Favorite Songs For 2021
Happy New Year! This isn’t a post of reflecting on 2020, nor is it a list of resolutions that won’t be completed. These are songs that have been motivating me so far (seven days in), but maybe they could motivate you too! Or maybe you have your own motivation playlist. Whatever songs are motivating you for 2020 part two, I hope they keep you going. I’ve been on a huge Beatles/George Harrison kick and have been for the last couple of weeks, so fair warning, they are on this playlist.
#1 All Things Must Pass – George Harrison: I thought this one was pretty appropriate to start off this playlist and the new year. Silly me being somewhat naïve and not paying attention to things right in front of me, I’ve never really explored Harrison’s music outside of The Beatles besides “My Sweet Lord”. “All Things Must Pass”, the title track from Harrison’s 1970 post-Beatles album, is refreshing and such a welcome into the new year, new day, or new beginning. A 50th anniversary remastered re-release is set to drop later this year and a remix of this song has already debuted on streaming services. According to an official statement from George’s son, Dhani, from Ultimate Classic Rock, he states “The new stereo mix of the album’s title track is just a taste of more things to come in 2021 as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of my dad’s legendary album.”
Favorite lyrics:
“Daylight is good at arriving at the right time, in the morning it will fade away, but it’s not always going to be this grey”
“All things must pass, all things must pass away”
#2 Happy Days – Blink-182: And now for something completely different from the previous track, Blink-182! A track from the band’s ninth album, evidently titled Nine, released in September 2019, the hit didn’t gain the attention it truly deserved until the Stay At Home order was in effect across the world in April 2020. In March 2020, Blink-182 asked friends and fans to submit videos of themselves singing and dancing to “Happy Days” while in quarantine, making the video one of the first ever music videos filmed completely in quarantine. The band is seen to be performing separately in their own homes, artist Machine Gun Kelly (aka MGK) is seen to be in the video, as well as masks, hand sanitizers and healthcare workers having fun while saving lives.
Favorite lyrics:
“Hey kid don’t quit your daydream yet, I know you feel locked out in the cold, seems like you’re lost and alone”
“I wanna feel happy days, happy days, happy days, happy days, all of this frustration inside my brain, and I don’t know if I’m ready to change”
#3 I Don’t Know – Paul McCartney: Back on the Beatles kick, this track is a single from Paul’s 25th studio album, “Egypt Station”. Most of these lyrics are very relatable for me. And if Paul McCartney doesn't know what he's doing in life at his age, not to mention all of his success, suddenly I feel no shame.
Favorite lyrics:
“I got crows out my window dogs at my door, I don’t think I can take anymore,
where am I going wrong I don’t know”
“Well I see trouble at every turn, I’ve got so many lessons to learn, what am I doing wrong? I don’t know”
“But it’s alright, sleep tight, I will take my strain, you’re fine love of mine, you will feel no pain”
#4 Here Comes The Sun – Live In Japan, 1991/2004 Mix – George Harrison: Do I even need to explain this one? This specific version is my favorite because you can really comprehend George’s message in this song during this live version. This is one of the most uplifting songs I’ve ever heard and I’ve been hearing it my entire life.
Favorite lyrics:
“Little darling, the smiling’s returning to the faces, little darling, it feels like years since it’s been here”
“Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting, little darling, it seems like years since it’s been clear”
Favorite lyrics:
“I’ve seen many places, there are so many places, and where are the people going, will they choose the road?”
“I’ll bet on a chance if I’ve just got one, I’ll throw all the plans live with no burden”
“I have yet to wander many miles far yonder, and with so much left to ponder I choose the road”
#6 XXI Century Blood – The Warning: The perfect start for 2021. Still being so relevant from its initial release in 2017. It captures the meaning of capitalism. Politics.
Favorite lyrics:
“Politicians trying, but we know they’re lying, every truth has been sold”
“What will our future hold? Will we regret our addiction to the rush?”
“Everyone’s in depression because of an obsession, with stereotypes around the world, worldwide starvation but in this situation, no one seems to care at all”
#7 Welcome To The Black Parade – My Chemical Romance: A HUGE anthem within Pop Punk and Emo scenes, this song remains one of my favorites forever.
Favorite lyrics:
“We’ll carry on, we’ll carry on, and though you’re dead and gone, your memory will carry on”
“Do or die, you’ll never make me, because the world will never take my heart, go and try, you’ll never break me, we want it all, we wanna play this part”
“I won’t explain or say I’m sorry, I’m unashamed, I’m gonna show my scars, give a cheer for all the broken, listen here because it’s who we are”
#8 See You At Your Funeral – Pup: So this one is coming from my sister, this is her favorite song by Pup, as well as one of her favorite songs ever. She explains that she chose this song to motivate her this year due to it reminding her of being at concerts, an upbeat song with catchy lyrics, and the lyrics “after everything we’ve been through” is extremely relevant to the times.
Favorite lyrics:
“I try vegan food, I take up meditation”
“I hope you’re doing fine on your own, ‘cause after everything we’ve been through, you better hope you find someone and you’ll try, but you won’t”
“Oh baby I wanna know what you were thinking when you saw me in the produce section, buying organic foods, making healthy selections”
#9 Dog & Butterfly – Heart: This is one I heard for the first time when I saw Heart live in summer 2019. It was one of the most beautiful songs I’d ever heard. This was one of the songs I was listening to at the very end of 2020, so it just kind of carried on to this year with me.
Favorite lyrics:
“See the dog and butterfly up in the air he likes to fly, dog and butterfly below she had to try, she roll back down to the warm soft ground laughing, she don’t know why, she don’t know why, dog and butterfly”
“We’re getting older the world’s getting colder, for the life of me I don’t know the reason why”
#10 Learning To Fly – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Easily one of my favorite artists of all time. I literally had to do a coin flip on whether to put this or Petty’s other hit, “I Won’t Back Down” because I’m obsessed with both songs. Both songs are the story of my life and have truly, truly helped me in many times of need, especially the past year.
Favorite lyrics:
“Well some say life will beat you down, break your heart, take your crown, so I’ve started out God-knows-where, I guess I’ll know when I get there”
“I’m learning to fly but I am not got wings, coming down is the hardest thing”
“I’m learning to fly around the clouds, but what goes up must come down”
*This playlist isn’t all of my favorite songs to listen to in 2021, just a starter. I’m still finishing making the playlist which is available here*
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