So that's it. The big 2-0. Our teenage years have come and gone. We don't...look any different...feel any different. We still can't drink, we can't run for the Senate, we can't rent RVs... But there's something unspoken about it all. It feels like we're on a submarine hovering over the ocean floor... a dead calm, the same as one experiences when waking up right before dawn, walking outside, still out of the sun's view. Is that what's happened? Is this a rebirth? 20 years old. It's easy to say but difficult to admit... So much has happened, so much missed, so many moments regretably not commited to memory. However, while we both somberly take in this inevitable development, we realize that this isn't a time for regret...it's a time for celebration. We can't be sorry that our teenage years are over, but gracious that we've made it this far and excited for the years to come.
As a part of this celebration, we've decided to do something special for ourselves and the blog. We know that if not for music and its many facets, we would be completely different people today. There'd be no IGIF, no friendship between us, and perhaps no meaningful reflection that we find ourselves in right now. In celebration of the twenty amazing years we've been on this planet, we've compiled a list of 20 songs that have meant the most to us throughout our lives thus far, organized into 4 parts. From singalongs to instrumentals, these songs trace each year we've spent in existence: ages 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, and finally 16-20. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Years 1-5, musically speaking, may be remembered hazily, or, by what we enjoyed. Raffi cassettes and “Baby On-Board” stickers went hand-in-hand while most of the music we remember may come from various television shows and Disney movie soundtracks. Whatever the songs that entertained our malleable minds, here is our own personal soundtrack for our first five years:
[MP3] The Arcade Fire -
Wake UpThere's a reason why The Arcade Fire open each show with this song. It's completely surreal, eye opening, and stunningly beautiful. It's actually a very sad song, a commentary on how children are forced to repress emotions, yelled at when they cry, confused by it all... but still, the song ends on a positive note, and we've chosen it to open our mix. - Connor
[MP3] Raffi -
Joshua GiraffeRaffi appears twice in this section. Yes, we know. Raffi is just
that good. I will probably remember this song for the rest of my life. I can’t even remember how many times I forced my Mom to play it in the car. See if you don’t get “Nothing can go wrongo / I am in the Congo” stuck in your head for eternity. - Nathaniel
[MP3] Explosions In The Sky -
First Breath After ComaThis song has always reminded me of childhood, innocence, waking up, being born, entering a world that offers an infant as much potential as the millions of sperm did the egg... it's the only song where I can feel my heart beating in syncopation with the beating of the drum. I could die listening to this song. - Connor
[MP3] Cat Stevens -
Wild WorldThe first song I ever remember hearing was Cat Stevens’
Moonshadow, thanks to my Dad playing and singing it on the guitar to me. This song, although about a girl, fits young lives perfect. Stevens was dead right to call it a
wild wild world. - Nathaniel
[MP3] Raffi -
Apples and BananasThis is the first song I can remember. I used to love singing along to it with my parents as it played on this big blue cassette player...I thought it was hilarious, literally, the funniest thing as a child, how the words were changed with different vowels. I loved Raffi so much, and listening to this song is seriously blowing my mind right now...I mean, I'm completely "there" right now. - Connor
Scraped knees, muddy shoes, creepy-crawlies, first loves, and the formation of friendships that outlast most Volvos all encapsulate this particular developmental stage of life, from age 6-10. It's the age of discovery, curiosity in almost everything we could wrap our little naiive minds around...and if we didn't understand, so what!, we'd just pack it in and move on to the next shiny object... Here are five songs for those five wonderful years:
[MP3] The Beach Boys -
Wouldn't It Be Nice?Some may argue that this song deserves be included with an older age group, but those people must be forgetting their first loves! Love to a pissant toddler was one of the most spontaneous, confusing, and rewarding emotions we'd yet to discover. My first kiss was from a girl named Reid who pecked me on the cheek as we sat against a tree holding hands. I may not have understood, but I certainly loved every second of it. - Connor
[MP3] Ben Folds -
Bitches Ain't ShitConnor and I talked about this song before I chose to use it. He at first thought it was (lyrically) a poor choice for the age range. Then we came to the conclusion that it fits perfectly because girls between the ages of 6-10 are sluts. We both remember our first big crushes at age 6
and kissing them… only to see them kiss another boy. Moral of the story: "bitches ain’t shit but hoes and tricks." - Nathaniel
[MP3] Devendra Banhart -
I Feel Just Like A ChildDevendra really hit the nail on the head with this song and what it means to be a child. "They think I know shit / but that's just it / I'm a child." We may have loved to go out on our own in search of hidden treasure, but it was our mommies and daddies who tied our shoes and dressed us before we went spelunking, and it was they who cleaned us up when we returned. - Connor
[MP3] Donovan -
Happiness RunsDonovan’s soothing voice, upbeat melodies, and brilliant usage of singing in rounds makes this a great adolescent song. I almost wish I could return to 1st grade and sit in a cirlce on the floor while everyone sang this happy song. - Nathaniel
[MP3] Sufjan Stevens -
The Predatory Wasp...This is one of the most beautiful songs I have heard in a long time, and perfectly captures the essence of the "best friend" relationship. Even in an imaginary world where gigantic wasps chase children around wheat fields, the bond is there, an inseparable connection that can last forever. - Connor
11-15 --> What a weird time! We were just starting to rediscover the female form, rebelling from the authority of our parents and anyone else who tried to tell us what to do, and discovering the importance and wonder behind music, which stunningly seemed to represent exactly what we were feeling! How cool is that? I could hate on the man and not feel out of place because it's exactly what Kurt was doing! Here are five more songs from one of the coolest times of our lives:
[MP3] Elliott Smith -
Thirteen (Big Star Cover)I can't lie, Chilton wrote a damn fine love song, but only Elliott could make it so impossibly touching and pertinent. Everyone's been there... it's your first crush, at least one that you understand... You'd like to run away with her, take her away from her clueless parents where you can live by yourselves. It's the one time you can remember caring about someone more than yourself... selfless, blinding, unforgiving love. - Connor
[MP3] Nirvana -
Smells Like Teen SpiritThis song was the jumpstart into a phase that a ton of teenagers found themselves going through: grunge. Not my favorite song from
Nevermind, but the one that catapulted Nirvana to global domination and started the snowball effect of my musical phases and preferences. Love them or hate them, I have to thank them for grabbing my ears and pointing them in the right direction. - Nathaniel
[MP3] Rancid -
Roots RadicalsRancid was the first band that I really identified with as a young punk-ass kid with a rock-hard attitude. I was the king of ding-dong-ditch, the sultan of TPing, and an all around master of general mayhem. What happened to that sweet kid who loved to help his mom garden? He met punk, punk met his fist, and his first clenched in defiance. - Connor
[MP3] Neutral Milk Hotel -
In The Aeroplane Over The SeaI was probably 15 when I first started getting into Neutral Milk Hotel. Someone had sent me this song over AIM and I listened to it on repeat for days. The beauty and brilliance of this song struck a chord with me like no song I had ever heard before and fits this age range perfectly. Much like Nirvana in helping start my musical quest, NMH played a critical role in making me appreciate amazing lyrics and instrumentation. - Nathaniel
[MP3] Everclear -
Santa MonicaThis was one of my favorite songs when I was younger...the guitar riff was so catchy. I was really into surfing and whatnot, so I agreed wholeheartedly with everything the song was saying...except the "we" referred to so passionately in the song, which was probably meant to be a girl, was my dog. But oh man, she would have loved it anyway. - Connor
Between the ages of 16-20 an onslaught of changes were at the forefront of our lives. We can drive, buy cigarettes, get into strip clubs, and vote in elections. Most importantly, our musical tastes are now refined. Like our coveted gasoline, we’ve started in the ground as raw and simple crude oil and been extracted and refined to the point of perfection. Here are the song's that have
[MP3] The Features -
The Idea Of Growing OldAges 16-20 are heavily laden with thoughts of love the idea being with someone. I’m not going to deny the fact that love becomes a focal point and central theme of life as you get older and this song is damn romantic. Most romantic songs are slow and sappy, but this eclectic twist makes growing older worthwhile. - Nathaniel
[MP3] The Beatles -
GirlThe Beatles were an early favorite of mine, I'm glad to say. After hearing my ridiculously audacious claim that "Oasis [was] better than The Beatles!" my parents went out and bought be as much Beatles music as they could cram into my skull. I ate my words quickly...that was 10 years ago. After 10 years of listening to the greatest band to ever set foot in a recording studio, this song has emerged as one of my favorites. - Connor
[MP3] Modest Mouse -
LivesWith our so aptly named final section, which translates to “Thus Begins The Glory of Life,” Modest Mouse’s
Lives easily nails this section on the head. Modest Mouse is still my band and this song not only speaks volumes for our latter teenage years, but our entire lives. - Nathaniel
[MP3] Iron & Wine/Calexico -
16, Maybe LessThe title and subsequent lyrics tell the obvious story here. It's an amazingly beautiful song that really captures a refined, matured sense of love that had by this time formed in my post-puberty head. I believe I met my first true love at age 16, and although it didn't last, it was certainly an unforgetable experience...that's for sure. - Connor
[MP3] The Beatles -
In My LifeIt only seems “right” that we both agree on leaving our teenage years behind with a Beatles’ song. Between the great lyrics of reflection and piano solo, this song seems to incorporate our friendships, loves, hardships, and life experience into one Lennon-McCartney masterpiece. - Nathaniel
I uploaded the whole thing as a mix, with the correct track numbers and even a little artwork I did for it, just in case anyone's interested:
[ZIP] iGIF Presents: Twenty
That does it for our post! If you read the whole thing, THANK YOU! It's around 5AM at the moment, I (Connor) have been 20 for 5 hours, and it's about time for me to go to bed. Thank you all for reading, despite the lengthy post and my hatred for everything HTML, we really enjoyed writing this post for you all. Good night,
Connor and Nathaniel
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