Birthday Playlist 2017
I'm not sure how this tradition began but many years ago I began making playlist for my birthday. They don't contain music I'm currently listening to at whatever given age I may be turning (which actually sounds like a better idea). Instead they take a glimpse back into past years almost like a nostalgic road trip. I try to choose a relevant year and look at the music most popular during that time, but this year I issued myself a little challenge. The formative years of life where we begin shaping who we are range somewhere between ages 8 to 18. We develop quite a bit before then, but this is the time we really try to explore who we are, what we like, and the world around us begins to dictate more influence on ourselves. Finding music that essentially defined me during that time turned out to be really difficult. There are so many sources and it changed so much over time no one but me could possible ever listen to a playlist like that.
So the playlist I ended up coming up with is filled with 90s music that I listened from like 3 to 13. I did this entirely from memory trying to recall what CDs and cassette tapes I once owned, what my parents listened to frequently, and what takes up significant space in my brain. That said because music comes from many places there is tons missing from this. I didn't want to self-disclose too much so there are a lot of personal songs missing because it became way too long (2 hours is already getting a bit long and it used to be about 4). No one is that nostalgic for the 90s.
Thanks to my parents for their influence, years of cheerleading routines, 90s teen movies, and the obscene amount of time I spent watching MTV for helping shape my musical taste during these years. While it seems wildly inappropriate for a child to listen to any of these songs, I'm pretty sure they made me the sparkling ray of cynical sunshine I am today.
Tracklist & Links below
Fantasy - Mariah Carey
Hypnotize - The Notorious BIG
Good Vibrations - Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch
Kids in America - The Muffs
The Impression That I Get - the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Just a Girl - No Doubt
All Apologies - Nirvana
Wonderwall - Oasis
Spice Up Your Life - Spice Girls
California Love - 2Pac
Honey - Mariah Carey
Rhythm Nation - Janet Jackson
This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan
Semi-Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
You Get What You Give - New Radicals
Criminal - Fiona Apple
Karma Police - Radiohead
Doll Parts - Hole
1979 - Smashing Pumpkins
Waterfalls - TLC
Til I Hear It From You - Gin Blossoms
Lovefool - The Cardigans
We Got the Beat - The Go-Gos
MMMBop - Hanson
Tearin' Up My Heart - *NSYNC
You've Got It (The Right Stuff) - New Kids on the Block
That Thing You Do! - The Wonders
My Hero - Foo Fighters
Dreams - the Cranberries
Cruel to Be Kind - Letters to Cleo
You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette
The Rockafeller Skank - Fatboy Slim
All I Want - Toad the Wet Sprocket
Hold On - Wilson Phillips
Listen on Spotify or Apple Music