This is part three of a series chronicling each year of my life as viewed through the lens of a song that was meaningful to me in some way that represents a significant aspect of my life experience in that year. This segment covers the third decade of my life. Be sure to catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 first.
newsboys
Divad’s Soundtrack #85: March-April 2010
My soundtrack from the spring of 2010 is… a bit of a hodgepodge, honestly. Most of my soundtracks are, but this one in particular has a bit of an identity crisis. Lots of great music here from across a smattering of divergent genres, but not a whole lot of connecting tissue tying most of it together – and honestly, not as many specific memories tying the music to definitive events in my life. I think this tends to happen during a season of life when I’m reasonably settled and happy – the music I’m drawn to, which might reflect a certain amount of angst or difficult questions, is probably resonating more with stuff I’ve been through in the past, or stuff I’m glad to have never been through. All of this is to say, I’ve realized in retrospect that this is a less autobiographical set of songs than most of my soundtracks turned out to be. Nothing wrong with that – remembering a time in my life when there was a distinct lack of struggle or upheaval is kind of comforting nowadays, considering how isolated, unpredictable and stressful life is for me (and for most of the world!) ten years down the road.
In with the New:
OK Go
Owl City
The River Empires
Jónsi (as a solo artist – appears earlier with Sigur Rós)
Out with the Old:
Newsboys
It Was Worth a Try:
The Clumsy Lovers
Listen on Spotify:
Divad’s Soundtrack #67: March-April 2007
Some interesting themes pop up on this mix I made in the spring of 2007. A few are intentional, just due to how well certain songs fit together: Sleeping and dreaming. Travel and transportation. Retreating to quiet, natural places. Other themes might not have been intentional at the time, but are interesting upon looking back at them now: How people deal with loneliness. Wondering if your life has a clear, God-ordained purpose. Gender roles and sexism. What it means to show empathy, and when to cut fake friends loose. Some heavy stuff here, particularly in the back half, which is interesting because I was relatively happy at this point in my life.
In with the New:
The Shins
Lost Ocean
Meg & Dia
Hellogoodbye
Copeland
Out with the Old:
Toby Mac
Peter Bradley Adams
Listen on Spotify:
Divad’s Soundtrack #66: January-February 2007
A lot of these old playlists I made for myself are an interesting window into what I was thinking and feeling at the time. This one is especially so. Amidst a lot of the usual “this song was fun and bouncy and maybe a little bit snarky” fare that tends to grab my ear in pretty much any stage of my life, I can tell as I go back and listen to some of these songs that I was really wrestling with deeper concepts of legalism vs. grace, a death in the family and the thoughts it left me with about what sort of legacy I’d leave behind when it was my time to go someday, and some of my own hopes and fears about one day becoming a parent. Looking back and trying to figure out what my younger self wanted to remind me of when he picked these songs has been quite cathartic, actually.
In with the New:
Robert Randolph & the Family Band
The Wreckers
Out with the Old:
Rock Kills Kid
All Star United
Listen on Spotify:
Divad’s Soundtrack #40: September-October 2002
The fall of 2002 was the longest period of separation for me and Christine, and the longest I’ve ever gone without seeing the other person during a relationship (I only have one other long-term relationship to compare to, and the longest I was ever away from Sharon was a month or so during that summer on Catalina Island in 1999). In some senses, it was agonizing, but at the same time, I was having a lot of fun.
In with the New:
John Mayer
Peter Gabriel
Sara Groves
Over the Rhine
Out with the Old:
Remy Zero
Salvador
Jeff Deyo
All Together Separate
Listen on Spotify:
Divad’s Soundtrack #39: July-August 2002
The summer of 2002 was a hard one due to how badly I missed my new girlfriend, but it was also one of the best ones of my life – I could play hard and make up my schedule as I went along like a single guy, but know that there was someone in a time zone 3 hours behind me waiting to chat online when I got home late at night.
In with the New:
Pillar
Mandy Moore
Out with the Old:
The Normals
Steve
It Was Worth a Try:
Wes King
Listen on Spotify:
Divad’s Soundtrack #38: May-June 2002
June 3, 2002 was when I made my second trip out to Hawaii – the first to visit Christine. It was during that trip that we shared our first kiss and became an “official” couple. Consequently, this mix always feels like it’s spilling over with anticipation and giddy feelings whenever I listen to it.
In with the New:
Alanis Morissette
Jeff Deyo (as a solo artist – appears previously with SonicFlood)
David Crowder Band
Out with the Old:
Margaret Becker
It Was Worth a Try:
Máire Brennan
Listen on Spotify:
Divad’s Soundtrack #37: March-April 2002
I’d have to say that this mix is one of my all-time favorites, just because of the time and the experiences that it represents – in many ways, it’s the soundtrack to falling in love again.
In with the New:
Jimmy Eat World
Plus One
Shaun Groves
Out with the Old:
Audio Adrenaline
Listen on Spotify:
Divad’s Soundtrack #30: January-February 2001
The mood of my mixes became increasingly erratic and jarring in the year 2001. I was dealing with growing pains in terms of reconciling old favorites with new experiments, trying on different hats to find an identity. I was also trying to cling to the simplicity of my college days and the friendships formed during that time (especially in my slowly unraveling relationship with my girlfriend), while dealing with a lot of angst when that didn’t go the way I expected it to. So if these songs feel like a bit of a rough ride with little in terms of logical connections from one to the next, then I guess that’s the way I felt back then.
In with the New:
Lifehouse
Tree63
Toby Mac (as a solo artist – appears previously with dc Talk)
Chevelle
Coldplay
Out with the Old:
Earthsuit
Aleixa
Collective Soul
No Apples for Adam
Shaded Red
It Was Worth a Try:
Dido
Rivulets & Violets
Listen on Spotify:
Divad’s Soundtrack #29: November-December 2000
These discs are a snapshot of one of the first holiday seasons in a long while that I fully enjoyed, a time where friends and family merged rather than seeming mutually exclusive, and where colder weather didn’t mean being cooped up as it had in years past. Many of these songs would eerily predict changes ahead that I wasn’t aware of – some of them very difficult ones. For now, it was a period of calm, a time where I finally felt settled in my new life as a “grownup”. The year ahead – 2001 – would be a turbulent one, so I look back on this segment of my life as a welcome breather.
In with the New:
Salvador
Shaded Red
Vertical Horizon
The Corrs
Out with the Old:
Out of Eden
Christine Glass
Michael W. Smith
It Was Worth a Try:
Parkway
Listen on Spotify:
