A look into the music I listen to for certain events and when I am in certain moods.
Artwork by Sean Gonzalez
Music playlists are what defines occasions these days. Many different emotions are tied in with each playlist, defining what the person may want to listen to while doing different activities throughout a day. I chose ten playlists that can serve me for the rest of my life, each with ten songs that I find suitable for the given occasion.
Workout Playlist Working with soft acoustic music is not the same as getting buff with fast-paced rap/metal music.
1. Lose Yourself – Eminem This song’s anger is perfect to start a workout.
2. Square Dance – Eminem The beat and orchestrated music keeps up the rhythm.
3. In Your Face – Children Of Bodom This song’s intense music and lyrics go along well after Eminem.
4. One Day You Will Cry – Children Of Bodom Again Children Of Bodom is an intense song.
5. No Son of Mine – Every Time I Die Anger and speed thrashed into a short two minute song
6. Bat Country – Avenged Sevenfold probably one of the fastest paced songs I have, which is perfect for working out
7. OMG – Usher This song has a groovy snare line and a nice workout pace.
8. Throwing My Life Away – Norther This song has a quick pace.
9. Left Behind – Slipknot The anger used by Slipknot is perfect for working out.
10. Boom Boom Pow – Black Eyed Peas Good song to end a workout on.
Driving Playlist Driving for me means songs that will keep me awake with ear shattering beats and calm melodies
1. Bloodmeat – Protest The Hero¬ Every CD in my car has this as the first song.
2. Crusades – August Burns Red This song has some of the fattest drum/guitar breakdowns.
3. Turn Soonest To The Sea – Protest The Hero Breakdown followed by a great sing along part; great to keep me awake while driving.
4. The Ungrateful Dead – Hella Zach Hill is the most intense drummer, and it is comforting to drive with his drums pounding through the car stereo.
5. Everything I Need – From Autumn To Ashes The groovy intro is all I need to go on a road trip.
6. Out To Sea – Smile Empty Soul The thought of being out at sea brings an image of adventure.
7. Gravedancer – Velvet Revolver This song has a country and rock song put into one and stretches for eight minutes.
8. Hysteria – Muse Synthesizers and harmonic, operatic vocals.
9. Sympathy For The Devil – The Rolling Stones I imagine listening to this song in a convertible with the wind blowing in my hair.
10. All My Days – Alexi Murdoch Happy song that brings the thoughts of better places that you want to go in your future.
Homework Playlist Post-rock and other soft songs keep me focused on doing homework, instead of making me sing along and becoming distracted.
1. First Breath After Coma – Explosions in the Sky Ten minutes of nothing but music.
2. There Is No If… – The Cure This is one of the slower songs by the Cure.
3. Deliver Hope – Martin O’Donnel The humming is ever so relaxing, keeping focus on the homework.
4. Our Thing, Elliott Smith, instrumental rock.
5. Light Through The Veins – Jon Hopkins Ambient atmospheric instruments that blend well with the thought of focus.
6. Freaky Styley– Red Hot Chili Peppers bass groove creates a reading rhythm.
7. Factory Girl – The Rolling Stones A rolling rhythm to do math to.
8. Bookends Theme – Simon and Garfunkle soft and harmonious.
9. The Calm – Son of Aurelius A soft metal song.
10. Going To California – Led Zeppelin Always inspired me to do good to go to college.
The I’m Depressed Playlist Everyone has those sad days, and when I come across this day, modern rock seems to help the most.
1. Truth – Seether A song about being lonely with hurtful friends.
2. Something I Can Never Have – Nine Inch Nails I cry every time I hear this
3. Slow Motion – Third Eye Blind Go read the lyrics of this song, it will make sense.
4. Bother – Stone Sour Soft electro-acoustic song with just vocals and guitars.
5. Molly – The Briggs This song teaches me to move on during hard times.
6. Tearjerker – Red Hot Chili Peppers The song is meant to pull tears.
7. The River – Bruce Springsteen This is one of the sadder songs dealing with the stresses of real life on my iPod.
8. Adam’s Song – Blink-182 This is always a touchy subject.
9. I Didn’t Understand – Elliott Smith It is haunting to hear only voices be so eerie, sad words, sad melody.
10. Hurt – Johnny Cash, Hearing old man Johnny singing such an emotional song is a tearjerker.
Bedtime Playlist Before bed anything can soothe me as long as it is on a low volume, but certain songs are more condusive to relaxation than others.
1. Ants of The Sky – Between The Buried And Me The thirteen-minute song has so many genre changes, but overall is a slow paced metal song.
2. Ocean – John Butler Trio 12 minute long instrumental of just one 12 string acoustic guitar.
3. November Rain – Guns N’ Roses rainwater and soft rock.
4. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd I usually fall asleep before the singing starts.
5. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen Freddie Mercury’s voice can put anyone to a soft snooze.
6. Oh No, I Tried – Right Away, Great Captain! Sometimes trying is not enough.
7. Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin Such a lovely masterpiece.
8. Sound Of Silence – Simon and Garfunkle This songs sings about dark and silence.
9. Float On – Modest Mouse Happy song and soft, perfect for bed.
10. 300 M.P.H. Torrential Blues – The White Stripes Acoustic song reflecting on the lovely music of blues.
Party Playlist These playlists for me include the types of songs that are catchy, upbeat, and inspire me to dance.
1. OMG – Usher¬ This song is about a girl and her dance moves, so lets get on the dance floor.
2. Tik Tok – Ke$ha This song is all about the parties.
3. Feel Good Inc. – Gorillaz This song is about feeling good, like at parties.
4. Thriller – Michael Jackson Classic Jackson with classic dance moves and epic partying.
5. Sir Psycho Sexy – Red Hot Chili Peppers This song is the greatest party song with the story of myself in it, Sir Psycho Sexy.
6. Paper Planes – M.I.A. This song is a happy song that everybody will love at a party.
7. Just Dance – Lady Gaga The title tells me to dance, and that’s what I do.
8. Down – Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne This song tells us to get down at the dance floor, and I do.
9. Right Above It – Lil Wayne This song’s verses keep parties flowing.
10. Semi-Charmed Life – Third Eye Blind Third Eye Blind knows how to party hardy.
Pump Up Playlist Before participating in any type of sports game, there are a couple of songs I need to run through my iPod which get me more than ready for a game.
1. Palms Read/Limb From Limb– Protest The Hero The outro/intro continuation of these songs have a machine run rhythm with aggressive guitars and melodies.
2. Till I Collapse – Eminem Never back down is the theme of this song.
3. Girls And Boys – The Subways Fast paced post rock music.
4. Mannequin Religion – Woe, Is Me- An indie pop singer with a metal group singing about bad people? Perfect choice.
5. Into Battle – Ensiferum, A song about going into battle among gods and Vikings, just like going into battle on the soccer field or baseball field.
6. No One Would Riot For Less – Bright Eyes This folk song for some reason has always gotten the butterflies out of my stomach and ready for action.
7. Bat The Angels – God Forbid The intro to this song is so heavy, it gets me all raged and ready to rumble.
8. The Unnamed Feeling – Metallica The Unnamed Feeling is off the album St. Anger; it has to be heavy and angry.
9. Like A G6 – Far East Movement I listened to this song last weekend before baseball and got really pumped up to play.
10. I’m The Best At Ruining My Life – From Autumn To Ashes A song to reflect on the journey I have had to be where I am.
Best Day Ever Playlist Every now and then a day comes in which I am ultra happy and I want to listen to music that makes me jump with all the energy I feel running through my body
1. Before Three – The Cure “The happiest day I ever knew.”
2. Bowl Of Oranges – Bright Eyes This song is a carefree song about the happy qualities of life.
3. Doesn’t Remind Me – Audioslave A happy song about nothing and everything.
4. Lollipop – The Chordettes I want a lollipop.
5. This Modern Love – Bloc Party The key in which this song is played goes great with the upbeat tempo to create a happy mood.
6. Say Yes – Elliott Smith A happy song about being happy every morning.
7. Wonderlust King – Gogol Bordello Kings always have good lives, and I want to live like a traveling king.
8. Road To Joy – Bright Eyes This song speaks about things that I can do while happy, like be on the road to joy.
9. Hello Solo – Monkey Jacket This song brings out the happiness to me about being single and alone.
10. Like A Boss – Lonely Island Everybody wants to live their life like a boss.
The Thinking/I’m Alone Playlist When I am in a thinking mood, I tend to like soft music and then reflect on the past or such philosophical ideas.
1. See You In Heaven – Elliott Smith This song is a wonderful instrumental that brings out the thinking side of me.
2. Message In A Bottle – The Police the song speaks about asking for help while alone.
3. Sophisdecay – Biology A song about the philosophy of humans.
4. Atoll – Smile Empty Soul I always seem to write crazy theories about life and reflect on myself while listening to this instrumental.
5. Down Payment Blues – AD/DC This song is a simple song that is best listened to while alone.
6. Lullaby – The Cure The eerie guitars and singing on this song make me think of the purpose of life.
7. O’ Lord – Smile Empty Soul Although I am not a fan of religion, this song’s faith makes me believe everything will be okay.
8. Don’t Let Me Get Me – P!nk This song gets me to question if I like who I am and if what I am doing is the right thing.
9. Vox Populi– 30 Seconds To Mars The children singing about going to war brings many questions about the ideas of war.
10. Something In The Way – Nirvana This song gives an image of being alone under a bridge, homeless, alone.
Romantic Playlist While in the presence of a girl, I need songs that are generally happy and can bring a smile to her face that will make me feel like I am doing something right.
1. Just Like Heaven – The Cure All girls are just like heaven.
2. If I Had A Million Dollars – Barenaked Ladies, The song’s sarcastic tone really does make love sound better than $1,000,000.
3. Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison Two lovers can sing “Sha la la la la la la la la ti da” together.
4. She Is Beautiful – Andrew W.K This song is a perfect compliment.
5. Interstate Love Song – Stone Temple Pilots Love needs to be spread on the highways.
6. Together – Rabbit When in a relationship, it is nice to know that the two of you will be in it together.
7. Here With Me – Three Doors Down This song speaks of being with the loved ones when disaster strikes.
8. Right Now (Na Na Na) – Akon This song speaks about making it up to the significant others.
9. Tiny Dancer – Elton John Being held in warm sheets of linen is always a plus for romance.
10. More Than A Feeling – Boston Every relationship is more than a feeling.
