Your life in 5 songs?

[hitrewind]

I made a Spotify playlist this afternoon of key songs from all the different stages of my life. It's about 25 tracks and every one of them transports me to a key chapter in my life story – songs my mum used to play at home as a child, my first love, what was in my headphones on my walk to lectures at uni, my first solo travel, etc.etc.

25 is a bit much to ask(!), but if you were to pick 5 songs that stand out from your life story, what would they be?

Mine are:

Oh crikey - that all came out in previews... and there are 6 of them, not 5! Didn't mean for that to happen 😳

Apologies! Still want to know yours, though...

Picture postcards from la,Joshua kadison
i was 16 and heard it in hmv-I’ve listened to it ever since
its about a girl called Rachel who never follows through on her dreams of making it big-hence no picture postcards from la

raise your glasses-by kiss-I went through the most awful pregnancy and it sums up how we felt
’went into this with a force of thunder’ ‘everyone around the nation,raise your glasses’-we had a healthy baby and felt everyone should have raised their glasses to us-the odds of it happening where really against us

roar-Katy Perry-I’d just gone nc with my mother-she has held me down,but I got back up,already brushing off the dust
she hates she can hear me roar-she’s tried and failed to bring me down

not a dry eye in the house-meatloaf-I listened to this when I went through an awful break up with my ex
it put into words what I couldnt

i will survive-Gloria gaynor
ive told both my daughters to download it and if any boyfriend walks out on them,to blast it out of the door after them
and to know that they will be just fine without him

Crush - Jennifer someone, I’m forever crushing on someone!!!

what can I do to make you love me - the corrs .. man I like they never like me back

you outta know - Alaina mortisette - all the times I’ve been devastated (at the time)

tears in heaven - Eric Clapton — devastated when my stepdad died

come on Eileen - Dexys midnight runners - I’m not called Eileen I just love that song.

Stone Roses - I wanna be adored. When I really wanted to be.

Radiohead - Jigsaw falling into place. (Because it always has felt that way)

Linkin Park - Breaking the habit.

The Liminanas - Je suis une go-go girl. I am not - but I yearn to be slinking about to this as I go about my day. I don’t slink as a rule.

Dead Can Dance - Ulysses. A song that transports me everywhere and anywhere.

-Jive bunny-as soon as I hear it I’m transported back to my childhood home where we all learned (some kind of) jive dance steps to it! It was more fun than it was accurate and we laughed a lot!
-Michael Jackson, you are not alone; ugh cried my eyes out to this after my first love breakup
-Maddison Avenue, don’t call me baby! At uni, having a great time, care free, thin, broke but happy.
-girls aloud-Promise, when I first met DH this song was on a lot, it made me so happy to hear it play and instantly transports me back to those early days of excitement feeling he was ‘the one’ and wondering what life would be like together.
-black eyed peas, tonight’s gonna be a good night! (Not sure that’s the title but you know the song)… playing as we drove to the hospital after my waters had broken with DC, I was so excited and frightened and desperate to meet them that this song felt perfect.
Mainly happy times stand out, there have been dark times of course but these songs have been my choice tonight. Nice question Op thanks.

Guns and roses November rain
quire boys, hey you
poison, unskinny bop
George Michael, Jesus to a child
beautiful south, a little time

it was hard to stick to 5!

I can't deal with the emotions this question brings up to give an answer but I wonder how we would ever cope without music?

Ipi tombi - original cast recording
Pokarekare Ana
In my life- Beatles
Annie’s song -John Denver
Robert Miles - Children
Cher - Life after love

How am I supposed to live without you -Micheal Bolton.My dad used to sing it to me.

Drop the pilot - joan armatrading. My mum used to play it when cleaning.

True love way - Kings of Leon. My first love.

Candy - Paolo Nutini. My wedding song.

Go your own way - Fleetwood mac. Internal soundtrack since I can remember.

Annie's song - John Denver
It's the end of the world as we know it - REM
Closing Time - semisonic
Down under - men at work
NICU at night
Tightrope - from the greatest showman

I couldn't stick to 5. What a great idea for a playlist!

Save all your kisses for me- Brotherhood of man. I remember so vividly singing this as a child. The first pop song I learned! My lovely dad would sing along too. Good days for sure.

Girls on Film- Duran Duran. Great teen years.

The first time ever I saw your face- Roberta Flack. How I felt when my DD was born.

Love Shack- B52’s. Singledom in my 40’s after a 20 yr relationship.

Do I love you (Indeed I do)- Frank Wilson. Yes I surely do ♥️

It’s a bit of a mixed bag, some are somewhat dated too, but l think it sums up my life quite well. Apart from the first one, which is my anthem, the others are in no particular order.

Girl on Fire - Alicia Keys

Sexuality - kd Lang

Revolution - Tracy Chapman

No. 9 Dream - John Lennon

Going Back - Dusty Springfield

What a brilliant idea. I have just done this and loved doing it. Thank you op. It feels too personal to share!

Morrissey - The Last of the Famous International Playboys.

Cure - Friday I'm in Love.

Beth Orton - I wish I never saw the sunshine. Major break up - manky flat - grotty job - no mates and it was always raining.

The Proclaimers 500 Miles

Allegri, Miserere mei (King's College, Cambridge). Basically trumps all the other noise. I would genuinely call this divine.

I have just spent some fun time doing this! Thanks OP!

Ah I'm so glad you've had fun doing it, @Seaweasel, @sunshinealwayscomesback, @Jeelypieces20storeys, @MercurysMeteor – I found it oddly cathartic, too.

And it's so interesting and heartwarming to see all these examples... they really paint a picture, don't they? I feel like I'm reading the track listings of your movie biopic soundtracks 😁

Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
There is a Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths
Tailights Fade - Buffalo Tom
Thank You - Descendents
Nothing Ever Lasts Forever - Echo & The Bunnymen

A Little Time- Beautiful South
Key to my Life- Boyzone
Just a Girl- No Doubt
Laid- James
Take Your Mama- Scissor Sisters
Rut- The Killers

(Sorry I broke the rules with 6 instead of 5 but I couldn't eliminate one. Could easily add another 50 too!)

Brilliant thread.I have just spent a happy hour or two making a playlist including some of my favourite childhood songs. Big mistake. I have sobbed on rehearing “Bright eyes”. How did I not realise how dark and sad it is?