Okay, yes… I’ve promised to post a list of songs from one of my personal playlists for almost a year now. I was so indecisive of which one I wanted to share with the world. So why not share my 2020 playlist! It’s a great way to start off by kickin’ this year’s ass. I do have to admit I did get lazy towards to end so a lot of those ending songs only have lyrics and not my personal feelings. Playlist link is at the very end!
Okay so of course, every year I want to kick ass. But this year especially, I want to really kickstart 2020’s ass. New decade, right? This playlist is specifically titled “Don’t Believe the Hype”.
Track list:
The End of The Game – Weezer
The Hype – Twenty-One Pilots
Ma Cherie – Palaye Royale
Get Higher – Palaye Royale
Dying in A Hot Tub – Palaye Royale
Mrs. Infamous – Palaye Royale
Intervention – Arcade Fire
Morbid Stuff – Pup
Wild – Ultra Q
April In Houston – SWMRS
Island in The Sun – Weezer
Night Changes – One Direction
Too Much Coffee – SWMRS
Gool – Ultra Q
Black Limousine – Dinosaur Pile-Up
Chroma – Mt. Eddy
The End. – My Chemical Romance
Dead! – My Chemical Romance
Welcome to the Black Parade – My Chemical Romance
I’m Not Okay (I Promise) – My Chemical Romance
Zombie – Mt. Eddy
Way with Words – The Wrecks
We’re Starting to Get Along – Ultra Q
Age of Man – Greta Van Fleet
Hard Feelings – Grumpster
Steve Got Robbed – SWMRS
Smile – R5
Homecoming – Green Day
“The End of the Game” by Weezer a complete, motivating bad-ass way to start the new year, start your day, start your workout (I see you with your new decade resolution) or to just get into a good mood. With their upcoming “Hella Mega Tour” with Green Day and Fall Out Boy, Van-Weezer, as it says on the artwork for this single, is really comin’ back. For those of you who may not know about Weezer, they’re four guys in a band who have sang about Buddy Holly, Islands in the sun, and Sweaters. Starting off in the 90s and still existing in 2020? That’s pretty bad ass for a guy who wears fake tattoo sleeves on stage.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“The melody can’t find you, I’m incomplete without you, I guess we’ve reached the end of the game”
Next up? “The Hype” by Twenty-One Pilots. I know what you’re thinking… “Twenty-One Pilots? Has this girl lost her mind?” Or maybe you’re thinking… “Finally. Talking about Twenty-One Pilots.” They’re not my favorite band, no. I’m more into their “Car Radio” days rather than “Blurry Face”. I guess you could say this song hooked me because of the main lyrics, “I don’t believe the hype”. That’s kinda how I live my life. This song makes me want to dance around my room and pretend that I’m at an award show party in Hollywood. (You know you’ve done that too)
Lyrics that hooked me:
“Nice to know my kind will be on my side, I don’t believe the hype”
“And you know you’re a terrible sight, but you’ll be just fine, just don’t believe the hype”
“Ma Cherie” by Palaye Royale. My favorite song by this band. A French wanna be band? (Only saying this because of the title of this song and also their drummer, Emmerson Barret LOVES France) This song also features a familiar voice by the name of Kellin Quinn, better known as the singer of Sleeping with Sirens. I had the amazing pleasure of seeing Palaye Royale TWICE in 2019 and was very blessed both times. So why haven’t I reviewed any of their albums yet? Guess I’ll add that to the list. This is definitely one of the cutest songs I’ve ever heard. Not in a bad way at all. I just have only heard a handful of songs sang about women like this. And, being a woman, I absolutely LOVE hearing songs about my gender.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“Ma Cherie, time won’t be enough to make you even fall in love with me, the
needle on me”
“Well I loved you and you walked away from me, it’s the little little things that you do baby, that make me so damn crazy”
“I want to see, Wanna hold you in my arms but you want nothing to do with me”
Another one by Palaye Royale… “Get Higher”. Less of a romantic one. This song makes you wanna jump around at a concert, in your room, in your garage, on top of the bar, anywhere! I always remember this song from their concerts being the one that Remington (lead vocals) gets into the crowd, which happens MULTIPLE times during a show, gets people to “get lower” to the floor, sings the chorus “get higher” and slowly raises people back up to their feet to jump around. It’s also a very motivational song.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“I get higher, I get higher, I’m going to set this house on fire, shut off the lights I hear your sound, I’m locking the door as you fall to the ground”
“I get higher, I get higher, I’m going to set this house on fire, I walk the streets I hear no sounds, my shiny blue eyes turn to painful brown”
Okay you caught me. I really do like this band Palaye Royale. Bear with me. The next two songs are the last of theirs. I promise. “Dying in A Hot Tub”! Sounds like a great title, right? I mean, it’s exactly as it sounds. But hey, we’ve all been there before. Maybe not physically, but I definitely have been mentally. This was actually my first favorite song by this band. Still a jam. The music video perfectly fits as well. Three guesses on what they’re doing in the video.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“You’re looking skinny your sleepy head, well have you gotten out of bed? Have you gotten out of bed?”
“Getting concerned about your lonely days, you’re doing some more drugs, getting caught in your ‘drug phase’”
“I’ll fly to the moon again, well I’m sleeping with clothes up on my head, I’ll fly to the moon again, I’m dying in a hot tub, I’m dying in a hot tub with my friends”
“Yeah I’m here, and you’re gone, I’ll see you on the other side”
So, my last Palaye Royale song is… “Mrs. Infamous (My Sweetness)” Another VERY cute song. Again, not in a bad way. If you get me, you get me. I think I like this because it reminds me of “Ma Cherie”. The way Remington Leith expresses his love for his woman is so very beautiful. I really didn’t expect to hear these kinds of songs from some emo-looking guy. But don’t judge a book by his cover.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“I may seem kind to you, but I’ll rip your heart in two”
“My sweetness, where do you go?”
“I dance around my room in your underwear”
Special lyric that hooked me:
“I finally figured out what I’m singing about, about a guy that loves a girl so much he’s gonna put her in the ground… No, really!”
Moving on to Arcade Fire. This little song called “Intervention”. I haven’t talked about Arcade Fire a lot, but they have great music and I’m looking forward to reviewing their albums “Funeral” as well as “Neon Bible”. They actually inspired my photography brand titled, “Arcade Fire Lives Here”. (Website coming soon) I actually heard about this band through someone from another band. (I know, sounds crazy) The bass player from my favorite band Ultra Q, formerly known as Mt. Eddy, is very into this band and at the time, I was looking for something different to listen to. Something that I’d never heard before. Band and genre wise. Instead of being the sophisticated, professional, album reviewer and listener that I think I am and listening to albums from start to finish, I just went ahead and listened to one random song at first. That song being this one. “Intervention”. After listening to that song for the first time, the fifth time, even the last time two minutes ago, I felt something in my heart. (I know, y’all think I’m on drugs when I talk about music) It was like I was having an intervention myself. It was definitely something I’d never heard before. The music, the lyrics, everything. So, since I was so intrigued by that song, I then decided to listen to their first album, “Funeral”, and another album, “Neon Bible”.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“The king’s taken back the throne, the useless seed was sown”
“You say it’s money that we need, as if we’re the only mouths to feed”
“I can taste the fear, Lift me up and take me out of here”
“Don’t want to fight, don’t want to die, just want to hear you cry”
“Working for the church where your family dies, your little baby sister’s going to lose her mind”
“Every spark of friendship and love will die without a home”
“Been working for the church while your life falls apart, been singing hallelujah with the fear in your heart”
“Morbid Stuff” by PUP. Now, here’s a band you should recognize. I did have the pleasure of seeing this band twice in 2019 as well. Once in Atlanta, once in St. Louis. (Adding my Atlanta trip to my list of blog post ideas) Pup also did release their third studio album titled, “Morbid Stuff” in 2019 so that’s another thing to add to the list! Being the title track and the song, they opened up their shows with in 2019, it’s a fun way to start a concert, start your day, or when you’re pissed, mosh around your room!
Lyrics that hooked me:
“I was bored as fuck, sitting around thinking all this morbid stuff, like if anyone
I’ve slept with dead?”
“I was getting high in the van at St. Catherine’s, while you were rubbing elbows in the art scene”
“Passed out on the bus ride, I got home in the morning at quarter to ten, everybody was sleeping in, mom and dad were smoking weed in the attic again”
“I don’t know what you want me to say, stood by watching as your world went up in flames, when you’ve tried everything but the feeling stays the same, you had it all, you pissed it away!”
“I still dream about you time and time again, I’ve been sleeping in somebody else’s bed”
“Wild” by Ultra Q. (Formerly known as Mt. Eddy) I’m just gonna put things on my list and not say anything anymore. If you know, you know. From their September 2019 “We’re Starting to Get Along” EP, comes “Wild”! I felt very proud when I saw this band two days after this song and EP came out, I knew a majority of the lyrics to this song. How did I see so many great bands TWICE in 2019?
Lyrics that hooked me:
“Crawling out an ocean like a creature from your black lagoon”
“I’m changing for you”
“God must be high, daydreams are wild”
“The more I think of him yeah the more I look like him”
“April In Houston” by SWMRS. Did you guys know SWMRS was not only my top artist of 2019, but also my top artist of the DECADE? That’s really insane because I listen to a LOT of bands and artists. But I guess that proves how much I like them. Who knew? Anyway, recognize this song? It’s from the album, “Berkeley’s On Fire”! Which I did review in February of 2019. I felt like I didn’t do this song justice when I talked about it almost a year ago. I’ll actually try this time. This song is amazing. Some SWMRS may think it’s corny, and it so is, but that’s partially what makes it so great. SWMRS are very close with their fan base. But not in a weird way. They know that most of their fans are in their 20s or younger. We’re all in that “growing up” and “adult” phase, but the early stages of it. And this song is exactly about those things. I don’t think I realized that the first few times I heard it, even though Cole screams it pretty loud, though not literally surprisingly.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“And what’s the problem if I got a little hesitation? Is it wrong to be afraid of growing up?”
“When everybody wants to get me high, everybody wants to get me high, everybody wants to get me high, where will they go when I’m low?”
“Fuck it all, I plead the fifth, modern music makes me sick and leaves me hungry for some action”
“Your brain just caught on fire, so you’re stuck here playing dress up”
Special lyric that hooked me:
“Drums in my ear, just what I need”
“Island in The Sun – Live from Spotify NYC” by Weezer. Yes, another Weezer
one. Now this song takes me back. No seriously. I believe this song was in a movie I watched all the time when I was five, Holiday in The Sun, a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie. I know I’m not the only one who’s seen that. But basically, I’m old and can honestly say I was alive and do remember when this song came out. And yes, I did see Weezer in 2019. I know, I go to a LOT of concerts. Some people like tanning and cruises, I like concerts and writing. It’s the way the world works. Anyway, hearing this song live last year seriously almost brought tears to my eyes because it’s a very good memory for me. Hearing this on the radio, in the movie. And now, I do listen to Weezer. This specific version of the song being live makes it even more beautiful and special to me.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“Hip hip”
“When you’re on a holiday, you can’t find the words to say”
“On an island in the sun, we’ll be playing and having fun, and it makes me feel
so fine I can’t control my brain”
“We’ll run away together, we’ll spend some time forever, we’ll never feel bad anymore”
“Night Changes – Live Acoustic Session” by One Direction. One Direction? Seriously, who am I? Now I could sit here and review every single 1D song and album, (maybe? Haha no way. Unless?) but this speaks to me for some reason. Anyway, what is with me and live studio versions of songs? This song makes me think about life. Makes me think about my boyfriend. Makes me think of Niall Horan. Okay so back story… I was fifteen when 1D exploded into the mainstream. I did like them at first, yes, their first album, but I don’t know… I was bullied for liking Justin Bieber by people who were obsessed with 1D… What a time the teen years were. So that’s why I kinda stepped away from their music. And I also thought they were annoying, there were five of them, just wasn’t into them that much when I was younger. (I also felt that way about The Jonas Brothers, Zac Efron, Hannah Montana, etc.) Now? I don’t mind them. I have certain songs that I do love by 1D. This being one of them.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“Going out tonight changes into something red, her mother doesn’t like that kind of dress, everything she never had she’s showing off”
“We’re only getting older baby, and I’ve been thinking about it lately, does it ever drive you crazy, just how fast the night changes?”
“Everything that you’ve ever dreamed of, disappearing when you wake up, but there’s nothing to be afraid of, even when the night changes, it will never change me and you”
“Too Much Coffee” by SWMRS. To say that I love this song is such an understatement. It’s not only motivational, it’s also a “fuck you” to anyone who tells you how to live your life. This another one of SWMRS songs that I didn’t do justice when I reviewed their sophomore album. But also, I’ve grown and listened to this song so much more since then. Listening to and dancing and jumping to this song when I was at Uncool Halloween in Berkeley in October 2019, I just can’t even describe it. In 2020, this is easily my favorite song by SWMRS. What makes it even better is now I know the story behind it. I don’t play favorites in bands, but Cole Becker’s brother Max, who is known to be the other lead singer of the band, sings this one. He’s also the one that got hurt the most in the car accident I talked about in my New Year Update post. An angel, to say the least. This is one of the songs that got me through 2019. In the letter I wrote to Maxwell while he was living in the rehab facility in Denver, I explained to him how much this song helped me. He explained in a 2019 interview that when SWMRS were on their first tour in 2014-2015, Max had just dropped out of college in the middle of the school year in order to pursue his music career. He stated that his dad called him while he was on the East coast and was trying to bribe him with money to go back to college. But Max, being the bad ass that he truly is, stood his ground and told his dad nothing could make him to back to school. He was touring with his brother and best friends who are like brothers and he was content with his life. He also says that the song is about he had espresso for the first time on this tour and didn’t eat breakfast, so he was freaking out on having coffee. He now drinks tea instead. The lyrics seriously say it all.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“I drank too much coffee and I didn’t eat breakfast”
“Don’t tell me how to sing this song, don’t tell me how to sing this song,
‘cause I’ve got everything it takes so, don’t try to tell me how sing it, don’t tell me how to sing this song”
“I’m on edge, I’m off beat, I got no balance in the bottom of my feet”
Special lyric that hooked me:
“I’m not stoppin’ at all, it’s summer in the district and it’s humid, I’m trying to get you to fall in love with the music it’ll save us all”
Okay, so this was my number one song of 2019… “Gool” by Ultra Q. “I’m So Gool” is my first tattoo. On me forever. Hard to believe I haven’t talked about this yet. Can I explain what gool means? No. Can I explain how it makes me feel? It makes me feel gool. This song is two minutes and forty-nine seconds long. Mostly music, with some lyrics. Chorus is only sung once. Even though this song has not even been released for a full year yet, I feel as if it holds a lifetime of feelings and memories. It just makes me feel… Gool. My sister feels the same way. I’m speechless when it comes to this song and band. They break and mend my heart at the same time. That doesn’t even make sense and isn’t even possible, but that’s just the way it is. You bet your ass at Uncool Halloween I screamed and moshed my heart out to this song.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“It’s like I fell into a small room”
“Holding on to your sweet hands for the first time they’re off to punk rock
shows”
“I’m so gool, lost my mind”
“Black Limousine” by Dinosaur Pile-Up. This song is about not fitting in. This is for the days where you’re feeling out of place. When you feel like you don’t belong in a crowd of people, at work, at the store, at a party, etc.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“I don’t care if you’re unwanted, float away broken discarded, ‘fore we lead into a dream, ride in my black limousine”
“Chroma” by Mt. Eddy. A song you can listen to when it’s 7:52 pm and you’re inside a venue right down in second row waiting for your favorite band Ultra Q to come on stage. A song that makes you laugh, cry, go up to the lead singers mother at an event where it’s their last show under the name “Mt. Eddy”, and explain how proud you are of them and how much you love them. The title track starts off with some slow jazz guitar riffs with light tapping on cymbals and then hits hard with the loudest guitar and smashing drums. There are countless things to say about this song. Being eight minutes long and not having lyrics the entire time, this track has some actual fantastic music in it. From here, I’ll let the lyrics do the speaking.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“You should grow your hair out long, look like those girls on TV”
“I scream words of sex and drugs, for the realization that no one gives a fuck”
“In the morning time we lay in your bed, I don’t wanna be alone, please get
stuck in my head”
“The End” by My Chemical Romance. Think this is the last song on my playlist? Think again. You’ll understand why.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“Now come one, come all to this tragic affair, wipe off that makeup what’s in is despair”
“If you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see, you can find out firsthand what it’s like to be me”
“Dead!” a continuation from “The End” By MCR.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“And if you heart stops beating, I’ll be here wondering, did you get what you deserve?”
“And if you get to heaven, I’ll be here waiting baby”
“
Welcome to The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance. So, emo, right? If
you know the black parade, you know the black parade. Weirdos. Losers. Emos. Punks. Somewhere people belong. A song that’s helped me through the last few years. A song to help you “carry on”.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“Will you defeat them? Your demons and all the non-believers?”
“A phantom to lead you in the summer to join the black parade”
“And though you’re dead and gone believe me, your memory will carry on”
“So, paint it black and take it back, let’s shout it loud and clear”
Special lyrics that hooked me:
“Do or die you’ll never make me, because the world will never take my heart”
“I’m unashamed I’m gonna show my scars, give a cheer for all the broken”
“I’m just a man, I’m not a hero, just a boy, who had to sing this song”
Last one by MCR… “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)”. Well if you wanted honesty, that’s all you had to say…
Lyrics that hooked me:
“Forget about the dirty looks, the photographs your boyfriend took”
“I’m not okay, I’m not okay, I’m not okay, you wear me out”
“What will it take to show you that it’s not the life it seems?”
“You really need to listen to me, because I’m telling you the truth, I mean this, I’m okay! Trust me.”
“Zombie” by Mt. Eddy. Quite a different vibe from the last few songs. You guessed it. Different name, still my favorite band.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“She likes crying to The Strokes oh she is, guitar romantic girl”
“I’ve been sending love to you my living girl”
“Oh ‘because I love you baby blue”
“We’re like some little kids that just don’t know what to do, and it’s so fucking frustrating that I can’t talk to you, and I know it’s hard to notice but I am really dead, and your exploding heart’s like a gun against my head”
“Way with Words” by The Wrecks. The inspiration behind my blog brand/title? Absolutely.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“Go on and take back, go on and take back everything”
“You’ve got a way, you’ve got a way, you’ve got a way with words”
“Nothing you can say is gonna change the way I hate your guts right now”
“We’re Starting to Get Along” title track from the Ultra Q EP.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“We get along now, we got an ocean of love”
“I’m bleeding out”
“Biting my shirt to keep from talking, I don’t really think that I can spend the night with you”
“Age of Man” by Greta Van Fleet.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“In an age of darkness light appears”
“And as we came into the clear to find ourselves where we are here, who is the
wiser to help us steer, and will we know when the end is near?”
“A beauty lives in every soul, the more you love the more you know”
“Hard Feelings” by Grumpster.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“Do your dream of new cars or all the money in your pocket?”
“Does that feel good when everyone is on your side? You’re playing it tough but
you’re choking on your pride”
“Humility’s your fear, your fear, your fear, your fear”
Yes, another SWMRS song… “Steve Got Robbed”.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“I haven’t died yet, I’ll be alright and, I’ll be a little bit behind paying my rent”
“Out at a show in San Francisco, Steve got robbed it was a San Fran shit show”
“So put your hands up and make a fuck sign, and point it at the bureaucrats who wanna control your life”
Second to last song is DEFINETELY a very cheesy one. “Smile” by R5. Making me smile since 2013 😊
Lyrics that hooked me:
“I dream on, dream about you what can I do to make you feel alright? Baby I don’t wanna see you to cry, no”
“I wanna see you smile”
“Let me take your picture baby I’ll save it for a rainy day, I don’t need much I guess I’m just old-fashioned in that way”
“So, on the count of three let’s see you….”
“Homecoming” by Green Day. You have reached your destination: The end of my playlist.
Lyrics that hooked me:
“What the hell’s your name? What’s your pleasure what is your pain? Do you dream too much? Do you think what you need is a crutch?
“In the crowd of pain St. Jimmy comes without any shame, he says we’re fucked up but we’re not the same, and mom and dad are the ones you can blame”
“Jimmy died today, he blew his brains out into the bay, in the state of mind it’s my own private suicide”
Mike Dirnt:
“I fell asleep while watching Spike TV after ten cups of coffee and you’re still not here, dreaming of a song but something went wrong and you can’t tell anyone
‘cause no one’s here, left me here alone but I should’ve stayed home after ten cups of coffee I’m thinkin’”
“Nobody likes you everyone left you they’re all out without you having fun”
Tre Cool:
“I got a rock and roll band, I got a rock and roll life, I got a rock and roll girlfriend, and another ex-wife”
“I got a rock and roll house, I got a rock and roll car, I play the shit out of the drums and I can play the guitar”
“I got a kid in New York, I got a kid in the bay, I haven’t drunk or smoked nothin’ in over twenty-two days so get off of my case, off of my case, off of my case”
“So, send my love a letter bomb and visit me in hell, we’re the one’s going”
Here’s the link to my playlist! Made ya scroll to the bottom so you at least had to scroll past my writing 😉
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2pCR1rPY91blNBMdW6CEzY?si=_e7WRyyIRzC-XGnyuAsUIw
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