Songs in Rotation

I want to talk about 5 songs that have been in my rotation recently, and what I like about them. I am going to get pretty personal here. Enjoy.

"Season 2 Weight Loss" - Harry Styles

This song has become the thesis of this era of my life. In this song, Harry pleads with his audience to still love him now that he has become the truest version of himself. He describes how the hyper-analyzation of his every move has caused him to lose clarity of who he is and how he is perceived. As humans, I believe we all have a deep underlying desire to be understood. I have never in my life related to a song more than I do with this one. As I have grown into my own beliefs and lifestyle, the overwhelming insecurity of hoping the people in my life will still love me has grown as well. I am not the type of person to beg or convince people to accept me, however. There is something powerful about living with the mindset of "This is who I am, I hope you still love me, but I am not going to throw part of myself away to help you reach that point".

"Honeybee" - Olivia Rodrigo

Alright, hopefully this one is less heavy. It is not often that Olivia releases a love song, although given the context of this song within the rest of the album, it is devastating. But I would like to simply look at this song from a surface-level point of view. I have been in love with my partner for almost 4 and a half years. Love is a difficult feeling to describe unless you have experienced it. In this song, Olivia states: "It's too hard to describe this, in a way that feels honest". This encapsulates exactly how I feel about love. I do not think there are words to express how amazing a feeling it is. I have seen a lot of discourse online about how Olivia sings the line "Baby boy, honeybee". Many find it to be cringey or embarrassing. I feel the complete opposite. I find it romantic and cute, and I feel like you would only understand it if you have been in love before. I believe that the dismissal of this line and its delivery helps reinforce the stereotype that men cannot be soft or do not deserve to feel the tenderness of love. Which is something that I will never take for granted, as it is the best thing in my life.

"Desert and Evergreen" - Corbino

This is a song from a local artist in my city. I discovered this artist through a small live music performance, and fell in love with this song after discovering it on streaming services. You can tell a song is special if you immediately feel a wave of nostalgia flood over you upon first listen. This song captures the feeling of being alive and trying to find your place in the world, while also reaching out for a life you cannot have yet. This song provokes a deep feeling of melancholic comfort, which is not easy to lure out.

"Carla's Song" - Harry Styles

I talked briefly about this song in my first blog post, "Taking the First Step". As the closing track on Harry Styles 4th album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, this song does an incredible job of leaving you with a sense of optimism for the future. In this song, Harry describes introducing his friend Carla to the song "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel and the euphoria of experiencing the song again vicariously through her. He reflects upon how this song was always around, simply waiting for her to find it. And how we have so many amazing things in our lives that we have yet to discover that are waiting for us. There is something so special about listening to a song for the first time, and having it reach into your soul so far that you feel like you can reach out and touch the melody. I am reminded of this song whenever I watch someone experiencing something for the first time. Last weekend I was on a family vacation at a lake. I was sitting in the boat watching my little cousin tubing behind, and in that moment, I was reminded of how magical it is to experience life.

"Don't Rain On My Parade" - Glee

Let's end this on a less serious note. If you've ever spoken to me, I have probably asked you if you have seen the TV show Glee. This show has taken over my life for the past few months, and I am not complaining. In season 1, during the show choir sectional competition, the main glee club group, New Directions, discovers that their rival glee club group has stolen their setlist in an attempt to sabotage them. The New Directions then must change their entire setlist just minutes before they are set to perform. The main character, Rachel Berry, decides to sing the song "Don't Rain On My Parade" from the musical Funny Girl for one of their new songs. The New Directions end up winning the competition despite the attempted sabotage. I love a good story of human perseverance, and as dumb as it sounds, this is a very good example! (It also helps that the song is amazing.) I love this song and this scene. And I am ready to admit that Rachel Berry is the best singer on Glee.