I sometimes share songs in my weekly updates, but other than that, I don’t talk about music much. Which is a little odd considering I even have a page with book playlists I’ve created, and I love listening to music while I read and blog. I guess maybe I’m not the biggest music lover there ever was, but I do still love it! So this seemed like a fun tag 🙂
I found it over at Lindsey Reads, and the original is from Katesbookdate. I never tag specific people, so just go ahead and consider yourself tagged if you want to do it!
1. MY JAM – a song you MUST listen to every time it comes on, no matter how old or how many times you’ve listened to it / a book you’ll never get sick of
I can’t think of any one song I ALWAYS have to listen to, so I’m using “Your Love is My Drug” by Kesha because, when that song was popular and on the radio, it was totally my jam. Every time it came on at gym (when I still did gymnastics), I’d run around lip synching and dancing and overdramatically performing, to the point that, apparently, even when I wasn’t there, people would be like, “Hey, it’s Kristen’s song!” when it came on lol.
For a book, I’m just going with the whole Thieves Series by Lexi Blake [review] since it’s the only book/series I can recall ever reading more than twice, and I hope I never get sick of it!
2. THROWBACK – a song that reminds you of the cringiest time of your life / a book that also reminds you of this time (or just something you wouldn’t like as much if you picked it up for the first time now)
Well, middle school is the cringiest time of my life that I can think of, and the one song that immediately comes to mind when I think of that time is “I Miss You” by Blink182. “Don’t waste your time on me you’re already the voice inside my yead.” You gotta use the Y or it doesn’t count 😉
Other possible song choices: “Tipsy” by J Kwon (I still know all the words, and it’s all my friend’s fault because she was the one who loved this song and listened to it all the time and I think made me learn the words lol)
As for books, there are quite a few. The Georgia Nicholson Series and the Gossip Girl Series are the ones that stand out the most in my mind, and they are definitely the types of books I would not like if I read them nowadays since my taste has changed.
3. REPLAY – a recent song you have on repeat right now / a recent favorite book
I actually haven’t obsessed over any songs too recently, but I do remember listening to “Wings” by Hurts on repeat for a while a few months ago.
Other possible song choices: “We Don’t Have to Dance” by Andy Black, “Heathens” by 21 Pilots,
The most recent book I’ve given 5 stars to is Chester 5000 XYV: Isabelle and George (Book 2) by Jess Fink [review]. Well, it’s actually a webcomic/GN that has no words, but it counts!
4. GETS ME – this song IS ME / this book is me in book form
I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a song and thought, “This is me,” but I have heard songs and just had them relate to some specific emotion or situation or belief. And “Stay the Night” by Zedd ft. Hayley Williams is one such song. To me, the song is about how just because a relationship is temporary, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. Plus the video is probably my favorite music video ever. So gorgeous. Embedding has been disabled, but I ABSOLUTELY recommend watching it here on YouTube.
Same goes for books, I’ve never felt like an entire book represented me, so I’ll get serious for a moment and go with a character I related to instead. I totally get why, in arguments about diversity, people say it’s important for people to find themselves in books and characters because, when I got back into reading a few years ago, Lupin from the Harry Potter Series was the first character I came across who had anything like a chronic illness, and I related to some of his struggles, and that meant something to me. (Btw, I actually looked it up, and his werewolf-ism was meant to be a metaphors for AIDS. So not quite the same as CFS/ME, but still.)
5. WUT – weird but I like it? / a unique book that stuck out to you for whatever reason
Ok guys, “Frontier Psychiatrist” by The Avalanches is probably the weirdest song I know. It was on some sort of mix CD thing my mom got for free somewhere or something when I was in maybe middle school. But it’s so weird that it’s good in a creepy kinda way lol. Also I’m really good at singing the part of the parrot at the end 😛
As for a book, Obscura Burning by Xan van Rooyen [review] and Slowly We Rot by Bryan Smith [review] both stand out in my mind in kind of a class all their own because of their darkness and mindfuck…ness. Maybe the premise of each alone (alternate realities for Obscura Burning, zombie apoc for Slowly We Rot) aren’t unique, but what the authors did with them makes them unique.
6. LET’S GO – best pump up song (for workouts or just life) / a book that inspired you
“Best of Times” by Sage Francis is my go-to for a life pick-me-up. It was recommended to me once, and when people give me random, un-asked-for song recs, I tend to listen to them because there’s usually a reason they’re so excited to share the song. I’m rarely disappointed. And this song is amazing.
As for workout songs, oh man, I have lots of those. This was a hard decision! I decided to go with “WARP” by The Bloody Beatroots ft. Steve Aoki because that bass drop was always so awesome to tumble to, and it reminds me of the gym where I used to train. Also, I wanted to share this, which I tweeted while making this post:
I just Googled "that song that goes woop woop and then the bass drops" and it was literally the first video in results. I love Google.
— Kristen Burns (@whykristenburns) June 22, 2017
Other possible song choices: “Birthday Suit” by Swayze Styles, “Spitfire” by Prodigy, “Freaks” by Timmy Trumpet
I don’t know that I’ve ever really been inspired by a book?
7. CHILL – fav chill, relaxing song / a book you’d curl up with and read on a rainy day
Pretty much all alternative rock and even some punk/emo is chill to me. It’s why I love it. Like, I can fall asleep to MCR. But also, it’s like, alt rock is chill when I need it to be, but it can also pump me up if that’s what I need. But instead of going with one of my favorite bands, I’m going with “Float On” by Modest Mouse because this song just kind of calms me when I’m especially struggling or upset.
Other possible song choices: Pretty much anything by My Chemical Romance or Say Anything
Well, I don’t read many cutesy rainy day type books. I like reading dark, bleak books on rainy days because the storminess really sets the mood lol. And I specifically remember it just so happened to be storming while I was reading Withered + Sere by TJ Klune [review] because it complemented the book perfectly, so I’ll go with that.
8. ADDICTING – guilty pleasure song (one that’s catchy and addicting but not a whole lot of substance) / guilty pleasure/trashy/fast/light read
Like Lindsey, I don’t believe in guilty pleasures since I think people should never feel guilty or ashamed for what they like (as long they don’t like, say, murdering people or something). But I get it, it’s just a term. So anyway… The video is so weird, and the lyrics aren’t anything special, but I just like the feel of the song “We Can’t Stop” by Miley Cyrus. Embedding is disabled, so here’s a link.
For a book, I’m going with Lux and Lies by Meg Collett [review] because what I actually ended up liking most about the book was the reality TV show drama, haha, and I wasn’t expecting that.
9. NOSTALGIA – throwback you look back on fondly / a book you read forever ago that you look back on fondly or reminds you of a happy childhood time
For true nostalgia purposes I went all the way back to elementary school. I had a lot of choices since dance parties were the “in” thing in 5th grade, and I went to one or two almost every weekend, meaning I heard lots of the same songs over and over. I’m going with “World’s Greatest” by R. Kelly since that’s one of the ones that really stands out. If I really wanted to go far back, I could’ve gone with “I Believe I Can Fly” since I associate that one super strongly with kindergarten. I eventually asked my mom about that once since I didn’t actually know why I associated that song with kindergarten, and it turns out my class did a performance to it or something. Apparently R. Kelly was the soundtrack of my childhood. How ironic.
Other possible song choices: “Ride Wit Me” by Nelly, “Underneath Your Clothes” by Shakira, “Jump On It” by Sir Mix-A-Lot, “Pop” by NSync
I don’t remember much of the reading I did in elementary school, but some of the books I do remember reading are Bunnicula (I still laugh about it because the idea of a vampire bunny is so absurd), The Baby-sitters Club books, and the Animal Ark books (they were all named things like ‘Kittens in the Kitchen’ and ‘Puppies in the Pantry’ lol).
Oh will have to remember this tag. It’s been a while since I’ve immersed myself in music. I have some playlists on youtube that that is it. I rarely get to listen to them with Merijn now. I do listen to the radio a lot though but I rarely remember artists and songs these days, oops.
And yeah I’ve never heard a song or read a book that was completely me. Some things that I did recognize though.
Yeah, I actually haven’t listened to much music lately either, but I still like it!
It’s nice to find parts of yourself or things you’ve experienced/believe/etc., even if there’s no song or character/book that’s completely you.
Sorry, I’m not familiar with any of the songs on the post! I listen mostly to 60’s-80’s music, rock, country. I don’t like most of the up to date stuff especially all the dance, rap, garage etc I don’t watch music channels, music videos or YouTube and I’d rather watch TV or read than listen to music at the moment. I do have an mp3 player with 80 of my favourite songs but I only listen to it the odd time.
My most recent ‘loved it’ book were the first two Song of Ice And Fire books by George RR Martin which is huge when I don’t go for fantasy or historical books much. I’ve never found ‘me’ in a book. I was a swot like Hermione but I was nowhere near as clever as she was. I don’t think any book character is like me. I don’t think I’ve ever been inspired by a book either! For me there is nothing like being curled up in bed or wrapped in a blanket near the fire, reading as the rain batters off the window. That is my happy place!
See, I wouldn’t be familiar with 60s-80s rock and country. I’m not particularly up to date on music either since I don’t listen to the radio and just find songs from recs or youtube or wherever, but I suppose I’m still a little up to date.
I’ve never been interested in Martin’s books. Glad it’s not just me who’s never been particularly inspired by a book. I feel like maybe super literary books with serious topics are kinda inspiring sometimes? But I don’t read those lol. Ooh I don’t have a fireplace but that does sound nice!
Aw man, I loved Blink 182 hahaha. I even saw them live during a festival once! It was so much fun to rock out to them and just experience pure nostalgia. And yes, you definitely do have to say “yead” instead of “head”. 😀
What a fun tag!
Oh that’s awesome! I don’t think I’ve ever seen them live. I do still listen to their music sometimes though! And right? If you say “head,” then you are singing it WRONG lol.
This was so much fun to read. I love music but think I might have a hard time with this tag. Although, I can say I will now have “everybody in the club getting tipsy” running through my head the rest of the day – and that’s probably not a good thing!
Glad you liked it! But don’t you mean “Errbody in the club getting tipsy”? 😉
I’ve not seen that Avalanches song for so long, the video for it was awesome! I’d swap R Kelly for the Nelly song, I love ride wit’ me!
Great post, thanks for sharing!
I’ve never even found anyone else who even *knows* that song lol. It’s so delightfully weird! Haha, yeah, it’s just so much fun shouting, “Hey, must be the money!”
What a fabulous tag! Thank you so much for sharing Kristen – I’m playing Wings right now and can completely understand how it came to be on repeat… And here’s another vote for Float On by Modest Mouse, which my son introduced to me longer ago than I care to recall:))
Wings is so beautiful, right?! I’m glad someone else likes it as well! And Float On is a great one 🙂
Oh fun! I think I’ll do this one when I get a little time to search for everything.
For What It’s Worth
You of all people should def do it since you’re always sharing music!
YES music is the best thing ever (i am inclined to say better then books but that just might be because I haven’t been reading at all these past months upsss). I…do not know any of these songs. So I am sorry I can’t say anything smart about your answers other than that I love your hilarious tweet lol.
Lol I actually haven’t been listening to much music lately, so imma have to go with books over music 😛 No worries, I’m glad someone appreciates my tweet, haha.
Oh, I do love MCR and Say Anything. This is a fun tag because I have SUCH random taste in music – and books sometimes too. LOL I might have to do this one if I remember/find time, but thanks for sharing.
-Lauren
Gah, it’s so hard to find anyone who’s even heard of Say Anything let alone likes them! But yeah, I have some random taste in music too. I mostly like alt rock, but then I also like some other genres. Books, not so much, I stick to sci-fi/fantasy lol.
I love music tags. That Ke$ha song is great, and I love it when a song comes along at a certain time and just hits the right note (ha I didn’t even plan that) and then always reminds me of a certain emotion or memory.
I don’t even know what the weirdest song I’ve heard lately is . Maybe something from Oingo boingo or New Year’s Day? Yeah probably New Year’s, that video where they’re in cages in some past apoc desert comes to mind lol. Can’t think of it…
Kesha music got such a bad rap, one of those artists people judge other people for liking, but idc what people think of my music taste because her songs are great! And yeah, it’s nice when songs come along at just the right time.
I do not know what video you’re talking about, but it does sound odd lol.
This tag is hilarious. I love it. The “A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF THE CRINGIEST TIME OF YOUR LIFE” made me laugh AND cringe, just thinking about what my answer would be. I had some very cringey times in my life. haha 😀 If I did this tag, I would have to find the old iPod I had from back when I was a teenager. Cringey times, I’m telling you. 😀
Also, I didn’t know that about Lupin and his condition being a metaphor for AIDS… How interesting.
I wouldn’t trust anyone who hasn’t had some cringey times, haha.
Honestly I probably wouldn’t have noticed it myself if not for my own illness. His thoughts and feelings and struggles were just so well-written that I found myself relating to some of them, and so I think eventually I looked it up to see if it was a purposeful thing. But in his case specifically, people also treat him poorly because they think he’ll infect their children and stuff, which is similar to all the misinformation about AIDS and how it spreads.
I love this tag. I love the music picks and the books and this is my kind of tag. I am considering myself tagged and I will post this at some point. Love that Kesha is your song and people even remembered it as your song. I can’t say I’ve ever had that. A lot of these are very me songs so I love that and I will have to get thinking on my picks for this. I love Float On, though, it’s such a chilled song. I could definitely listen to that whenever. What even happened to Modest Mouse? I am off to get lost exploring music now.
Haha yay, can’t wait to see your answers! It’s kinda funny having a song that when it comes on, people are just like, “Hey, it’s your song!” or, “I heard this the other day and thought of you!” Float On IS such a chill song, right? I have no idea what happened to Modest Mouse lol.
OMG MODEST MOUSE AND KESHA FRACKEN YES. I think you just hit me in the nostalgia??? Also, I don’t even care that I still absolutely adore I miss by Blink 182, because that one LINE IS KIND OF LIKE MY LIFE even though it was middle school me in a nutshell. Yeah, I was so absolutely cringe-y, but I still like to think that I’m still that cringe-y just a bit more mature?? MAYBE.
Best of Times, I’ve never heard this before but your description made me listen to it because i totally know what you mean. When someone gives you an extremely random music rec it usually is because that song really meant something to them. They related to it on a different level, somehow. Yeah, so that song kind of made me explode into a ball of shaking sobs. No, I’m not kidding, I wish I was. Bah.
The last time a song hit me like that was the first time I heard even if it’s a lie by matt maltese. I saw a cover of it by dodie because she’s lovely and has the most haunting/enchanting/lilting gorgeous voice ever. I’ll link it here, give it a listen! It’s so good. Im linking the cover because i think dodie’s voice is absolutely fracking perfect for this song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8H9DoXvJxs&index=13&list=PLSo_kQGUu7RxQ5R_7GCIqWtA_cCdrfwH4
Also, on the same note, there’s this song by Leonard Cohen called paper thin hotel and Matt Maltese covers it and it’s also 10/10 gorgeous. As a reader, I know the meaning behind that one won’t skate by you. Look at the lyrics. They’re quite simple, but they have a whole lot more weight behind them. Dude, you put me in that contemplative I must go pull out all my instruments and belt out songs. Excuse me I must go get my guitar and ukulele see you in 10 years.
I loved this post so much, Kristen.
If you listen to the songs I showed you, please tell me what you think!!! They’re a few that mean way too much to me.
Haha yes, I still listen to Blink 182 songs! But oh my gosh, yes, I’m pretty sure I’m also still cringey but just more mature lol.
I’M SO GLAD YOU LOVE BEST OF TIMES. I totally understand the sobbing. It’s an incredible song.
Ahhh those songs you mentioned are beautiful! I’m loving the feeling and sound of them. And now I’m listening to the rest of your playlist as I’m typing this lol. I love this kind of music! And I see Mr. Brightside is on your list. That song has always kinda me feel emotional even though I’m not sure why?
Oh! You should listen to Ahhh… Men by Say Anything: https://youtu.be/2YnHKw9DcxE One of my favorites. I don’t claim to understand all the meaning in the lyrics, but it’s very powerful. And while we’re exchanging music, you have to You Are My Planet by Quiet Arrows because I think you’ll love it (I def do) https://youtu.be/2J_gH11ZkvI
Middle school is the cringiest time of everyone’s life, I think, and I know that I definitely had some embarrassing music favourites back in the day. Two words: Simple Plan. LOL. I just listened to “Frontier Psychiatrist” by The Avalanches and you’re so right — it’s bizarre but kinda fun? I have a feeling it’s going to get stuck in my head.
Idk about everyone else, but it was definitely my cringiest time lol. Haha yes, I remember some Simple Plan songs. Frontier Psychiatrist is so weird but good!