Songs of the year

Why hello there (General Kenobi). It's me, yet again. Can you believe this is my third post in a month?? Insanity. Anyway, I thought I'd do something a little different in this post and look back over some of the songs I loved listening to this year. They're not necessarily songs which were released this year, just some of my favourites.

In no particular order, here they are, with links to Spotify and a little bit about why I loved them. If I get my act together, I'll try to come back and add YouTube links too. I hope you enjoy! 

#1 - Poundshop Kardashians - Sam Fender

Sam Fender released this song back in 2018, but sadly it's no less relevant two years later. It takes on a lot of the stupidity and ridiculousness that comes with the modern world we live on, calling Trump an "orange-faced baby" and suggesting bluntly that "we idolise idiots." But a couple of lines which really hit home are in the second verse when he sings:

we laugh at them dishevelled

on the front page of the Mail

then grab ourselves a pitchfork and go in for the kill

together light vigils

eulogise them on the Internet

when they top themselves

when they couldn’t take it no more

Initially, I didn't realise the song came out a couple of years back, and connected it to the death of Caroline Flack, a TV presenter who committed suicide back in February 2020. She had suffered for a long time at the hands of social media and tabloid papers like the Mail (a so-called newspaper that I wouldn't even wipe my bum with). Sadly the lyrics here reminded me that this isn't a one off thing. The public love to watch a fall from grace, and social media means that the hate can be delivered to the figure in question directly. Then when they're gone, the grief comes out. Those wielding pitchforks suddenly have flowers, proclaiming how sad it is that another life was taken too soon.

#2 - Big Climb - Everything Everything

I wrote a little bit on Instagram about this a few months back after reading more about the climate crisis and seeing what Jonathan Higgs (the lead singer of Everything Everything) had to say about it. Am I about to just steal what I said before and paraphrase it here? Yes. Yes I am.

Sometimes the best lyrics are the ones that say a lot without using many words at all, and I think this song is a great example:

just one thing
(not afraid that it'll kill us, yeah, we are afraid that it won't)
led to another
(Not afraid that it'll kill us, yeah, we are afraid that it won't)

According to Jon Higgs, the lines aren't actually a suicide reference, although admittedly the line did initially come from someone who was suicidal). The chorus is all about the feeling many young people have about inheriting a climate crisis from those before them. Humanity did one thing, which led to another, and then another... And now we're stuck with a planet which gets steadily warmer every year, threatening much of life as we know it, whilst we struggle to take the actions we need to in order to deal with it. In the face of all of that, we're not afraid that we'll die. Instead we're afraid that we'll somehow survive it all, forced to watch as everything falls apart.

Everything Everything never disappoint with their lyrics, definitely go give them a listen!

#3 - Guns - Coldplay

My love for Coldplay - yes, the often-despised Coldplay - is well known. If nothing else it shows how little I care about sticking with what the crowd thinks 😂 Half the reason I really loved this song was that it was the last thing I ever expected to hear from them. It's not a song about love, or focused solely on gentler emotions. There's real anger here. Take the second verse:

melt down all the trumpets, all the trombones and the drums

who needs education or A Thousand Splendid Suns?

poor is good for business, cut the forests, they're so dumb

only save your look-alikes and fuck the other ones

it's the opinion of this board that we need more guns

I had to listen a few times when this song dropped in 2019 because I wasn't quite sure I was hearing the right words! It nails how I feel about war and violence though. I wouldn't be surprised if a government declared that musical instruments were required to arm everything, and I often feel that people care only about saving their "look-alikes." The anger I feel at injustice in the world is really insane, especially this year and this songs really summed it up for me.

#4 - Miracle - Caravan Palace

(act like a brother)

every day is a miracle

(help one another)

connect back with the people

(give it to your lover)

and all the people you miss

(let's go already)

I don't know what it says about me that my favourite songs this year bounce between sweet and hopeful and incredibly dark but let's not read into this. The video for this is very... interesting (link is here), but the lyrics above are something I really internalised and took on board for this year. I knew that I wanted to try and help people when COVID hit, and helping organise and run a local food bank was a really good way of achieving this, of "connecting back with the people" despite the physical distancing needed to keep people safe in a pandemic.

#5 - Someone That Loves You '19 - Izzy Bizu

I think Izzy Bizu has a really amazing and distinctive voice, and I think this song is a perfect example of that. This particular version is a re-recording of the song Izzy sang with HONNE, this time with Chris Martin taking the male vocals. It's one of those songs that really hooked me on first listen, and it's a song that I come back to time and again. 2020 was no different 😂

#6 - Rollercoaster - Bleachers

This one is from back in 2015, and reminds me a lot of freedom of being a little younger with less responsibilities and obligations. These days, I find that my mind is occupied by so many things at once, to the point where I wish I could hit snooze on a whole bunch at once and just go back to that feeling of youthful freedom.

#7 - Oceans - The Wombats

Props to the Wombats for managing to subtly reference Brexit in a song... sadly the politics student in me couldn't let it pass without thinking about it. Aside from that though, there's a lot going on in the lyrics for this one. Elements of the frustration that comes with modern life and relationships. These lyrics really struck a chord with me:

I punch my head, don’t know what you want from me

it's a fucked up world so let's talk about it, please

they wanna make sketch shows about my anxiety dreams

are we trying to sell the ocean to the sea?

#8 - Violent Sun - Everything Everything

This was one of the singles Everything Everything released before they dropped their latest album, Re-Animator. When I first listened to it, I really vibed with the feeling of time being short, the feeling that at any moment things could disappear. It came out a few days before my grandma passed away, and it was the first song that came on as I drove to work that morning. I'd held off from crying for a little bit, but hearing those lyrics and really feeling them brought all the grief in at once - but in a good way. It was cathartic, the release I needed to help me through the day. It gave me the feeling that life in the end is too short to be paralysed by anxiety. Something terrible might well happen at any moment. But that doesn't mean that amazing things won't happen, or that nothing is worth it. If the last thing I experienced before the end of the world was something amazing, then it would be so worth it.

#9 - Tear Up This Town - Keane

This is a bit of an older one, back from 2016. It came on one day on my way back from a tough therapy appointment, and just gave me a small feeling of hope, that things might actually be on their way up after all. 

some days I rage like a fire in the wilderness
some days I only need the darkness and a place to rest
oh it takes time
learning to fly

Therapy and working on your mental health isn't just a straight line up from "bad" to "good". It's a rocky road, with sudden spikes and huge falls. Some days I'm on top of the world and feel like I'm capable of anything. Other days I feel tiny, weighed down by my depression and anxiety. Learning to live with it takes a LONG time, and often it feels like I'm going backwards - but "two steps forward, one step back" is still one step forward in the end.

#10 - Sun Seeker by Another Sky

Another Sky are one of my favourite bands of the last few years, and every song they've put out is a real gem. This one was released in the middle of December, and it was one of those songs that sum up my feelings towards the future. After 2020, I feel like I'm seeking the sun and brighter things. This year has been tough. A lot has happened, not all of it good, and I feel drained and exhausted. But then lyrics like these come along:

the sun comes up and colours the town

in a light it fights against, to tear itself down

And I love that. Just beautiful. Enough said.

#11 - Hurts Like Heaven - Coldplay

Initially, I only had 10 songs... but I couldn't neglect this one. This is my ALL TIME favourite song, which is not an honour I give lightly. But given that it's been nearly 10 years since I first heard it and I still love it, I think it deserves the position. The whole album is one of my favourites, I love an album that takes you on a journey and has an actual story behind it. I think that's what makes the difference between an album and a playlist - the best albums are the ones that hold together and tell a story. It's not necessarily the best song or album in the world, or the most elaborate, or anything like that, and YES IT IS COLDPLAY... but I just love it. Give it a listen?

Happy New Year guys. Thanks for sticking with me this far, I'm excited to have you all with me as we head into 2021. 💜