I hit a milestone today in my life. I’m not afraid or ashamed of it, but grateful. Over the last decade I’ve come to be more aware with an increased graciousness for life’s little moments. I am one of the fortunate ones, I won the lottery at life and should never complain about anything. I have an amazing wife who teaches me above love every day, a daughter who puts everything into perspective and a family who continue to impart their wisdom on me. I am not perfect and still have much to learn but I have found it’s always better to smile than frown, to lend a helping hand than to turn away and to show empathy and compassion for those less fortunate.
Life is often a Tsunami in the form of a 747 aircraft speeding by us at such a pace we forget to stop and take a breath. My favorite moments of each day are when I take a pause, give a compliment, evoke a smile and take in some of the wonder of this world. I’m lucky to live in Chicago, because everywhere you step, there is beauty to be found in the architecture, the heartbeat of the city, neighborhoods, cafes, shops and the people. Big city life isn’t for everyone, but you can still capture beauty each and every day even if you never leave your house. Pick up a book that takes you on a journey, go to Pinterest and discover one of the great painters, go to your library or Netflix and seek out films that will place you in new shoes and if you are short on time, dial-up some songs that take you on a journey in your mind.
Most that read this will know what an integral ingredient music has been in my life. It’s a force I’m continually wrestling as I uncover hidden gems, forgotten favorites and forcing myself to listen to acts and genres that may not necessarily be in my wheelhouse. For this milestone, I put together a Spotify playlist. Playlists on streaming services are magnificent, but also allow us to be self indulgent making lists that could last for weeks if not months. So I forced myself to pick one song for every year I have been on this Earth. I started this back in June and only recently finalized the list.
Of course, I cheated a little. I added an introduction by Brian Eno in the form of “The Big Ship” which came out the year before I was born, but it didn’t chart in the US or the UK, so it feels like a good place to start and its use in two brilliant 2015 films (The End of the Tour and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) sealed its inclusion. I steered away from many of my favorite acts including Prince, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen and U2 just because their inclusion meant I would often leave a song fewer know on the cutting room floor. Since it is done year-to-year the flow of the mix goes through a lot of peaks and valleys, after the introduction the Ramones, Clash, Ace Frehley and Motörhead fire away before my eclectic tastes take over.
I stuck with songs in the years they were released. They may not be my favorite song from a particular year but most have never left me and on my iPod many of these are in my top 250 most played songs. I also didn’t always discover the particular song when it was released but it became a force to be reckoned with later in my continual music education. To my ears and my heart, they’re all great songs that capture the spirit of the human condition. Some hold strong memories for me like Kylie Minogue's “Can’t Get You Out of My Mind” which I first heard in December of 2001 on a trip to London with two high school friends. Each and every time we took the Tube, the album cover was plastered on the stairs and platforms. James Blunt’s “Bonfire Heart” reminds me of Rome, Italy where the MTV station there played the song continually and served as a perfect soundtrack to the wonder of that spectacular city and its history. “Within Your Reach” from 1983 and “Long Ride Home” from 2002 are here because of Cameron Crowe.
“Sometimes” by the Manchester band James is because of my friend Kevin who loved this band as much as life itself and made me a die-hard over time. It was played on a high school retreat, was on my wedding mix and was one of the first songs my daughter heard upon entering this world in 2009. There’s a story behind all of them even Cascada’s “Everytime We Touch” which is the thump-thump “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, it never fails to fuel me with enthusiasm when I’m running low on life. Then there’s “Forever Young” by Alphaville. The first time I heard it was on a rare mixtape from an old friend who I briefly dated. The relationship didn’t last but the song does. When I found the CD from Alphaville at my local record store, it was a good day and this song, along with dozens of remixes and covers still warms me, makes me thankful for the past and hopeful for the future we we all take steps towards creating a better and more empathetic world. Since I started it with an intro, I had to have one song sum everything up and technically it’s an extra song that marks the beginning of my next year and one David Bowie chose to use his poetic exit from the physical world. It serves as a reminder to cherish the time we have, strive to be happy and don’t let life get in the way of lasting memories. Thank you for your love, support, encouragement, arguments, brutal truths and music that has decorated my life in ways I’ll never be able to express.
The attached playlist clocks in one-minute short of three-hours, so sit back and enjoy.
https://open.spotify.com/user/thescreendoor/playlist/1w1Z4vhbqFGWQv9jUGP0WF
Introduction: 1975: “The Big Ship” - Brian Eno
1976: “Judy is a Punk” - The Ramones
1977: “Janie Jones” - The Clash
1978: “Rip It Out” - Ace Frehley (KISS)
1979: “Stay Clean” - Motörhead
1980: “A Forest” - The Cure
1981: “Slave” - The Rolling Stones
1982: “More Than This” - Roxy Music
1983: “Within Your Reach” - The Replacements
1984: “Forever Young” - Alphaville
1985: “Take Me Home” - Phil Collins
1986: “Battery” - Metallica
1987: “Hearts on Fire” - Bryan Adams
1988: “The Promise” - When In Rome
1989: “Dear Jessie” - Madonna
1990: “How Long Will I Love You” - The Waterboys
1991: “Learning To Fly” - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
1992: “Galileo” - Indigo Girls
1993: “Sometimes” - James
1994: “Am I Wrong” - Love Spit Love
1995: “Thirty-Three” - The Smashing Pumpkins
1996: “Real Love” - The Beatles
1997: “Standing in the Doorway” - Bob Dylan
1998: “He Got Game” - Public Enemy
1999: “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby” - Counting Crows
2000: “Song From An American Movie Pt. 2” - Everclear
2001: “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” - Kylie Minogue
2002: “Long Ride Home” - Patty Griffin
2003: “So Alive” - Ryan Adams
2004: “100 Years” - Five For Fighting
2005: “Everytime We Touch” - Cascada
2006: “The Long Way Around” - Dixie Chicks
2007: “”Destroyer” - David Gray
2008: “Longest Days” - John Mellencamp
2009: “Close To The Edge” - Thirty Seconds To Mars
2010: “Hey Hey Hey” - Michael Franti and Spearhead
2011: “This City” - Patrick Stump / Lupe Fiasco
2012: “Travels As Equals” - Joseph Arthur
2013: “Bonfire Heart” - James Blunt
2014: “Take Me To Church” - Sinead O’Connor
2015: “Father’s Day” - Butch Walker
2016: “I Can’t Give Everything Away” - David Bowie
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