The soundtrack to my life: life anthems

I used to be totally obsessed with music. I can't really explain it, so I'm not gonna try, but I am not as obsessed now. I still like music, obviously, and I still get all the feels from certain songs. Steph explained these as her life anthems and I'm not sure if mine are exactly life anthems, but when I thought of the 3 songs that meant the most to me or made me feel all the things, these three came to mind.

Affirmation by Savage Garden.

I did a post with the lyrics to this song. It's been a favourite since the moment I heard it. At first, I just liked the beat and it was a fun song. But as I got older, I had a lot of issues and really struggled to get over them. I heard this song randomly one day and for some reason, the title really stuck with me and to sum up a super long story, changed my views on things, especially myself. So much so that I wanted to get the word Affirmation tattooed on my wrist. Instead, I got cogito ergo sum which 'means' something different, but has the same meaning to me as the word and the song. 

Every time I hear this song, it makes me smile. Sometimes it makes me cry when I think about that stage in my life and what a crappy place I was in. But no matter what, smiling or crying, it always makes me want to dance.

My favourite lines:

I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do
I believe that beauty magazines promote low self-esteem
I believe I'm loved when I'm completely by myself alone
I believe in karma what you give is what you get returned

You Don't Own Me from The First Wives Club soundtrack.

Tanya did a post on this song and you should totally check it out. The original is by Lesley Gore, and I loved all her music growing up, but it wasn't until I saw The First Wives Club movie and heard the song done by Bette, Goldie & Diane that it pretty much changed my life. 

We've all been in crappy relationships or gone through things that sucked and we gave them control over ourselves... This song validated certain feelings for me, and though I never feel like anything owns me anymore, I can't explain the rush and surge of YES ME that I get every time I hear this song. It is on every single one of my playlists, running, dancing, whatever, it's on there. 

It comes on, I sing along and I think yeah this song is okay, and next thing you know I am screaming in my car and pumping my fists and feeling ridiculously empowered and happy, like happy to be me. It always brings tears to my eyes.

My favourite lines:

I'm young and I love to be young

I'm free and I love to be free

To live my life the way that I want

To say and do whatever I please

No, no you don't own me

You don't own me

Forever young and free darling you don't own me

^ I actually prefer this version over the one in the actual movie.

Someone Like You by Van Morrison.

This is my wedding song! And yes, I say my. Because although KC was down with it and likes it too, I picked this song as my song a long, long, long time ago. It came out the year I was born, and I feel like it's a song I've always known. I hear it and I feel it deep inside, you know? Like it just makes my soul feel at peace. I was an odd child/teenager, and when people would talk about getting married or whatever, I would comment that I would never get married, not because I didn't want to, because who on earth would want to put up with me forever? I was joking, mostly, but I also kind of believed it. I wasn't sad about it, I just thought it wasn't for me. I couldn't be that perfect someone for someone else, I could barely be that person for myself.

I was working a wedding once, I was 19, and this was their first dance song, and I remember it as vividly as if it were yesterday. I can't explain it, but it felt like I was accepting myself and I would one day find someone for me, someone who kept me satisfied and made everything worthwhile, and I was waiting for them... whereas before I was feeling like I had to be the one to fit to someone else and work to make them happy and like me. I don't know why it hit me while they were dancing and I was cleaning the food off their plates, but it did.

It wasn't a flip of the switch and magically made me love myself, but it certainly got me on the right road. This song always gets me. It always makes me teary, but also makes me feel happy and hopeful and at peace. Then when I met KC, I felt like the lyrics matched us and our relationship, and when we chose our song, there was no question. Luckily, he was down. Now, every time I hear it, I still get all those same feelings but I also get a dose of happy lovey feeling too, like it is connecting the different stages of my life.

My favourite lines:

I've been doing some soul searching, to find out where you're at
I've been up and down the highway.. in all kinds of foreign lands
Someone like you makes it all worthwhile.. 

Someone like you keeps me satisfied, someone exactly like you.

I've been all around the world, marching to the beat of a different drum.
But just lately I have realised baby the best is yet to come.

In lieu of a video for this one, here is a picture of our first dance.

Looking at all of these songs together, you might think they have nothing in common, but I've just realised they do. They all taught me how to be me, how to accept and appreciate being me and to not let anyone else change that. They are definitely my life anthems, so thanks for the term Steph!

And of course, thanks for the prompt Alyssa!