Music — Songs — Playlist
10 Songs That Are Part of Me
My 10 Favourite Songs Writing Challenge
I decided to create my own Writing Challenge: My 10 Favourite Songs!
I open this up to whomever wants to participate!
These are songs that have inspired me, moved me, and have deep meaning for me. They are from various bands and artists and all types of musical genres. And I didn’t have to give much thought to which songs would be here either. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do. Also, they are in no particular order of preference.
Part Of Me (Linkin Park)
A song from their unreleased tracks, I think it’s one of my favs, if not my absolute favourite, from them. (RIP Chester Bennington.) Linkin Park is my second favourite band, sometimes switched up to first place. Their first few albums’ songs move me so much.
This song feels like it reflects the part of me that became like the narcissist who abused me and I needed to free myself from that. Breaking the trauma bond, as it were, was like cutting out a piece of myself, ridding the Tyler Durden to my Jack. While I was already listening to Linkin Park before this relationship, I discovered this song after that relationship. Crawling comes in a very close second favourite song, with the KRWLNG version from the Reanimation album being even better than the original (just saying).
The part of me that was shaped by the man who abused me wouldn’t go away and I wanted to remove it from my soul. I did a meditation where it felt like I did that. It felt like a gaping hole remained.
Race Against Myself (The Offspring)
I’ve seen these guys in concert three times. My favourite band. I love so many songs from so many albums. From ALL their albums. This song was my theme song for a time, and I really feel it sometimes still. The album it’s on is not my favourite but this is the best song on that album.
I felt a lot in the past like I was just running, trying to keep up with expectations, many of them set upon myself because it was what I believed I had to do based on what others thought was best for me. I believed I had to be a certain way. And I was running out of steam.
I was burning out long before I had my actual burnout and I felt numb for many years where I lost touch with my passions, thus everything I did was only half-hearted. It felt like every time I tried again to get to where I wanted to be, I wound up back at the beginning.
Not Afraid (Eminem)
I love Eminem. When I was in high school I learnt The Real Slim Shady and to this day, I still know it by heart. I’ve rapped it at parties, even work parties. Heck, I’ve even done it a capella. I love this guy’s beats and lyrics. He has a way with words.
Not Afraid is from an amazing album and this became my new theme song after I started to heal more actively, even while I didn’t know I had begun healing. I was no longer numb, and I was reconnecting with myself. In the song, Eminem speaks of his addiction.
Well, mine was the link to the man who abused me, a weird craving even while I was repulsed by him and had cut him out of my life long before. I’m facing what I need to face and face it I did, and face it I continue to do. And this is as much to heal as to pursue my dreams.
After healing for a while, I became fearless again. I faced my dark side, embraced it and befriended it. I was told I could not heal. I was told depression is for life. I was told I couldn’t do it. I was also told I could not succeed with the career I chose for myself. I was told many things. I’m hard-headed, though. When I’m told I can’t do something I feel in my core that I can.
Press It Up (Sean Paul)
Some of you already know how much I love to heat things up in my writing, well I also like to heat things up on the dance floor. I danced Hip Hop for 15 years. And this song makes me move! It makes me want to dance, makes me roll my hips, lock and pop, and wave. This is my favourite Sean Paul song.
While we never had any dance routine for shows to this song (because we’ve danced to Temperature), I always play it at parties and pull out the best moves I’ve got.
This song’s lyrics are “dirty”! And I love it. They describe not only dance moves of rubbing against another body, but a particular body part that I so enjoy describing in my smutty writing and things characters enjoy doing to that particular body part. Playing with words to play with the body in order to crank up the heat.
Libérez-nous des Libéraux! (Loco Locass)
This song is by far my favourite from this trio, for some pure Québécois rap. My friends and I would rap along to this song a lot. My husband is also a fan of this band. And I feel the refrain can be fitting for any political body anyone would wish to oust. This song came out in 2003, I believe. Even if you don’t understand the lyrics, the beat is totally awesome!
The on-going language wars and debates in Quebec have existed for a long time. And while many have desired to separate, it is not in physical form that Quebec and its people have achieved sovereignty but emotionally and mentally. We are all sovereign individuals. Through learning this history, I have found my individual sovereignty, which has helped me heal from abuse.
Le Bruit des Origines (Okoumé)
Such a beautiful song I feel is so meaningful today. It was written in the late 1990s by a Quebec band called Okoumé. The singer’s voice is absolutely sublime in this modern rock song. I’ve also sung this song at karaoke. I listen to this song at St-Jean-Baptiste (Quebec’s birthday) all the time.
We have entered a phase in our lives, in the Earth’s life, where humans exploit so much, everything is becoming global, not just national, we hurt the Earth, we hurt each other. We hurt each other BY hurting the Earth and we hurt the Earth WHEN we hurt each other. And this song reflects the importance of realising this. That’s why it means so much to me.
Unchain Utopia (Epica)
By far my favourite song by Epica from my favourite album. I literally do not skip any song from the album (Quantum Enigma). Epic, metal, medieval. The singer has such an amazing voice, she’s wonderful. I love music like this and I instantly fell in love with this song. So much so that I created a gameplay music video to the song with clips from my favourite video game.
Funny story is, I heard another Epica song a while back and never knew the band name, and the album had played on repeat. It was “Cry for the Moon”, another excellent song. For years I had no idea who the artists were. I searched but could not find it. When I heard Unchain Utopia, I suspected, I recognised the voice. I searched the albums, listening until I found the song I was looking for. This was the band.
I used to believe everything I heard, everyone I knew, because I had very weak ego-boundaries. This is how I was brainwashed by the man who abused me, I could not discern truth from lie. He was delusional and I believed his delusions. He was the wolf and I was the sheep and he devoured me (not in the good way). No more. I woke up from that nightmare and saw the truth. One of the many reasons why I love the lyrics of this song. They can apply to so many situations too.
Amaranth (Nightwish)
Nightwish is another medieval metal band I enjoy. They’ve had three singers now. All three singers have unique and beautiful voices. This song is with their second, Anette Olzon. It’s one of my favourite of all Nightwish songs. It’s inspirational. No matter what your faith is, this song is about trusting the Divine power.
I also did a gameplay edit to this song.
My calling, a calling, can be spiritual, career based, emotional. We are all connected to the Divine Power within us and without us. No matter what you call that entity, it is there. This song and these lyrics reflect that, reflect my connection to that Divine Power. And the Calling inside of me that drives me forward, never fades, and always guides me.
Lady (Styx)
Time for a little bit of a more light-hearted song. If you’ve read my story about how a programmer wooed me and serenaded me, called, When I’m With You I Smile, then you know this one. This is the song. I didn’t know it before meeting my husband, and he sang it to me one evening in his car as we drove around. It became our song, and on our wedding day, we danced to this song for our First Dance.
I love this song because I love my husband. He sometimes still sings it to me (and he can sing!). And we still dance to it on our anniversary (or on other occasions, aka when we feel like it).
My husband wasn’t the only one smiling every time we were together. And we both keep smiling every time we are together. Like in this song, I too feel when I’m falling or sinking, he helps me up, helps me find my balance, helps me get back on my feet. I want to be there for him in the same way and provide for him all that he needs from me. I wrote in my vows, “When you entered my life, you turned my world upside down, and then I realised that you turned it right side up.” And this song reflects what we mutually feel for each other ever since the very beginning and still today and forevermore.
The Throne Room (Star Wars A New Hope)
Those of you who know me know how much I love Star Wars, especially the Old Republic era. All Star Wars songs from the movies, shows, and video games are my favourites. It’s my favourite fandom and my comfort place.
I stepped out of the carriage, adjusting my dress. The horse neighed. I looked up at the sun as it shone brightly. My mother and father took my arms, each on either side of me, looking the proudest they’d ever been, and smiled at me. I held my bouquet and walked down the steps of the stone path towards the love of my life where he and I bound our love in marriage.
I walked down the aisle to this song. We stopped it before the Main Theme began. My husband and I could hardly contain our tears. And now, I cannot watch that throne ceremony scene in A New Hope without crying.
I’d love to know what your 10 Favourite Songs are.
🌿If you fancy it, you can tip me with tisane on Ko-fi. ☕🌺😊
