Songs for Life

By now, most of you know of and are possibly participating in Alyssa's "Back to Blogging" link-up.  I've been enjoying what I've been reading, and I've been enjoying the challenge of the prompts. 

Surprisingly, this prompt has/had me stumped:
1. Three (or however many you choose) songs that define your life and why

I love music.  I love live music.  I love listening to music, finding new music, feeling music, reading about music, and talking about music (as evidenced by my monthly playlist posts with Jana as well as other music posts on this blog.)  So, why did this one stump me?  Because I was overwhelmed with all the songs I love and why I love them.  To ask myself what songs "define" my life...well, that's just tough, but a question I've been trying to tackle.

It's My Life by Bon Jovi - My love for Bon Jovi began in 1984, and it never waned, but it was solidified and stamped into my personal history with the 2000 release of "It's My Life".  It bridged hair band '80s rockers with an updated, polished, new millennium band.  It bridged generations of fans; some discovered this band for the first time with this song.  It bridged teenage Erin with adult Erin; I was 11 years old when I first set sight and heard the sounds of Bon Jovi, and I was 27 when this song hit the airwaves.  The simplicity of the statement "It's my life, it's now or never, I ain't gonna live forever" is strong and powerful for me.

Just a Girl by No Doubt - It was 1995, and I was 22 years old when this song was released.  Already, I'd experienced a serious relationship with a very controlling man who wanted to mold me and fit me into his definition of what I should look like, how I should think, and what I should be when I grew up.  That very year, I was ending that relationship with this person.  No Doubt exploded onto my scene, and I was instantly in awe of Gwen.  Gwen's tongue-in-cheek lyrics of "I'm just a girl, little ol' me" and singing "I've had it up to here" was my jam.  It's exactly what I needed to hear at the time. It's still my jam.  And, I'm still in awe of Gwen.  She is creative and ambitious.  She is a girly-girl who hangs with the guys.   She is open, honest, and vulnerable (through her lyrics), but she is not scared to be strong and in-your-face. All of these traits are lovely little traits for "just a girl."

Slide by Goo Goo Dolls - Okay.  You may think this is a weird choice.  Basically, the song is about wanting "to wake up where you are".  I choose to believe it's a love song of sort.  So, why is this a song that defines my life?  Well, I have loved and still love all things Goo Goo Dolls.  But, it's this lyric: "What you feel is what you are and what you are is beautiful" that gets me every.single.time.  It has served as a reminder to me at those times that I am feeling really, really ugly (both physically and emotionally) to strive to FEEL beautiful, so I can BE beautiful.  Again, I don't just focus on the physicality that the world "beautiful" can signify.  I focus on the beauty within as well.  Even more so.  How much does this lyric mean to me?  Enough to get it tattooed on me permanently.

Scars by Papa Roach - This one.  This one I've sung at the top of my lungs through tears more times that I can count.  It is a song that embodies what I love about live music: people of all ages, all backgrounds, all ethnicities, religions, genders, identities, coming together to sing a song while squished together, swaying together, sweating together, hands and voices raised, because I've been in many Papa Roach live show pits experiencing this.  I can relate to every.single.word of this song, but this is significant for me: "I can't help you fix yourself, but at least I can say I tried, I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life."  Eventually, I realized after spending so many years thinking I needed to "fix" someone else, what I really needed to do was focus on my own self-worth, well-being, and happiness.

Take Tomorrow (One Day at a Time) by Butch Walker - If you've read any of my posts talking about music, chances are you've heard that there's this musician named Butch Walker that I love.  I mean it.  I love this man.  This is from the album that made me fall in love with this man (yes, I was a fan before this album, but this album is when I fell in love.)  This song closes the album and the sentiment is one that speaks to me to this day.  "Give me all your fear, throw it all away, think of all the good things, no matter what they say, we'll take tomorrow, baby, yeah, one day at a time."

Worth mentioning:  Any song by Willie Nelson.  I am instantly taken to Texas when I hear Willie Nelson.  I think of my dad.  I think of road trips.  I think of Lone Star and Shiner Bock beer.  I think of honky tonks.  I think of bluebonnets.  I think of a man that is a legend and an icon who is unconventional and unapologetically himself.  He isn't the best looking.  Not at all.  He isn't the best singer.  Nope.  But, he is Willie, and he embodies Texas.

Linking with Alyssa:

#Fav7Films times two

Twitter circulated a hashtag: #Fav7Films.  If I wasn't such a lame blogger, I'd take a couple of minutes and attempt to find how/why this hashtag began, or who started it, but I'm lame lazy. 

I participated and rattled off my #Fav7Films, published the tweet, then thought "wait, but, what about........" and felt I needed to list seven more.  So, I did.  Really, do I need to follow any "rules" when it comes to twitter hashtags?  No.  So, I rattled off seven more. 

I started thinking about these movies and this exercise.  What I liked about it is that I didn't put much thought into it.  I spilled out fourteen movies that I think of as my "favorites", and in that quick, fun tweet(s), I think I came up with a pretty solid list (for me).  So, I thought I'd share them with you.

Plus, it's a good time to talk about movies because jenn's "fall film challenge" begins next week.

Love Actually - It makes me laugh, and it makes me cry.  It makes me enjoy a different storyline or actor or character almost every time I watch it.  I always end with a full heart after watching it, and there's not much better a feeling than a full heart.

The Outsiders - The only piece of poetry that I can recite from memory is the Robert Frost poem that Pony Boy recites in this movie.  My heart loves this movie so much.  Patrick Swayze is so wonderful in so many films, but his supporting role in this one is my fave.  And, I love Cherry Valance (Diane Lane).  And, Matt Dillon as Dallas Winston.  And, Soda Pop and Two Bit.  And, of course, Johnny and Pony Boy.  Oh, and did I mention Tom Cruise is in it (before an agent got a hold of him and made him fix his teeth)?

Urban Cowboy - Stereotypes exist for a reason, because sometimes there is some truth to them.  I have a friend in Texas.  Her parents met at Gilley's.  Her father was a bullrider in his 20s.  Her mother was an underage teen that snuck into the bar.  They married after knowing each other for only 2 weeks.  They are still together with two children and three grandchildren.  This movie is a slice of Texas life and culture that I cherish.  No, the domestic violence and adultery aren't pretty, but they are real.

Notice John Travolta's white boots with brown tips on the toes.  Yep, I had some.

Grease 2 - Stephanie Zinone is so much cooler than Sandy.  I wanted to be Stephanie Zinone.  In the first Grease, Sandy had to change to snag her guy finally.  In Grease 2, a guy had to change to get a girl.  I like that.  Plus, I like the songs better.  And, Maxwell Caulfield is dreamier than John Travolta.

Almost Famous - For someone like myself who feels like some music really speaks to them...or that some of their favorite musicians are "friends", this movie is wonderful and poignant.

Good Will Hunting - Another movie that makes me laugh and makes me cry and is filled with life lessons.  Robin Williams at his finest.  And, hey, that Matt Damon guy and Ben Affleck dude are pretty good too.

The Fox and the Hound - I've mentioned before that this is my all-time favorite Disney movie.  My love of animals and the story of friendship makes me continue to love it, even as an adult. 

Moulin Rouge - The music.  The colors.  The costumes.  The story.  Satine & Christian.  Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor.  I love all of this movie. 

Sleepers - This story stuck with me.  The cast and performances are fantastic.  The question of right and wrong...who are the "bad" guys and who are the "good" ones in this particular story is one that is thought-provoking.

A Time to Kill - This movie punches me in the gut every time I see it.  Who won Oscars and Golden Globes that year?  I don't know.  What I do know is Samuel L. Jackson should have.

Pretty in Pink - I adore John Hughes movies with Molly Ringwald as his muse, but this one is my favorite.  James Spader is particularly slimy.  And, really, who doesn't love Duckie?

Brian's Song - I can not watch this movie without sobbing like a baby.  Based on the true story of the life and friendship of Chicago Bears players Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers.

Less Than Zero - I don't really know if I thought much about acting skills until I saw this movie and Robert Downey Jr.'s performance.  Oh, and slimy James Spader makes another appearance.  It's a cautionary tale that "drugs are real bad".

She's the One - I'm a fan of Edward Burns.  There is something miserable, yet comical about this movie.  The familial relationships and love interests are dysfunctional and authentic.

I've got some honorable mentions...but, like I said, for a quick off-the-cuff response, I think this is pretty great reflection of my #Fav7Films. 

What do you think?

Quick.  Don't think too hard.  Tell me your #Fav7Films.