Assignment 23 Michael Dickson

My "perfect playlist" is supposed to... well... pick me up I guess. The songs it contains create a sense of optimism, hope for the future, and imbue a strength to move along.

My first song is "Wings" by Jeff Williams. Wings is a slow, mournful song. It is sung in a first-person perspective from a mother who has just died, leaving her child alone and confused. The song, sounds rather depressing at face-value, simply based on the tempo and key signature, but when you listen to the lyrics she is telling her daughter that everything will be okay in the end. This is exemplified in the chorus: "dry your eyes now baby, broken wings won't hold you down. You'll take flight soon baby." I chose this song because of its tender, loving voice as well as its uplifting message.

The second song in my playlist is "Human" by Christina Perri. This song focuses mainly on how she can fake being okay. But only for so long. The chorus sums this up well "But I'm only human, and I bleed when I fall down. I'm only human, and I crash and I fall down." I included this song because I oftentimes have a bad habit of faking that I'm okay because I forget that it's okay to not be okay (which is the title of a great song along the same lines but which, unfortunately, didn't make it into this playlist) and this is a good reminder with excellent vocals, as well as beautiful instrumentals.

I'm probably going to get judged hardcore for this, but frankly I don't care. Idina Menzel's performance of "Let It Go" from the film Frozen is not only a beautifully composed musical piece, it also has a meaningful and inspiring message, and it is for these reasons I've chosen to put it in the third spot on my playlist. The overall message is to just stop. Stop hiding, stop hating yourself, just 'let it go' and be happy with who you are.

Nearing the end of my playlist is "F***ing Perfect" by P!nk. I hadn't heard any of P!nk's music until someone played Perfect for me. I loved it. The music isn't my usual style but I ended up liking it, and I love the message it sends. She talks (sings?) about rejecting all the things in the world that say you're not good enough, you should "never ever feel like you're less than perfect." It is this message paired with its moderate tempo and fluid musical transitions that have put this song in the fourth spot in my playlist.

My final song is one of my favorite songs, ever, of all time, and this song is "Move Along" by The All-American Rejects. This song... oh my god I love this song. Its punk-rock ish sound is amazing and gets my blood flowing. But more importantly is what it actually says. The most basic version of the message is that things will get better, you just have to "move along." It is this message which puts this song at the end of my playlist.

Now, the order of the playlist is just as important as the songs themselves. If you'll notice the songs increase in tempo and key signature as the playlist progresses. This is because when I start listening to this playlist I'm feeling pretty down on myself, so the soft beginning helps to warm me up, and by the end I'm pumped up and not really sad at all. Also, the first few songs are about just being okay, they're soothing. However as the playlist goes on the message changes to not just being okay but pushing whatever blocking me out of the way and moving past it all.

And that, is my perfect playlist.