I feel like I've said every month so far this year has been really busy, and May was no different! I got to see one of my huge work projects come to life and did a lot of writing that I'm proud of—plus, things have finally (finally!) started feeling like summer here in Vancouver.
With high hopes and high spirits, here's my playlist for May (which still contains some angsty sad songs because my love for sad songs endures through all moods and seasons). As always, you can find it on Spotify, and see below for commentary on why these songs made the cut.
High Hopes - Panic! At The Disco
The loud, confident horn line might be my favourite thing about this track (besides Brendon Urie's vocals, of course). "High Hopes" is boisterous and jubilant and a pretty accurate summary of how I felt this whole month.
Favourite lyrics: "Mama said, burn your biographies / rewrite your history / light up your wildest dreams"
I haven't been a fan of Kodaline's recent work, even though multiple songs from their first studio album In a Perfect World are on my all-time favourites list. However, I'm happy to say that "Follow Your Fire" is great— it's catchy and dance-y and perfectly captures the intensity of lightning-in-a-bottle teenage love.
Favourite lyrics: "we had the songs that we sang along to / you had the moves to make me dance with you / I always saw you reaching and catching stars"
Fall in Line - Christina Aguilera ft. Demi Lovato
I'm not the biggest fan of Christina or Demi separately, but "Fall in Line" is incredibly timely and powerful. Plus, having two big belters on a track like this is the best possible setup for a killer key change.
Favourite lyrics: "show some skin, make him want you / 'cause God forbid you / know your own way home"
First Burn - Ari Afsar, Julia Harriman, Lexi Lawson, Rachelle Ann Go & Shoba Narayan
My favourite Hamildrop so far. Bringing in Elizas from different productions of Hamilton gives so much depth to the song, and the arrangement is perfection.
Okay, I know this song is kind of a joke, but it's also kind of good? Like, actually good. How can you not like a video that features Deadpool doing a dramatic contemporary dance number in full costume?
Stupid With Love - Erika Henningsen & the Original Broadway Cast of Mean Girls
I want to not like Mean Girls. I want to be angry that it's nominated for 12 Tonys when there are musicals from previous years that probably deserve those awards much more. But this song is adorable and I've been listening to the soundtrack on repeat since it came out, so...I guess I like Mean Girls.
I Can Do Better Than That - Anna Kendrick
"I Can Do Better Than That" was my favourite good mood song for May. I put it on when leaving the house on a beautiful morning, after a productive day at work, and pretty much every other time I felt happy this month. It makes me smile, and some days, that's all you need.
All through May, I felt hopeful and excited about the future. Here's to more of that this year.
Want more music? Check out all of my previous playlists!
