My life in five songs
PHOTO Bree Soule
September 23, 2020
Greatest Love Story, by LANCO
“I don’t like him,” “He’s a bad person,” “No you can’t see him.” Those are all things my mother said to me when I first started dating my boyfriend. She did everything she could to try and stop me from hanging out with him; I couldn’t see him on the Fourth of July, he couldn’t come ice skating with us, I had to spend time with her that day so I couldn’t go visit him. So when he showed me the song, “Greatest Love Story,” I agreed it fit us perfectly.
They said I was nothing but a troublemaker, never up to no good
You were the perfect all american girl
Wouldn’t touch me even if you could
While my boyfriend kept being called a troublemaker, I stayed as the perfect girl, which isn’t as glamorous as it may seem. My mother had high standards for me, and he apparently didn’t meet them. The first six months of our relationship we fought that. We tried to see each other at least every two weeks, every other time the answer was no. But we loved each other and wouldn’t let that get in the way.
I was what you wanted, you were what I needed
We can meet in between
We were gonna be the greatest love story this town has ever seen
We did exactly that, we met in between and after months of struggles, my mother began to like him. The longer we had been together, the more our personalities mixed. He became less of a “troublemaker”, I became more adventurous. Everytime I hear this song I’m reminded of the struggles we went through in the beginning of our relationship and how we’ve changed each other in the best way possible.
Overcomer, by Mandisa
My cousin, Sarah, and I sat in the auditorium for what seemed like hours. We finally heard our names get called, so we got up and made our way backstage and prepared for our first performance in front of a large group of people. We performed at the Seymour Elementary Talent Show and we were planning to sing. We practiced for hours. She came up with the dance moves, I came up with the different parts for us to sing. We had a lot of fun practicing and the time came for us to actually perform.
We sang “Overcomer.”
Only 9-years-old and singing a powerful song about how you should never give up. I let my heart pour out into the song. Was I great? Not really. But having my cousin there with me, hearing the crowd clap along to the beat, I was in my own little world.
That’s a moment I will never forget. Although I don’t sing on stage anymore,I’ll still blare music through my speaker or in the car and just sing along, loving the music and having fun singing.
Party Rock Anthem, by LMFAO
I stood in the street, looking for my mom and a few other family members who came to see me perform. The other dancers in my class looked around, talked to each other, or did stretches while my dance instructor walked in front of us and announced the class. We took our places in the street and “Party Rock Anthem” started playing through the speakers.
The older dancers did fancier dance moves while the younger group, the one I was in, stuck to simple moves. When the song went “make you lose your mind,” we put our hands on each side of our heads and spun our heads in a circle. That’s probably the only dance move I remember, but the dance moves aren’t what made this memorable.
This performance is what started my love for dancing. “Just Dance” became my favorite Wii game and I played it all the time. Dancing became a big part of my childhood. I haven’t danced professionally or in a class since that day, but at school dances or at parties, I’ll always be caught on the dance floor.
Road Less Traveled On, by Lauren Alaina
“Goody-two-shoes.” A term I hated and heard a lot. Throughout middle school and the beginning of high school, I had the goody-two-shoes label. I didn’t know how to escape it because I hated getting in trouble just as much, so when I heard the song “Road Less Traveled On,” it gave me inspiration.
You won’t make yourself a name if you follow the rules
History gets made when you’re acting a fool
So don’t hold it back and just run it
Show what you got and just own it
No, they can’t tear you apart
If you trust your rebel heart, ride it into battle
Don’t be afraid, take the road less traveled
That part of the song stuck out to me. Life isn’t all about following the rules. It’s also about living adventurously. I decided I would still follow the rules, but I would do it more freely. I wanted to make a name for myself and act braver. I wanted to take the road less traveled on.
It happened eventually, not right away, but I got there. When I started dating my boyfriend, he helped me come out of my comfort zone a lot more. This song made me stop and think, “you only live once.” I didn’t need to be perfect by the school’s standards or by my parents’ standards. Instead, I wanted to be perfect in my own way.
I wanted to be me.
When You Love Someone, by James TW
My parents have been divorced since I was 5-years-old. I have an older brother and two homes that I switch back and forth between.This song talks about it all.
Sometimes moms and dads fall out of love
Sometimes two homes are better than one
Some things you can’t tell your sister ‘cause she’s still too young
Yeah you’ll understand
When you love someone
Before I listened to this song, I focused on all the bad. I hated going back and forth between houses, I hated not having my parents together, I hated when people kept things from me because of my age. But this song made me stop and think.
“Maybe it’s not so bad,” I thought.
I hated going back and forth between houses. I hated how things were kept from me because of my age, how I’d have to split holidays or be with one parent and not the other. But now that I’ve grown up, I do understand. I can’t imagine my parents together anymore, they’re way better apart. I have two bedrooms I get to decorate, which is a bright side for me, and I have a Christmas with both parents. Now that I can drive, I could also see both sides of my family on certain holidays.
I could relate to this song then and I still can now. Although I don’t listen to it anymore, the connection is still there. The message behind the song won’t go away as long as it’s still published.
