No, but really, if my life was a movie, these would be the songs that would do it justice. About half of the songs are life changing songs for me - they really defined who I was in a certain season. The other half are songs I've picked up along the way that just really explain the different seasons I went through. So, without further ado, here is my life in music:
- My childhood -
2. Bohemian Rhapsody, by Queen
3. Too Much Time on My Hands, by Styx
4. Breakfast in America, by Supertramp
I know what you must be thinking; "what the heck is little Sarah doing listening to that type of music?" Well, I actually listened to a lot of other types of music, mostly Christian: music like Petra, and also The Carpenters. But these songs have my favorite memories attached to them. This music was my dad's favorite. I remember him singing Recipe for Love and playing it all the time and even dancing with me in the living room to that song. And Bohemian Rhapsody has always, and will always will be, my family's hit song. Play that sucker in a car full of McGinnis' and you will see something like the scene from "Wayne's World."
- That one time in the shower -
6. Give Me Jesus, by Bethel Music
7. Close to Your Heart, by The Glorious Unseen
So let me explain. I don't have a crazy past full of drugs and alcohol and sex. But I was extremely rebellious in my childhood, and although I grew up in a Christian home, in my heart I was a total sinner. Lying was second nature; if you said "don't do that," "that" was exactly what I did. So one day in the shower when I was about 13, I had this weird feeling come over me, and I suddenly felt overwhelmed with conviction. I got on my knees, right there in the shower, and asked God to forgive me, and promised to dedicate my life to Him. That was also the same year I decided to wait until I was married to have sex, and vowed to pray for my husband every day.
- My music awakening -
9. Crabbuckit, by K-Os
10. Stereo, by 4th Avenue Jones
11. King Without a Crown, by Matisyahu
My family is good friends with another homeschooling family. The father in the family, George, introduced me to some of my favorite artists, even to this day. That's the year (around 15 years old) that I fell in love with Hip-Hop and learned that music is still good even when it's not Christian.
- That time I decided I wanted to play guitar -
13. Come Clean, by Eisley
14. Hallelujah, by Jason Castro
15. Hurt, by Johnny Cash
16. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, by U2
This could also go with the previous category; it was around the same time when I was discovering all of this new music, that I decided to learn guitar and be an artist myself.
- Praying for my future husband -
18. Are We There Yet, by Ingrid Michaelson
19. If I Were a Carpenter, by Johnny Cash and June Carter
20. Restless, by Switchfoot
This was a phase from age 13 until I started dating Daniel.
- That time I went to missionary school at Bethel -
22. The Call, by Regina Spektor
23. Be Thou My Vision, by Leah Mari (Leah Johnson)
24. I Will Waste My Life, by Misty Edwards
This was a freeing time in my life, but also an extremely emotional and life altering time. I left home for the first time, moved to California for a year, and met so many crazy people. I learned a lot about myself in that year.
- That moment I knew I wanted to be a missionary -
26. Cassie, by Flyleaf
27. Somebody's Baby, by Jon Foreman
28. Beautiful Feet, by Lecrae
29. Tell the World, by Lecrae
- That time I was depressed -
31. Where I Belong, by Switchfoot
32. Lost, by Michael Buble
33. Dust to Dust, by The Civil Wars
34. Aperture, by Sleeping At Last
No one likes to admit depression, especially when you call yourself a Christian. You have people who tell you to "get the Joy of the Lord" or "just be happy." Oh, thanks, that helps a lot. So, like a lot of depressed people, I didn't talk about it. I didn't tell anyone how I felt, and in public I was all smiles all the time. At my work, I was known as the "Happy Headset Girl." No one knew, and most people still don't know, but I went through a really hard time. After my year at Bethel, I went to South Florida to stay with my parents. That entire year I felt so lost; I wasn't doing what I wanted to do, which was traveling and helping people. These songs got me through it. The song Aperture was my anthem. The chorus sings "God, it has been quite a year. I've lived a little bit, and I've died a little more. I know that I've asked it before, but please let the scale tip here in my favor." The next year I met Daniel.
- That time I realized that being myself is ok -
"Who cares if you disagree, you are not me." I had a lot of people telling me I needed to be nicer, sweeter, "not weird," and a lot of people saying bad things about me behind my back. This song was exactly how I felt. This was the season in my life when I realized that not everybody was going to like me, and that was ok.
- The worst and best feelings in the world -
37. Blood, by The Middle East
38. About Today, by The National
My brother Jonathan has been in the hospital more times than I can count. But there was one time - we didn't think he was going to make it. My dad went to the hospital and cried; my dad never cries. I listened to these 3 songs that night, I remember it perfectly. I listen to these songs any time someone I know dies. Death is not easy to deal with, but music helps.
- When I started to love electric beats -
40. Sleepyhead, by Passion Pit
This included Dubstep. It's still some of my favorite music. It makes me feel adventurous.
- That time I met a boy -
42. Human, by The Killers
These two songs were the first songs Daniel played for me when we first started skyping. He was just a cute boy who loved weird/cool music.
- That time I dated a boy -
44. Won't Turn Back, by Needtobreathe
45. Without You, by Usher and David Guetta
46. No Other Love, by Chuck Prophet
47. Vivir Mi Vida, by Marc Anthony
Just The Way You Are was the first song that Daniel posted on my facebook timeline when we first started dating. I also listened to a lot of Spanish music because, well he speaks Spanish, but Vivir Mi Vida was my favorite out of them all.
- That time when a boy proposed -
49. Tethered, by Sleeping At Last
50. Everything, by Michael Buble
51. My Dear, by Bethel Music
Yeha-Noha is a Native American song about happiness and prosperity, and I originally wanted to walk down the isle to that song. That didn't happen, but that's because I found a much more perfect song for that.
- That time I married a boy -
53. A Thousand Years, by Christina Perri
54. Kiss Me, by Ed Sheeran
Come Awaken Love was the song my bridesmaids walked down the isle to; I love love that song. A Thousand Years was my song. One of my bridesmaids, Grace Kimmel, sang that song to a violin/cello instrumental version. When I first heard the song I knew it was the one. It was anything and everything I wanted to say to Daniel ever since I was a little girl praying for him in my room. The moment was like a fairytale. Kiss Me was our first dance, thanks to my sister Rachel for suggesting it.
- When I moved to Colombia with my husband -
56. Step Out, by Jose Gonzalez
I love adventure, and this has been a big one. Step Out continues to be my favorite adventure song. It was in the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. See it. Just see it.
- Now -
58. Buttons, by Lecrae
59. God Gave Me You, by Blake Shelton
60. Mushaboom, by Feist
Listen to the song Buttons and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Mushaboom is great, because Daniel and I are building this new life together, and dreaming of a time when we'll have our own house full of kids and a couple dogs. So that's where I'm at. Just enjoying and dreaming.
