife”) knock me flat. This is the story of a deep bond between two people that is somehow disguised on its surface, perhaps not even fully realized by either party.

In relation to my book, it’s exactly how I think Tretch views him relationship with Matt.

3. “Anything Could Happen,” Ellie Goulding

This is the best kind of pop song. On its sleeve, it’s all enthusiasm. But when you get deeper, you discover—like all great pop songs—there is a lot happening here. I believe, at its core, “Anything Could Happen” is about a particular kind of growth that stems from the decision to remove yourself from a damaging relationship. When Ellie sings, “But I don’t think I need you,” she channels all of the hurt, anger, and relief that accompany such a decision—but there’s a dash of fear, too, which makes it honest.

4. “The Frug,” Rilo Kiley 

In an alternate universe where Tretch Farm is less introspective and far less anxious as a result, this is his theme song.

Rilo Kiley is one of my favorite bands of all time. And this song is all about dancing.

5. “Days,” The Drums 

I love The Drums, and I love that this song is just called “Days.” It’s funny, but I almost think Anything Could Happen could just be called Days. After all, ACH is basically just a series of pretty normal days in the life of my main character who’s working through a set of pretty normal problems.

What “Days” does, though (and what I hope my book does), is remind you that there’s magic in the mundane. Lyrically, this song is pretty simple, but I can’t help but feel so much when I sing along to it. The whole thing is (pretty unexpectedly) heartbreaking.

6. “Sexotheque,” La Roux 

Disclaimer: No one in my book actually goes to a “sexotheque.” And I feel mostly good about that. I have no doubt, however, that on the day Tretch Farm gets wind of La Roux, he’ll find his whole life altered.

I bet he won’t leave his room for days on end.

He’ll be too busy busting a move.

7. “I Bend,” Four Eyes 

Four Eyes is a band from Athens I’m totally obsessed with. This song in particular struck a chord (no pun intended) with me while I was writing Anything Could Happen. It’s about not wanting to be in love with someone who’s clearly doing fine without you. But the thing is, you are in love with that person who doesn’t love you back, and. . . oh, nothing I write here will really do this song justice. Just know that it’s simple and honest and beautiful and perfect. Now go listen.

8. “Little Red Shoes,” Loretta Lynn 

Grandparents are a big part of my book (and life). There is one important moment in ACH when Tretch and his grandma kneel hunched over a cedar chest filled with old Farm family memories.

Loretta Lynn’s “Little Red Shoes” makes me feel the way I felt when I wrote that scene. Also, yes, that is Jack White on guitar.

9. “Follow Your Arrow,” Kacey Musgraves

This song, which contains the lyrics (“Kiss lots of boys / Or kiss lots of girls, if that’s something you’re into”), won a dang Country Music Award for song of the year! That’s huge! “Follow Your Arrow” (along with all of its hype) has meant a lot to me as someone who authored a book about a queer teen in the rural U.S.

10. “Oh, La,” Ra Ra Riot 

The song (the chorus: “We’ve got a lot to learn from each other / We have got to stick together”) is about being on the brink of losing someone you love. It’s as hopeful as it is desperate; and it’s probably desperate because it is so hopeful. I thought about it a lot while writing.

11. “Corduroy,” Franny 

You should take this song two ways: one, as a straightforward retelling of Don Freeman’s Corduroy; two, as an account of what it feels like to fall head-over-heels in love (“You’ll be perfect”), before realizing—like we all do, eventually—that the people we love are just people (“Where is his button?”), or else bears.

12. “How Come You Don’t Want Me,” Tegan and Sara 

This song. I listened to it so many times while writing.

I wish there were some way for me to convey to Tegan and Sara what their music has meant to me over the years. When I was Tretch’s age, they were everything.

13. “Flowers,” Jacob Morris 

Jacob Morris’s beautiful album, Moths, was my personal soundtrack the year I drafted Anything Could Happen. “Flowers,” my favorite song on the album, is simple, sweet, and sad—which is probably how you’d describe (at least the first half of) ACH.

14. “Holy Ground,” Taylor Swift 

This is Red’s dark horse track, I believe—so good and so understated. I can easily see Tretch getting all pumped up for the big New Year’s dance to this one.

(After all his church choir training, I bet he delivers the “Ooh-lay, ooh-lay” refrain flawlessly.)

15. “Every Chance We Get We Run (feat. Tegan and Sara),” David Guetta & Alesso

So, no spoilers—but after a certain song plays at a certain dance hosted by a certain someone toward the end of the novel, this is the song I imagine playing over the speakers. You know, as the chapter closes out and stuff.

16. “Ornaments of the World,” Cascading Slopes 

Cascading Slopes is one of my favorite artists. There’s a lot of beauty and hope and mystery in each of the songs on Towards a Quaker View of Synthesizers. “Ornaments of the World” relays the thoughts of someone who’s “slowing the pace of [their] heart,” so that they might fully “appreciate.” Learning to be still, to be centered: that’s a lofty lesson to try and teach yourself at fifteen (or any age, really)—especially when you tend to bounce, all jittery, from one moment to the next like Tretch does.

But he’s learning.

---

I’ve always prided myself on knowing a lot of music….until now! Would you guys believe I only know a few of these artists decently? Tegan and Sara, Taylor Swift, Ellie Goulding. I have listened to a bit by The Drums and Ra Ra Riot.

I am so ecstatic to see You Wouldn’t Like Me by Tegan and Sara on here though! That is my song, I’ve been in such a Tegan and Sara mood lately, it’s ridiculous. I am going to have to give all of these songs a straight listen through later today. 

Anyway, thank you Will for doing this playlist! I can’t wait to listen to it.

Musical Monday: I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demtrios Playlist

Musical Monday is a feature that allows me to talk about musicals and music.

 

When I read I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios, I already knew I was going to have to make a playlist. I loved the book so much. Heather also has her own playlist listed right here which I highly suggest you listen to now! Hers is much much shorter than mine, just so you know in advance. 🙂 

 

I haven’t done Musical Monday in forever so I’m so happy to finally be doing it again. Part of the reason why it’s taken forever is because IMYT is such an amazing book that I kept finding songs for it and the other part is because I tried to shorten the playlist, but didn’t want to take out any songs.

As always, essential songs are in bold. I’m sorry I didn’t go into lyrics, but that would have taken me forever. Ha, plus when I compile the playlist, I always find new songs to add, which is why it takes forever doing this. I suggest not looking at it before reading the book, but come on, I’m sure everyone’s already read it by now. 😉 

 If you would like to actually listen to it, you can go here. I made it into a youtube playlist.

 

Warning: Playlist is may be longer than actual book

1. Brand New Day by Ryan Star

2. Wild Heart by Daughtry

3. 18 Years by Daughtry

4. Signs by Ron Pope

5. Here Today by Flashin’ Midnight and Paula Brancati

6. Dance With Me by Kelly Clarkson

7. I’ll Fight by Daughtry

8. Soldier by Gavin Degraw

9. Kiss Me by Sixpence Richer

10. Everytime We Touch by Cascada

11. Iris by Goo Goo Dolls

12. More by Tyrone Wells

13. Torn To Pieces by Pop Evil

14. Sleeping Sickness by City & Colour

15. Demons by The National

16. Now You Know by Hilary Duff

17. Before It Started by Tyrone Wells

18. Run Every Time by Gavin Degraw

19. The World We Knew by Daughtry

20. Take A Bow by Rihanna

21. You Ruin Me by The Veronicas

22. Jar of Hearts by Lea Michele (Christina Perri cover)

23. Cry by Lea Michele (Kelly Clarkson cover)

24. What Hurts The Most by Cascada (Rascal Flatts cover)

25. Learn My Lesson by Daughtry

26. When It All Falls Apart by The Veronicas

27. Come To California by Ron Pope

28. F*ck You/Gonna Get Over You by Sara Bareilles

29. Dreamer by Kari Kimmel

30. Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy

31. Honestly by Kelly Clarkson

32. Little Black Dress by Sara Bareilles

33. Second Chance by Faber Drive

34. Tightrope by Kelly Clarkson

35. Stranded in Los Angeles by Ron Pope

36. Chandelier by Sia

37. Satellite Call by Sara Bareilles

38. Life After You by Daughtry

39. Broken Arrows by Daughtry

40. Afraid of Nothing by Sharon Van Etten

41. Fallen Awake by Kari Kimmel

42. Summer Fades To Fall by Faber Drive

43. Pretending by Lea Michele and Cory Monteith (from Glee)

44. Enough by Tyrone Wells

45. Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore by Cory Monteith (Reo Speedwagon cover)

46. Stay by Gavin Degraw

47. Where You Are by Gavin Degraw

48. Taking Chances by Lea Michele (Celine Dion cover)

49. Just A Kiss by Lady Antebellum

50. Flaws by Bastille

51. Take You High by Kelly Clarkson

52. Second Chance by Shinedown

53. Landslide by Fleetwood Mac

54. Two Is Better Than One by Boys Like Girls feat. Taylor Swift

55. Winding Road by Bonnie Somerville

56. Time of Our Lives by Tyrone Wells

57. Home Again by Ron Pope

Bonus:

• Young Blood by The Naked and The Famous (

  • This song goes in hand when Sky and Josh go throwing bottles

• Model Homes by In-Flight Safety

  • Yes, this song was used in The DUFF playlist I made, yes, I do have an obsession with this song. Of course this song is amazing.

• September by Daughtry

  • I remembered thinking about adding this one and by the time I remembered, the playlist’s already done. 😦 The youtube part, I mean.

Ahem, yes, I wasn’t kidding about it being longer than the book. Haha. I wanted to use a lot of country-ish and singer/songwriter type songs, which is why there’s so much Daughtry, Gavin Degraw, Tyrone Wells and Ron Pope. And Kari Kimmel.<3 But I’m a huge Sara Bareilles and Kelly Clarkson fan, which is why they have like three songs a piece. 🙂 I adore the first two seasons of Glee which is why there are four covers. Anyway…

I hope you like it!

Let me know what you think and tell me any songs that remind you of I’ll Meet You There. 🙂 

Musical Monday: The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger Playlist

Musical Monday is a feature at YA Indulgences where I discuss musicals, make playlists or talk about other music related things.

 

I recently finished The DUFF: The Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger a couple days ago for the #ReadTheDuff Read-Along that was going on. I loved it. I was definitely inspired to make a playlist after making my first book playlist for All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven last week.

 

The movie’s coming out this month as well which also urged me to make another playlist. If you haven’t read The DUFF, I definitely suggest reading it, it has a great meaning in it. And characters, dialogue, plots, it’s just great.

 

I’ll be listing relevant lyrics and once I finish putting all the songs into a playlist on Youtube, I’ll add the link at the bottom. 🙂

 

1. Everybody But Me by Lykke Li

   • Though my jeans are too tight

     Don’t feel like dancing

     And all this light is too bright

     Don’t feel like shining

     Though this room is too small

     I’d rather stand against the wall

     And hope that no one sees me

2. 6’1″ by Liz Phair

   • I bet you fall in bed too easily

     with the beautiful girls who are shyly brave

     And you sell yourself as a man to save

     but all the money in the world is not enough.

3. Family Portrait by Pink

   • In our family portrait we look pretty happy 

     We look pretty normal, let’s go back to that 

     In our family portrait we look pretty happy 

     Let’s play pretend, act like it goes naturally

4. Heavily Broken by The Veronicas

   • I’m heavily broken

     And I don’t know what to do

     Can’t you see that I’m choking

     And I can’t even move

     When there’s nothing left to say

     What can you do

     I’m heavily broken

     And there’s nothing I can do

5. Numb by Sia

   • It has to end 

     Living in your head 

     Without anything to numb you 

     Living on the edge 

     Without anything to numb you 

6. Tonight by Secrets In Stereos

   • Tonight, is the night

     I’ll make you cry, cause you’re laughing so hard

     Watch you lie asleep in my arms

     and though you don’t even know my name

     all of that will change, tonight

7. Take Me Away by Avril Lavigne

   • All the pain I thought I knew

     All the thoughts lead back to you 

     Back to what was never said

     Back and forth inside my head

     I can’t handle this confusion

     I’m unable; come and take me away

8. Take Me On The Floor by The Veronicas

   • My heart is racing as you’re moving closer

     You take me higher with every breath I take

     Would it be wrong to stay?

9. Get Some by Lykke Li

   • And ’cause I can go, I’m gon’ go west,

     just like a man, I’m the fortress.

     Like a shotgun, I can’t be outdone,

     I’m your prostitute, you gon’ get some.

     Like a shotgun needs an outcome,

     I’m your prostitute, you gon’ get some.

10. Addicted by Saving Abel

    • I’m so addicted to

      all the things you do

      when you’re going down on me

      in between the sheets

      or the sound you make

      with every breath you take,

      it’s not like anything

      when you’re loving me.

11. So Easy by Gina Cutillo

    • You were like a drug inside my head

      Something not so good and you’re so bad

      Now you call me and I’m not alone

      When you call me, I can’t pick it up

      You just call me and I can’t let you go

12. Hook Me Up by The Veronicas

    • Hook, hook me up.

      I want to feel the rain in my hair.

      Hook, hook me up.

      Where should we go?

      I don’t even care (I don’t even care).

      Hook, hook me up

      I want to feel the rain in my hair.

      Hook, hook me up

      Where should we go?

      I don’t even care,

      anywhere is good enough.

13. In Love With Yourself by Liz Phair

    • Don’t be so in love with yourself 

      Don’t be so in love with yourself 

      Don’t be so in love with yourself ’cause I’m not 

      Don’t you know I’m not? 

14. Paradise by Vanessa Carlton

    • Don’t pretend to hold it in just let it out

      Don’t pretend to hold it in just push it out

      Don’t you try to hold it in just let it out and

      Don’t you try to hold it in, you hold it in

15. If I Told You by Jason Walker

    • What if I told you who I really was What if I let you in on my charade And what if I told you what was really going on And no more masks and no more parts to play

16. You Take My Troubles Away by Rachael Yamagata

    • You take my troubles away

      You take my sirens away

      You keep my sorrows at bay

      Take it all, take it all away 

17. Model Homes by In-Flight Safety

    • And if it leaves a bad taste You need to wash it down And if you build a model home Just burn it to the ground I refuse to show my good side In no place to call my own It’s no home, no, no, no, no

18. Why Can’t I by Liz Phair

    • Why can’t I breathe whenever I think about you?

      Why can’t I speak whenever I talk about you?

      It’s inevitable, it’s a fact that we’re gonna get down to it.

      So tell me, why can’t I breathe whenever I think about you?

19. I Can’t Stay Away by The Veronicas

    • I was numb

      For you I come

      Night and day

      and I can’t stay away.

      No, I can’t stay away.

      I’m conflicted

      I inhale now I’m addicted

      to this place

      to you babe

      I can’t stay away,

      can’t stay away

      We get up, we go down,

      then we go one more round.

      It’s wrong, they say 

      I can’t stay away, can’t stay away

20. Fine Line by Alanna Clarke

    • Don’t you get that close to me

      Stand that close I cannot breathe

      Don’t you get that close to me.

      Don’t you get it don’t you see?

      If I open up and let you in,

      will we stop what we begin?

      It’s a fine line between you and me

      And do we hold back or give in completely?

      Head Over Heels by Alanis Morissette

21. • You’ve already won me over in spite of me

      And don’t be alarmed if I fall head over feet

      Don’t be surprised if I love you for all that you are

      I couldn’t help it

      It’s all your fault

22. Lies by Marina and The Diamonds

    • You’re too proud to say that you’ve made a mistake

      You’re a coward to the end

      I don’t wanna admit that we’re not gonna fit

      No, I’m not the type that you like

      Why don’t we just pretend?

23. Stupid Cupid by Mandy Moore 

    • Stupid Cupid you’re a real mean guy,

      I’d like to clip your wings off so you can’t fly.

      I am in love and it’s crying shame

      & I know that you’re the one to blame.

      Hey hey, set me free

      Stupid Cupid, stop picking on me.

24. I Won’t Say i’m in Love from Hercules 

    • If there’s a prize for rotten judgement

      I guess, I’ve already won that

      No man is worth the aggravation

      That’s ancient history, been there, done that

      Who do you think you’re kiddin’?

      He’s the earth and heaven to you

      Try to keep it hidden

      Honey, we can see right through you

25. I Should Go by Levi Kreis 

    • I should go,

      before my will gets any weaker 

      and my eyes begin to linger,

      longer than they should.

      I should go

      before I lose my sense of reason 

      and this hour holds more meaning 

      than it ever could.

      I should go.

26. Starring Role by Marina and The Damonds

    • You don’t love me, big f**king deal,

      I’ll never tell, you how I feel,

      You don’t love me, not a big deal,

      I’ll never tell you how I feel.

      It almost feels like a joke to play out the part

      when you are not the starring role in someone else’s heart.

      You know I’d rather work alone, than play a supporting role

      if I can’t get the starring role.

      Sometimes I ignore you so I feel in control,

      ’cause really, I adore you, and I can’t leave you alone.

      Fed up with the fantasies, they cover what is wrong.

      Come on, baby, let’s just, get drunk, forget we don’t get on

27. There Are Worst Things I Could Do from Grease 

    • There are worse things I could do,

      than go with a boy or two.

      Even though the neighborhood thinks I’m trashy,

      and no good,

      I suppose it could be true,

      but there are worse things I could do.

28. Cruel by The Veronicas

    • Wish I could say you’re not the one

      My heart hangs on, you’re having fun

      We can’t be lovers and we can’t be friends

      That I still want you and I can’t pretend

      It fuckin’ kills me that we’re done

29. Unrequited Love by Lykke Li

    • Oh, the shame this crying game

      Oh, my love I’ve been denied it

      Oh, my love is unrequited

30. He Wasn’t by Avril Lavigne

    • I’ll sit on my bed alone, staring at the phone.

      He wasn’t what I wanted, what I thought, no.

      He wouldn’t even open up the door.

      He never made me feel like I was special.

      He isn’t really what I’m looking for.

31. Invincible by Crossfade

    • I wait up every night just to hear your voice,

      but you don’t know that’s nothing like me,

      you know I wonder how you’ve already figured out

      all these things that I try to hide

      all this time I’ve been hoping you don’f find out,

      all these things that I hide on the inside

      I can’t held responsible, this is all so new to me,

      just when I think I’m invincible, you come and happen to me

32. Too Little Too Late by Jojo

    • It’s just too little too late,

      a little too wrong

      and I can’t wait,

      but you know

      all the right things to say, 
      You know

      it’s just too little too late,

      You say you dream of my face,

      but you don’t like me,

      you just like the chase.

      To be real, it doesn’t matter anyway,

      you know it’s just too little too late

33. Go Your Own Way by Lissie Fleetwood Mac (cover)

    • Loving you
      Isn’t the right thing to do
      How can I ever change things that I feel?…

      You can go your own way, 

      go your own way. 

      You can call it another lonely day 

      You can go your own way, go your own way

      Tell me why everything’s turned around

      Packing up, shacking up’s all you wanna do

34. We Might As Well Be Strangers

    • I don’t know your face no more

      or feel your touch that I adore

      I don’t know your face no more

      It’s just a place I’m looking for

      We might as well be strangers

      in another town

      We might as well be living

      in a different world

      We might as well…

35. Beautifully Undone by Lindy

    • But I don’t think about you anymore 

      and I wonder what the hell I came here for. 

      When I’d rather just fall right off of your floor 

      and come beautifully undone.

36. Back To Me by All American Rejects

    • Can’t you see I beg and plead?

      ‘Cause when your eyes light up the skies at night

      I know you’re gonna find your way back to me

37. One Saturday Night by Michael Seather (feat. Cassie Steele)

    • Goin to parties with your big theme

      Takin’ every girl home for a night

      It made you feel like a king

      Stay by Jesse Thomas

38. • I’m so out of touch these days.

      I act out in the wrong ways.

      My mouth moves faster than my brain.

      I’ve done you wrong, I’ve made mistakes,

      you’ve seen the darkest side of me,

      but please don’t think of me that way

39. With You by Levi Kreis 

    • I use to be the life of the party

      Man of the hour, the one in control 

      Never have a question, no hesitation,

      get who I want, and then I’ve know all.

      But you stolen my thunder,

      taken me under,

      with something so real.

      With you I can’t speak

      I can’t move,

      I can’t hardly breathe.

      I’m a fumbling boy 

      whose never felt something like this

      and it’s just how it is with you.

40. When I Look At You by Miley Cyrus

    • Yeah, when my world is falling apart, when there’s no light to break up the dark that’s when I, I, I look at you.

41. Maybe Love by Flashin’ Midnight & Paula Brancati

    • Maybe love, maybe love, maybe love will make your day. Maybe love, maybe love, maybe love will save your life from disaster.

42. I Lied by Laurell Hubick

    • I guess I’ll come find out,

      too tired to hide how hard I fell for you,

      no way to delete this

      I cannot compete with the overwhelming truth 

      I don’t mean this to be surprising,

      but when you’re next to me I’m dying.

      It’s time to tell you

      I said we’re friends but I lied

      You’ve got me shaking like a leaf on the inside

      I’ll spell it out for you

      Could you entertain this thought

      about taking all this love I’ve got for you (for you)?

43. Mandy by Jonas Brothers

    • Mandy always laughs when I act stupid

      I am unaware that I’m a nuisance

      With her it’s never wasted time

      Mandy always knows exactly what I’m

      Thinking and she’s always on my mind

      And now, I’m never gonna let her go

      Cause Mandy always knows

44. Just The Girl by The Click Five 

    • She’s cold and she’s cruel,

      but she knows what she’s doin’.

      She pushed me in the pool

      at our last school reunion.

      She laughs at my dreams,

      but I dream about her laughter.

      Strange as it seems,

      she’s the one I’m after.

45. Open Your Eyes (To Love) by LMNT

    • You’ve been down on yourself thinking somethings are wrong wondering why love has never found you Don’t you know its been here all along If only you look around you

46. You Learn by Alanis Morrisette 

    • You live you learn

      You love you learn

      You cry you learn

      You lose you learn

      You bleed you learn

      You scream you learn

47. F**kin’ Perfect by P!nk

    • Pretty, pretty please, don’t you ever, ever feel Like you’re less than f**king perfect Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel Like you’re nothing, you’re f**king perfect to me

48. Extraordinary by Liz Phair

    • I am extraordinary, if you’d ever get to know me

      I am extraordinary, I am just your ordinary

      Average every day sane psycho

      Supergoddess

      Average every day sane psycho

And here’s the lovely Youtube link.

As always, this is a SUPER long list, I apologize but I couldn’t cut any(more) songs. If you’re interested, Kody Keplinger (and why wouldn’t you be?) has her own soundtrack to The DUFF on her website, you can view the playlist here,  

A few of my songs overlap with hers, like I Won’t Say (I’m In Love), Take Me Away and I Can’t Stay Away. I Won’t Say (I’m In Love) immediately popped into my head when reading DUFF, then I discovered Kody had it in her playlist. I had to add in Take Me Away by Avril Lavigne and I just noticed I Can’t Stay Away is also in her playlist. 🙂 I hope you enjoy both. Oh! And be sure to read the book and see the movie when it comes out! I know I will be for sure.

Let me know what songs remind you of The Duff. ❤

Musical Monday: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven Playlist

You may notice this isn’t my usual musical Monday post, that is because I am “revamping” (fancy word for me just changing what I’m doing) my feature to broaden itself so I don’t get bored with it (not that I ever could).

Musical Monday is typically bi-monthly post where I showcase a musical in part one and songs in part two, however, that is now changing and will be anything involving music. 

After reading All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, I made up a list of songs that made me think of the amazing book. I’ll link them all in a Youtube playlist, but list the songs here and relatable lyrics.

If you haven’t read All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, you really really need to. Also, I suggest holding off on reading this post until you’ve read the book. 🙂 

1. Rooftop by Melissa McCelland *

   • Crouched down on a rooftop
     In my mother’s high-heeled shoes
     I’m wondering if I will drop,
     fly away with you

2. It’s Not My Time by Three Doors Down

   • Cause it’s not my time, I’m not going

     there’s a fear in me, it’s not showing,

     this could be the end of me 

     and everything I know,

     Oh, but I won’t go.

3. Falls On Me by Fuel

   • And all of your weight,
     all you dream
     falls on me, it falls on me.
     And your beautiful sky,
     the light you bring falls on me,

     it falls on me.

     . . .

     Am I that strong to carry on?

     I might change your life,

     I might save my world,

     could you save me?

4. I Should Tell You from RENT

   • I should tell you I’m disaster, I forget how to begin it

     Let’s just make this part go faster, I have yet to be in it

5. F.N.T. by SemiSonic *

   • I’m surprised that you’ve never been told before
     That you’re lovely and you’re perfect
     and that somebody wants you

6. Everywhere by Michelle Branch

   • And when I touch your hand
     It’s then I understand
     The beauty that’s within
     It’s now that we begin
     You always light my way
     I hope there never comes a day
     No matter where I go
     I always feel you so 

7. Better With You by Five Times August *

   • So tell me, where did I go wrong before you?

     Before you came along, well it seems like I was lost.

     you showed me how to do things right,

     now I’m, so glad that now you’re mine.

8. With You by Levi Kreis

   • I’m having light
     Of the light of an angel
     You may be all I’ve been dreaming of
     I know the likes of infatuation
     And I’ll be surprise if this isn’t love
     Cuz I just want to break through
     Reach out and feel you 
     Fall into me yeah

9. Remember by Gabriel Mann *

   • Picture it all in your mind

     remember where we are now

     open your eyes, take it all in,

     remember where we are,

     this is where your life begins.

10. Away From the Sun by Three Doors Down

    • Cause now again I’ve found myself so far down,

      away from the sun, that shines into the darkest place

      I’m so far down, away from the sun again.

11. Only Hope by Mandy Moore *

    • So I lay my head back down

      and I lift my hands and pray,

      to be only yours, I pray,

      to be only yours, I know now, 

      you’re my only hope

12. Painting Flowers By All Time Low *
    

    • When I wake up, the dream isn’t done,

      I wanna see your face and know I’ve made it home

      If nothing is true, what more can I do?

      I’m still painting flowers for you.

13. Ultraviolet by Stiff Dylans *

    • That fire you ignited,
      good, bad and undecided
      burns when I stand beside it.
      Your light is ultraviolet

14. We Might Fall by Ryan Star

    • We should go to sleep now, You should stay the night
      I’ll be up to watch the world around us live and die
      Lying on the grass now, dancing for the stars
      Maybe one will look on down and tell us who we are
      We might fall, we might fall, we might fall, Hallie we might fall

15. Aiming For the Sun by Ryan Keen *

    • I cried out on a moonlight night, I was thinking back on time.
      A cold breeze takes hold of me, oh, he was a friend of mine.
      I feel lost so I’m looking out, I’m searching for a guiding light.
      I keep aiming, for the sun so that my shadows fall behind.

      Oh am I, just wasting my time?

16. Rescue You by Jake Epstein *

    • Somehow you saw someone worth saving
      you pulled me back into the light.
      Now if ever i can rescue you,
      when you need two arms to fall into,
      you know exactly where I’ll be
      just look for me, oh look for me.

17. Breathe Again by Art of Dying *

    • I don’t know how, I don’t know when, 

      but I can finally breathe again
      Life’s too short, the day’s too long
      In the end I knew it all along

18. I’m Not Alright by Sanctus Real
    

    • If weakness is a wound

      that no one wants to speak of,

      the cool is just how far we have 

      to fall and I am not immune

      I only want to be loved,

      but I feel safe behind the firewall

      Can I lose my need to impress? 

      If you want the truth, I need to confess,

      I’m not alright.
      I’m broken inside, broken inside.

19. Happiness by Tyler Kyte *
    

    • I think about the days back when

      things were much simpler then,

      making angels out of the snow.

      But now it feels bitter cold 

      and I fear growing old.

      Those days seem so long ago.

      Open your eyes tonight,

      open your eyes tonight

      It’s a long way to happiness

      but Ill keep walking all night

      Its a long way to happiness

      Someday I’ll be alright

20. The Death of Me by City and Colour

    • People love to drink their troubles away
      sometimes I feel that I’d be better off that way

      ‘Cause maybe then I could sleep at night
      I wouldn’t lie awake until the morning light
      This is something that I’ll never control
      My nerves will be the death of me, I know

21. What Makes A Man by City and Colour

    • I can feel the wind blowin’
      It’s sending shivers down my spine
      I can feel the wind blowin’
      It shakes the trees and the power lines
      What makes a man spend his whole life in disguise?
      I think I know
      I think I might know

22. Broken by Lifehouse

    • I’m falling apart, I’m barely breathing
      With a broken heart that’s still beating
      In the pain, there is healing.
      In your name, I find meaning.

23. Pieces by Red

    • Then I see your face
      I know I’m finally yours
      I find everything I thought I lost before
      You call my name
      I come to you in pieces
      So you can make me whole

24. Paperweight by Joshua Radin and Schuyler Fisk *

    • Every word you say I think
      I should write down,
      I don’t want to forget
      come daylight.
      Happy to lay here,
      just happy to be here.
      I’m happy to know you.
      Play me a song
      your newest one

25. Breathe Me by Sia *

    • Ouch, I have lost myself again,

      lost myself and I am nowhere to be found, 

      yeah, I think that I might break,

      lost myself again and I feel unsafe.

      Be my friend, hold me, wrap me up,unfold me,

      I am small and needy,

      warm me up and breathe me.

26. Say Something (I’m Giving Up On You) by A Great Big World feat. Christina Aguilera

    • Say something I’m giving up on you,

      I’m sorry that I couldn’t get to you.

      Anywhere, I would have followed you,

      say something I’m giving up on you.

27. Sometimes by Melanie Horsnell*

    • Sometimes I cry, but doesn’t everybody?

      I have secrets, I have scars as deep as anybody

      I have fears no one hears, but don’t tell anybody,

      sometimes I lie, but doesn’t everybody?

      I know that sometimes I end up running wild,

      I feel just like a little child but tell me,

      doesn’t everybody, sometimes

28. I Don’t Want To Be Me by Amanda Clemens

    • I’m not feeling so sure,

      it would help if you offered a cure,

      if I wait, it’s too late for the remedy,

      I don’t want to be me.

      You won’t save me, 

      cause I’m not the fortunate one,

      so don’t blame me, if I decide

      to go hide or instead to just run

29. Set Fire To The Third Bar by Joshua Radin and Schulyer Fisk*

    • Your words in my memory are like music to me,

    • I’m miles from where you are, I lay down on the cold ground,

    • I, I  pray that something picks me up 

    • and set me down in your warm arms

30. Leave Out All The Rest by Linkin Park*

    • I dreamed I was missing

      and you were so scared

      but no one would listen

      ’cause no one else cared

      …

      So if you’re asking me, I want you to know,

      when my time comes forget the wrong that I’ve done,

      help me leave behind some reasons to be missed

      don’t resent me and when you’re feeling empty

      keep me in your memory, leave out all the rest,

      leave out all the rest.

31. So Far Away by Avenged Sevenfold*

    • Never feared for anything, never shamed but never free
      A life to heal the broken heart with all that it could

      Lived a life so endlessly, saw beyond what others see
      I tried to heal your broken heart with all that I could

      Will you stay? Will you stay away forever?

      How do I live without the ones I love?
      Time still turns the pages of the book it’s burned
      Place and time always on my mind,
      I have so much to say but you’re so far away

32. Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World*

    • There’s no one in town I know
      You gave us some place to go
      I never said thank you for that,
      I thought I might get one more chance
      What would you think of me now
      So lucky, So strong, So proud?
      I never said thank you for that
      now I’ll never have a chance.

33. On The Way Down by Ryan Cabrera

    • On the way down, I saw you

      and you saved me from myself,

      and I won’t forget the way you loved me

      on the way down, I almost fell right through

      but I held onto you.

34. Somewhere Only We Know by Lily Allen*

    • And if you have a minute, why don’t we go,

      talk about it somewhere only we know

      this could be the end of everything,

      so why don’t we go, somewhere only we know?

35. Remember by Gabriel Mann*

    • Remember the moment of change
      Is it all straight ahead or behind you?
      Well maybe if you look around
      You’ll see everything’s perfectly clear

      Picture it all in your mind

      remember where we are now
      open your eyes
      and take it all in
      Remember where we are now
      this is where your life begins.

Yes, I did add that Gabriel Mann song twice on purpose. Think of it as the ending credits song, yet it’s like one of those ending credits songs you HAVE to sit through because you love it so much.

Okay, so this was really fun and really stressful, for obvious reasons, but anyway, it’s also really long….I’m sorry about that, but when I was adding the lyrics and putting the Youtube playlist together, I kept discovering more songs. 🙂 I put asterisks (*) near the must-listen-tos’. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

You can find the link here.