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Emma Chamberlain
I just had to take some deep breaths because my chest is tight and I have a lump in my throat because I'm frightened of today's episode. I'm deeply frightened. Today I'm gonna be sharing with you what I think are the greatest songs of all time. And this terrifies me for a few reasons. To start, music is polarizing. We adore the music that we love, and we despise the music that we hate. Humans, for the most part, are passionate about music, and that is sort of a beautiful thing, but it's also sort of a terrifying thing. In addition to that, it feels like you can never win. If you like pop music, everyone's like, oh, you're basic. Oh, so you're basic. You don't even have taste. You just listen to what everyone else listens to. Oh, I get it now. You're basic. If you like alternative music, people are like, oh, you're a pick me. Oh, my God. You're not like everybody else. You're different because you. You're an alternative. Oh, you're different. And then if you listen to avant garde music, everyone's like, oh, so you're a freak. You're a freak. And I should stay far, far away from you because you're a freak. And then if you listen to country music, everyone's like, oh, so you just, like, the worst genre ever created. Oh, I get it now. And then if you like, I don't know. Well, okay, I ran out of genres off the top of my head, but you get the idea. We can't win. There's, like a negative stereotype about every single potential music preference. And then last but not least, I'm terrified to do this episode because I can't show you the music that I'm talking about. I can't play you the song. No, because I will get sued or something. Okay. So instead, I have to describe the songs as best as I can because I also can't describe them on a technical level. I didn't go to music school. I can't be like, well, so in this song, the bass line is very heavy and there's this folk undertone with. With an emphasis on the percussion. Listen, I know these words, but I don't know what the fuck they mean. I can't actually describe how the song sounds. So I have to literally, to the best of my ability, like, try to paint a picture for you about how these songs sound without having basically any words to, like, accurately describe the song. It's a mess. This episode's gonna be A fucking mess. Okay, I'm gonna probably accidentally sound pretentious at one point. I'm probably gonna accidentally sound cringe at another point. Uh, I'm gonna describe things inaccurately and incorrectly throughout the episode cuz I have no idea how to describe music. I'm also terrified of committing to the statements that I'm about to make. I'm about to share with you a list of what I think are the greatest songs of all time. But I know myself. Oh, I know myself. I change my mind all the time and it's an absolute curse. It's a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because it means that I'm growing and I'm evolving and I'm changing. But it's a curse because I'm constantly sharing my thoughts and opinions on the Internet. And then when they change, it's awkward. I'm not a hypocrite. I'm not a liar. I'm not a freak. I just change my mind about things all the time. And that is human. But on the Internet it doesn't read as well. But despite all of this fear, I'm going to share what I think are the greatest songs of all time. Anyway, the mere chance that you might find a new song to add to your playlist is enough to motivate me to push past my fears. I briefly paused this episode to let you know that this episode of Anything Goes is presented by Temptations Cat Treats. Your cat will come running for the perfectly irresistible Temptations Creamy Perfect Puree and Temptations Lickable Spoon Cat Treats. The best time to feed Lickable Cat Treats to your cat is Anytime Feed by Hand for a playful moment in a bowl, for a creamy treat or as a topper to make mealtime fun. Visit temptationstreats.com to learn more. Now let's get back to the episode. It took me a very long time to make this list. I worked very hard on it. It's in no particular order and it's incomplete. Uh, it's subject to change. And there are artists that I absolutely love and adore that are not on this list. And the reason for that is I prefer their albums, their entire albums, as works of art rather than their individual pieces of music, their individual songs. There's artists on this list that haven't ever made an album that I enjoy all the way through. It's very fascinating, you guys. Okay, let's get into it. Let's start out with the song up against the Wall by Peter, Bjorn and John. This song came out in 2006 when I was five years old and I believe I discovered this song at around age, let's say 10 or 11. I heard this song on my dad and I's Pandora Radio. This Pandora radio was based on the song west coast by Coconut Records. We created a radio station based on that song and we listened to it constantly. It honestly shaped, I would say 60% of my music taste. The music on that playlist, it was a lot of early 2000s, like Sweet Alternative indie music that was pleasant on the ears, comforting, soothing, like nothing like rock crazy, but not like folky either. It was like just sort of nerdy indie alternative music like the Shins, you know, Modest Mouse, Peter Bjorn and John, the Postal Service. And this was a song that used to come up on that radio station. I loved it as a kid, but I heard it again later, I think when I was like 21. So a few years ago, and I was like, oh, wait a minute, this is the best song I've ever heard. And I re fell in love with it in a brand new way. And when I close my eyes and think about what this song sounds like, it sounds like being on a ferry. No. Okay, imagine this. Imagine this. You're in New York City. It's foggy and a bit misty. It's a bit moist in the air. You're feeling content. You don't really feel happy. You don't really feel sad. You just feel sort of content, maybe leaning towards a bit sad or a bit emo, but not in a bad way, just in like a. In your feels sort of way. And you decide that you want to go on the fer and you want to see the water that surrounds New York, and you want to see the Statue of Liberty and you want to listen to music. So you pop in your little wired headphones and you're wearing a little cardigan and a little cute pair of jeans and a little pair of cute little flats. And you're wearing a cute little pair of glasses. And it's foggy and it's a bit brisk and your nose is a bit pink and you're sailing around or boating on the ferry around New York City. And it's cold and you have nothing better to do because it's a Sunday afternoon. And that's what this song feels like to me. This episode is brought to you by Netflix. What's on your life list? Getting a tattoo? Finally learning to drive? Doing standup? How about finding true love? Well, the new Netflix film the Life List is here to help you figure it out. When a young woman is sent on a quest by her mother to complete her teenage life list, it takes her on a journey that will make you both laugh and cry. Starring Sophia Carson, Connie Britton and Kyle Allen, the life list is now playing only on Netflix. Okay, let's move on. Weird Fishes Slash Are Peggy by Radiohead I don't actually know how I discovered this song, but I found it a few years ago, probably when I was like, again like 20. And this was one of those songs that I listened to on repeat over and over and over again so many times that it actually made me question like, my, my well being. I was like, how am I not sick of this yet? And I'm still not sick of it. I think this is one of the only songs on this playlist that I've not listened to too much, to the point where now I can't hear it anymore. Like, this song feels brand new to me every single time that I listen to it. It came out in 2007. It shockingly wasn't on my Pandora radio station when I was a kid. To me, this song feels like laying in your bed in soft sweatpants, not pajamas, not like a pajama set, but like sweatpants. Like really comfortable sweatpants. And perhaps you have a fireplace in your room, or maybe you just have a lot of candles. There's a lot of warm lighting around you and it's pouring rain. It is absolutely gushing, gushing, gushing rain outside. But the sound of it is very, is very tame and vague. But it's absolutely just raining cats and dogs outside. But you're safe in a little cocoon inside of your bedroom. Again, you're content. You're not happy or sad. You're content, but you're also kind of tired. And so there's this feeling of laying in your bed, safe in your bed, with warm lighting around you in the rain coming down outside. It feels so good. You're tired, you're exhausted, but it's okay now because you're in your bed. That's how this song feels to me. Okay, next, Femme Fatale by the Velvet Underground. This song came out in 1967. You know this song, the lyrics are sort of about a femme fatale, a dangerous woman. And. And I listened to the song and it really reminds me how, how much I am not a dangerous woman. I am reminded that I am so dangerous, just ultimately safe to be around. And I really don't hurt men's feelings, you know, unfortunately, they usually hurt mine. And if I hurt theirs, it's because they hurt mine first. However, there is something about listening to this song and it being about this dangerous woman where I'm like, you know what? While I listen to this song, I feel sort of like a dangerous woman, but in a very interesting way because this song is not like, from like a sound perspective. It actually doesn't sound sound badass. Like, it's not like listening to like hyper pop that like, makes you feel hot. Like you're strutting like Runway. Like, it doesn't make you feel hot in that way because the song actually is very beautiful and soft and like one of the most cozy, beautiful sounding songs I've ever heard in my life. But the lyrics are very ironic because it's like very like hot girl vibe. It sounds like wearing like really beautiful lace lingerie, but with like a really soft, billowing dress over it that, like, that makes it so that you can't see the lingerie at all. You're. You're hot, but you're also incredibly comfortable and surrounded by. By warmth. This song also feels like the first day of, like, of spring. Like, in fact, I vividly remember when that happened this year. The first warm day of the year. It was blissful. And I live in Los Angeles. It never even gets that cold. But even for me, the first day of sort of warmth after the winter, it is euphoric. Anyway, so this is my final. My final picture for you. It's the first warm day day of the year. It's like 73 outside and you're wearing beautiful, comfortable, not overly sexy, just beautiful, comfortable lingerie. But over it, you have this beautiful willowing, soft, soft, soft dress on and. And you're just walking around a field. That is what this song feels like to me. Next we have Uncle Albert Slash Admiral Halsey by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney. This song came out in 1971. I don't know what it is about me and songs that have slashes in them. Like, this is the fourth song and we already have a, like another song with a slash in it. Like, it has two names. Very odd. Anyway, I absolutely love Paul McCartney. I love every single musical endeavor he's ever gone on in his life. I love the Beatles. I love his band Wings. I love when he does solo stuff. This is technically a solo song with his wife. I fucking love Paul McCartney. Sorry, sorry. And this song rewired my brain chemistry because let me tell you, this song is weird, okay? And it's actually funny because I rarely discover new Paul McCartney songs because I grew up, my dad showing me Paul McCartney and the Beatles and Wings and all this. So it's rare for me to discover a new one. But he's made so many different songs and had so many different projects. Like, I didn't grow up listening to this song and I found it last year because I think it had like a little TikTok moment, actually, and I'd never heard it before. It is such a good song, you guys. It's so good, but it's so weird. And the first few times you listen to it, you're like, that was so weird. But then something clicks and it's unbelievable. But it's unlike any song I've ever heard before. And I can't say that for many songs it is completely unique to itself. It is so weird. You know what it sounds like to me? It sounds like going through a car wash. Okay. You know when you're going through a car wash with your friends and at first, you know, it's like fun because it's like, oh, put your car in neutral. If you've never gone through a car wash, you will have no idea what I'm talking about and this will make no sense to you. But I'm talking about like the car wash where you stay in your car and you drive through it. The drive thru car wash. Okay? That's what the song. The. The experience of that is, what the song sounds like. You. You put the car neutral. You're excited, oh, my God, my car's in neutral. I'm no longer in control car anymore. And then soap goes all over the windows and you're like, whoa, I can't see. I can't see. And then your car is kind of vibrating a little bit and you're like, whoa, whoa, whoa. And then. And then water starts spraying and the car starts vibrating more. And then. And then you. And then it starts blowing all the water off. And then it. And there's huge brushes that are coming on and scrubbing on the car and then they go away. And then there's a big dryer. And then it's this experience that is constantly changing and constantly evolving for the entire five to ten minutes that you are in that car wash drive through. And it never gets old because it's like there's always something new. The second that you get used to the sound that's happening to the experience that's happening, it changes to something else and it's exciting. That is what this song is to me. Next we have the song Good to See by the band Pinback. This song was created in 2007. 2007 was kind of a good year for music, to be honest. There's a lot of songs from like 2007. This song I found on the Pandora radio station. I grew up with this song. I grew up hearing it in my house playing on that Pandora radio all the time. But what's interesting is a lot of the songs from that Pandora radio station didn't end up affecting me until I got a bit older. I kind of went back and I actually made a playlist of all of the songs I remember from that radio station. I did that a few years ago and I really fell in love with these songs again. And this was one of them that like really stuck with me where I was like, this is an incredible song. This song is not sad. I've weirdly cried to it. I don't know why. There's something about it in like the last quarter of the song. There's like a moment in it that like really makes me cry. But this song is not sad. It's like actually kind of quirky and fun and relax. Like it's not. I don't know. There's nothing really dramatic about this song, but for some reason the end makes me cry. If I had to describe this, this song. This song feels like a 13 year old boy walking to middle school on a sunny day. It's like almost summer. And he's walking to school and he's. And he's wearing a little fedora and he's wearing little suspenders. Like there's something. There's like a childlike wonder to this song that I can't explain. There's like a childlike sort of energy to it. But there's also this sort of nerdy quirkiness to it which is where the fedora and the suspenders come in. But there's something hopeful about this song, which is why it's summertime. It's almost the. It's almost the end of the school year. I don't know. That's how it feels to me. Moving on. True love will find you'd in the end by Daniel Johnston. This song came out in 1990 and I remember my dad showed me this song a few years ago and the first time I listened to it I was like, wait, I've heard this before. And that was because I had. Because many people have covered this song, but I had never heard Daniel Johnston's version. And he wrote this song and the production of the song, the way that the song sounds is incredibly raw and real. Okay. It is not produced super fancy. There isn't a lot of instruments happening. It's not super clean. It's definitely messy. It's definitely very human. Nothing about it is perfect. And the first time you hear it, you notice that because compared to everything else that you're listening to on Spotify or wherever you listen to music, it's like, whoa, this sounds very different. It sounds really raw, you know, and that's a bit jarring at first. Daniel Johnston, I learned later as I listened to more of his music. That is his style. But the lyrics are so good. And the raw sound I actually ended up liking later. And I really do believe it's one of the best songs of all time. And that's why it's been covered so many different times. This song feels like going through a breakup and crying in somebody that you love's laps. Somebody that you love so much that you almost don't even really care anymore that you broke up with the person that you broke up with. Like, you almost. It's like, okay, like, for me, for example, this song feels like breaking up with one of my exes or whatever, and then laying in my parents lap, both of them at the same time, and crying in this way where I'm sad and I'm heartbroken, but I'm also being healed simultaneously because I'm surrounded by my favorite people on the planet. It's like this interesting juxtaposition. Okay? And listen. This episode is just so cringe because of these types of things that I'm saying and the way that I'm describing these. These songs. But this is. This is honest, okay? And I'm being honest. And this is truly the best I can do and the best way I can describe them. And. Are you cringing? Probably because I am. But this is just the best that we can do. Okay? That is how that song feels to me. It's so refreshing to hear a song that is so lyrically honest and easy to understand. And it's nice to hear a sound that is raw and human and real. It's a great song and it just. And it feels good to listen to. Okay, next. Clay Pigeons by Michael Cera. Clay Pigeons has been covered by many people. Michael Cera released his cover in 2014. The lyrics are so good. You know, you're transported into this story. It's easy to listen to. It's just. It's beautiful to listen to. You can listen to it over and over and over again and never get sick of it. This song feels like a foggy day in the fall. You're sitting on a bus. There is a lyric in the song that says, I'm going down to the railway station, going to get a ticket to ride. Or maybe Michael Sarah says, greyhound station. I don't know. There's different lyrics. But anyway, there is a lyric in the song about going to the station to get a ticket to ride somewhere. So. Yes, okay, there is. You know, but it actually does. This song does kind of feel that way to me. It feels like you're sitting on some sort of public transportation. Okay, maybe it's the bus. Maybe it's the subway. Maybe it's a Greyhound. Well, that's also a bus. Maybe it's a train or a train. Oh, my God. You know what? Let me say it's a train. It feels like being on a train. And fall. And the leaves are turning. Wow. It feels like this. The. The leaves are turning orange and it's foggy out. Maybe it's like 5pm so the sun's going down and starting to get a bit dark, but there's still like a sort of glow in the sky. And. And you're. You're a little bit sleepy and you're wearing a sweater. You're wearing, like a soft turtleneck sweater. It's a cashmere sweater. It. It's cashmere. Is. It's cashmere. And you have little fingerless gloves on and you're having a little cup of mint tea. You have some mint tea and you're looking out the window. That's what this song sounds like. And you have headphones in. Noise canceling. That's what this song feels like. Okay, next we have Don't Look Back in Anger by Oasis. I didn't realize that this is a massive song. It literally has like a billion streams. I found this, like, a year ago. One of my friends played it in the car and I was like, where is this song been? I had heard it before, but I was like, this song is so good. A lot of people who share sort of similar music taste to me really like Oasis. I never really got into it. Oasis biggest song is called Wonderwall. You probably know it. I never liked that song. I don't know, I just. But this song is so good. To me, it feels like a really romanticized high school drama movie. It feels stereotypical almost in that way. Like, it feels like a 90s high school movie with a popular girl who wears a pink velour tracksuit and then like a hot football jock who, like, whatever. And. And to me, this song Feels like the popular girl in the high school movie and the jock breaking up because the jock is going to college, but it's summer, so, like, everything's going to be okay. And she knows deep down that she'll find another summer fling. She doesn't need him. He's heartbroken. He actually thought that they might get married, but he knew that it wasn't going to work because he's going to go play football at Yale or something. That's what this song feels like to me. And listen. You might listen to the song and be like, what? But that is how this song feels to me. Like, I just imagine this song playing as the football player and the popular girl are, like, walking away from each other outside of one of their houses at, like, 9:30pm because the girl, of course, has to be in bed by 10. Her daddy is strict. I can't even say daddy anymore because everybody just thinks it's about no. So her dad. Her father makes her be. Her curfew is 10pm so they had this sort of final conversation about how, you know, this isn't going to work out anymore outside of her house, and then they walk away and then boom. Don't Look Back In Anger by Oasis starts playing. It just fucking makes sense to me. This song is incredible. Okay, moving on. Brief Candles by the Zombies My dad showed me this song. You'll notice, my dad shows me a lot of songs. He showed me this very recently, like, maybe even six months ago. Oh, my God, it is so good. Whoa. Brief Candles came out in 1968. It's using some sort of cool, like, synth or keyboard. I don't know this shit. You know? I don't know this shit. I already told you that. It's making some sort of sound that feels like kind of like a vampire to me. It feels like a vampire girl's 16th birthday. Okay? It feels like she's wearing a cute little, like, black dress that has, like, frills in. In. In lace and embroidery, and she has her hair straightened, stick straight. And she's a moody girl. You see, she, deep down, has a bit of joy in her. But no, she's a moody girl on the outside. Imagine her at 6pm, sitting at her dining room table with her one weird friend who doesn't talk very much and the rest of her family there. Imagine her sitting in front of her cake, which she requested to be carrot cake because she's a freak. No, I'm kidding. I actually like carrot cake. There's something about this song that, to me, feels like carrot cake. I can't explain it. This is how my brain works. You all are seeing how my brain works and it's super disturbing. Anyway, carrot cake in front of her, black frosting, decorating a beautifully white cream cheese frosted cake. And everybody sings her happy birthday. She blows out the candles and she gets up and she walks out the front door and she kind of smirks a little bit. And then she goes and buys Twinkies from the convenience store down the street. I don't know if I'm convinced that that's how this song feels, but I. But I'm gonna stick with it because I worked really hard on it, okay? I really, like. I put my heart into that. And then at the end of it I was like. That actually doesn't necessarily feel right. Maybe she doesn't. No, no. You know what? I'm changing my story. This is how the song feels. She's pouting and she's frowning, but she blows out her candles. And then she can't keep up the act anymore. She smiles a little bit and everyone cheers. And then they all eat cake together. Maybe that's how it ends. I don't know. Okay, moving on. Not for all the Love in the World by the Thrills this song came out in 2004. This was one of those songs that the first time I heard it, I was like, this is one of the worst songs I've ever heard. I'm not kidding. I hated it. I genuinely hated it. It was actually on a playlist that a boy made for me. Oh my God. A boy made for me kind of cringe. But it's not actually. When the time that that happened and I. We both made each other a playlist and it was like in the. It was in the only way that it could not be possibly cringe. It actually was fine. In fact, it was delightful. This song was on there. And I vividly remember the first time I listened to it because it was unlike anything I had ever heard before, especially the voice of the singer. I was like, what? It just, It. It was so weird. And the way that the song was composed was unlike any other song I'd heard before. Like, it was so unique. And the lyrics were kind of easy, not easy to follow, but like your brain chose to follow them, you know, when sometimes it's hard to follow lyrics because they're being overshadowed by other elements of the song. The lyrics in this song, I was like. I was locked in and they were intriguing. And I just remember being so intrigued by this song. It was so weird to me. But then I couldn't stop thinking about it. And then every, like, few weeks or, like, once a month, I would, like, put it on and see how it made me feel. And then one day, it clicked, and I was like, wait, this is one of the best songs I've ever heard in my life. And it's songs like that that I genuinely do think develop my taste in music. I feel like songs that are good, the first time you listen to them, it's awesome, it's exciting. But I don't think it's what takes your music taste to the next level. You know? I get really excited when a song clicks for me one day, and I'm like, holy shit, I get it now. And this is one of those songs. This song, to me, feels like being in an abandoned ballroom. Okay? Imagine you're in a ballroom. Like a massive, beautiful, dramatic ballroom with gorgeous trimmings and gorgeous curtains and all of this. And it's completely abandoned. Okay? Nobody's in there but you. And there's a beautiful carpet on the floor. It's soft. And you've taken your shoes off, and you've somehow connected to the. To the music stereo system, and you've turned this song on. Ironically. This song feels like this song. That's how unique it is. And you, you are just flailing and dancing around this ballroom all by yourself, completely, freely, and with energy, as though you're a child. That is how this song feels to me. There's something, like, so dramatic, but also, like, euphoric about it. Yeah, it's a really good song. It takes a bit, but once you get it, you're like, holy shit, I get it. And then you love it. Okay, next, Bad Habit by Steve Lacy. This song came out in 2022. I mean, this whole album. Gemini Rights, which I'm a Gemini, so of course I'm biased. This song was a massive, massive, massive, massive, massive fucking hit. It has a billion streams. All right? This is a big song. This song is not, like, by any means, underrated. Okay? And so you all have probably heard it. It came out somewhat recently. This is one of the most addictive songs I've ever heard in my life. I remember, like, the first time I heard it, I was like, oh, shit, this is good. Like, immediately. And I know I just said that, like, I appreciate a song that takes me a bit to enjoy. Yes, I do, because I do think that that develops my taste. But holy shit, is it fun to hear a song out of nowhere, and the first time you Hear it be like, that is incredible. And immediately be addicted to it. The second I heard it, I was like, I need to know what that song is right now. This song feels like what it feels like to show up to the first day of a music festival. Coachella, for example. Okay? It feels like showing up to day one of Coachella. You're in a hot outfit. You look sick. You're with your friends. Not like sick as in ill, of course, but sick as in very cool. You're with your friends. You're so stoked. You're like, oh, my God, I'm about to have a party of a weekend. You just feel all this energy built up inside of you because you're about to have an insane weekend. And you're about to be drunk the whole time, and you're about to get blisters on your feet, and you're about to, like, see your ex, and then you're about to see them, like, making out with somebody. And then you're gonna cry, and then you're gonna, like, find somebody to make out with. You're gonna, like, dance a lot. You know, you're about to just make a memory. It's just gonna be an adventure. That is how this song feels. It feels like the moment that, like, a really good weekend begins. Does that make sense? I use this word a lot, apparently, but euphoric, it's like a euphoric song. It really. It really creates a feeling. Okay, next. We have not allowed by TV Girl. This song was created in 2016. This song is just cool. It's just cool. Sorry. It is. It's. It's just cool. And the lyrics are funny too. The lyrics are about, like, someone having a bad boyfriend who, like, just, like, sucked. Well, I think it's about that. This song to me feels like. Sorry, listen, I don't want to promote nicotine use and I'm not promoting it, okay? I don't fuck with nicotine anymore. Actually, I do. If I. If somebody has a vape around me, I'm like, can I have some? And we all know that about me, so let's not, like, sugarcoat it. Instead of doing what I'm about to say, just listen to this song. Because this is how this song feels. Do you know what I'm saying? Okay. Not Allowed by TV Girl. Feels like standing outside of a bar on a summer night in smoking some sort of carcinogenic tobacco based product. Okay? Could be a cigarette. Can I be honest? It's never one of those, like, sweet. Like, there's a Bunch of different names for them. Elf bar, flume, geek bar, whatever. You know what I'm talking about. The disgusting flavored big vapes that are like icy blue raspberry. It's not. It's like either a juul or a cigarette, okay? You're. You're outside. You're outside of a bar and you're. And you can hear the hum of the music on the inside. And you're smoking a cigarette or a Jewel, and all of the chemicals from that are going into your brain and you're so happy. And someone just like really hot comes up to you and starts talking to you, but they only really talk to you for a second, and then they just like stand next to you. It's just like they're just standing there. And you know that they're hot and you know that you'll talk to them in a second, but it's just nice to know that they're standing right there. That's what this song feels like to me. It feels cool. It feels like you're wearing a full outfit of vintage Saint Laurent, you know, and it's. It's sleazy. It's a little sleazy, you know, like there's a low slit down the front. You're wearing all black probably. You know, you're wearing. There's some leather going on. You're probably wearing, like tiny little mini, little studded little leather shorts and like a deep, like, plunging V neck black top. And you probably have smudged eyeliner and you're just smoking your cigarette or your Jewel and you just. And that's what this song feels like. And the music coming from the inside is like rumbling in your brain, and it's so beautiful. Now juxtaposed with that, we have Can I Call youl Tonight by Day Glow. This song came out in 2018. I absolutely love this song. Unfortunately, it reminds me of, like, literally two different exes that I have. Like it vividly. Like, I hear the song and immediately think of two of my exes. Not in a sad way, but more in a way where I'm like, I don't need to think about this right now. I'm busy right now doing other things. This doesn't need to cross my mind. This song is so sweet. It's so innocent. It's such an innocent love song about kind of like budding love. This song feels like a budding romance in like the 1950s between two young people, maybe around age 19 or 20. And, you know, at this time, because it's like the 50s. Sex is taboo. You know, there's no dating apps. It's all taboo. So you get nervous to call, you know, the person you have a crush on. Talking on the phone for three hours straight, sitting on a chair uncomfortably. Because of course, the phones back then were attached to the wall, sitting. If there even was phones. Were there even phones in the 1950s? I actually don't know. Well, let's pretend that there were. I know nothing about history in that way. Like, I don't know when certain technological advancements were created. Like, when was the light bulb created? I don't know. Was it the 1800s? Probably, but could it have been the early 1900s? I don't know. That's the problem. When did they stop using candles? I don't know. I don't know. No one ever taught me that. Or maybe they were supposed to. But I left high school junior year, so it could be my fault. But either way, I don't know. This is just true, innocent love, okay? It's not lust, it's not exploited. It's pure, sweet love. And these people who are right now in their 20s talking on the phone will get married and they will have a family and they will die together. And that is how this song feels. Can I Call youl Tonight by Day Glo. What a beautiful song. I absolutely love it. My dad showed it to me when it was like, super indie. I don't even know how he found it. He found it and it had, like, no streams. My dad shows me the best music. I wish I had my own taste. No, I actually do, but he shows me a lot of stuff. All right, next we have an obvious banger. And all of you know it. Hey There, Delilah by the Plain White Tees. This song came out in 2006. Obviously this was a golden era for music, in my opinion. Do I even need to get into it? Like, you know this song? Hey there, Delilah. I can't sing anymore. Here's the deal, okay? This song is corny, right? It's corny, but it's corny in the most incredible possible way. To me, this song feels like skinny jeans, really worn in Converse, and of course, a plain white tee. Because the band the Plain White Tees, and like side swooped hair and like a Motorola or no. Is it Motorola? No, like a BlackBerry phone. Remember the BlackBerry phone? Imagine that outfit on somebody, anybody. Imagine it on you. And imagine you on the phone with your long distance lover in that outfit. That's how this song feels to me. Okay, let's move on. To a new song that I literally just found thanks to the Spotify algorithm. No, not sponsored. Even though I am, I do Spotify. I. I do have a Spotify podcast. This was an algorithm poll from Spotify. You know, I'm down by frog. Okay, this song came out in 2019. This song is so good. It's super simple. It's really chill. This is just one of those songs that, like, I just have to sing. It's simple. It's not like singing Amy Winehouse in the car, which I do enjoy doing, and I've done it many times. Singing that. You're, like, singing with your chest, you know what I mean? And you're singing to this sort of dynamic song. This song is very simple. Do you really want to know what this song feels like to me? I can't explain it, but it feels like little felt animals. Imagine an animated video of a bunch of little felt animals in a little sailboat wearing little. Okay, you know what? I have to. I have to come up with a better way to describe this song, because this is something that only I can understand. I'm realizing this song feels like driving, doing a road trip in a vintage Volkswagen Bug. Red. Red. And you're wearing classic, classic Ray Ban Wayfarers. I don't know why. I don't know why. I can't explain it. I'm just telling you, this is just how it feels. Okay? You're wearing classic Ray Bans, and you're driving down a straight highway, and your car is not going very fast, but the windows are rolled down and warm air is tousling your hair around. But don't worry, you have short hair and you're singing and you're getting a little bit of dust in your mouth because you're driving through the middle of nowhere and there's dust flying into your mouth. Maybe you're driving through the desert. No, I don't think you're driving through the desert. More just like the middle of nowhere. It's like. It's not quite mountains, but it's also not quite, like, filled with, like, lush nature, but it's also not quite the desert. It's like a weird, just, like, flat chunk of land that has no definitive characteristic. That's what you're driving through. And that in your old Volkswagen Bug, wearing your Wayfarers and you have short hair, that is what the song feels like. You know, interestingly enough, there's a lyric in this song, you know, I'm down by frog, that mentions another band called the Apples in stereo. And I was listening to this song, you know, I'm down by Frog, with somebody else. And they were like, wait, I think the Apples in Stereo is another band. And I was like, what? We pulled it up. And they were like, wait, there's a song that I really like by The Apples in Stereo played it for me, and it became another instant favorite. About yout Fame by the Apples and Stereo. This song is so good. I think I like it because. Number one, like, lyrically, I think it's really fun. Let me read you a chunk of lyrics so you can see what I mean. Heard about your fame I saw your name Saw your name and I hear you've changed but what remains what remains? Heard about your fame It's a game and it seems you're not the same It's a shame, man. It's a shame. But it sang in such, like, a. Or it's the. The song is not, like, sad. It's kind of like, well, it's very easy again, it's very easy to listen to. It's very, like, satisfying to listen to. And it's just like, a great. It's just a great song. It's not a melancholy song at all, even though the lyrics kind of sound a bit melancholy. But, yeah, I absolutely love it. I just think it's a great song. I love the lyrics. I think it's funny, and I think it's really good. And it came out in 1997. About your fame, to me. Sounds like two hipsters running into each other at a coffee shop. Everybody in the coffee shop is cool. There's, like, people who are nerdy cool. There's people who are, like, punk cool. It doesn't matter. Everybody's cool, though. Everyone in this cafe is cool. And it's a beautiful day in Los Angeles. There's people sitting outside. There's. I'm actually thinking of a cafe in Los Angeles that this is taking place for me in my head. I see it vividly. Okay? There's totally a scene happening. Everybody's, like, 30 years old, approximately, and everyone's getting their morning coffee. And it's such a scene at this coffee shop that everyone knows each other. So everyone's, like, saying, like, oh, man, good to see you. Oh, man, good to see you. And a lot of those interactions are bittersweet. Emphasis on the bittersweet. Right? Bitter and sweet. But it's in this beautiful setting at this beautiful cafe in Los Angeles on a corner, seating outside, warm weather. But there's these bittersweet interactions happening. But everybody Looks really cool. That is what the song feels like to me. Okay, next we have a classic, hello, Goodbye by the Beatles. It was really hard to choose what I thought was the best Beatles song to put on this list of the greatest of all time. I didn't want to spam this list with a bunch of Beatles songs. There are a lot of really good Beatles songs that I honestly think are some of the greatest of all time. But I wanted to have some variety on the list. To me, hello, Goodbye has every trait that I like in a Beatles song. It's simple and easy to follow along with. It's upbeat in fun, like you want to blast it in the car. It's nostalgic. It reminds me of my childhood. It's one of the Beatles songs I liked as a child. And it's just good to me. It feels like driving in a yellow Volkswagen bus, going to the beach to, like, hang out at the beach all day. Okay, that's a vibe. Yeah, that's what this song feels like. I don't know why it feels that way to me, but it does. And that song came out in 1967. Moving on to 1879 by the smashing pumpkins. This song came out in 1995. I don't like any other Smashing Pumpkin songs. Like, none of the other ones have really resonated with me. For some reason, this one really clicked for me. I have this vivid memory of a trip to Miami. I don't know, two years ago, maybe at this point or a year ago now. Anyway, I was in Miami in, like, December, and I was listening to this song and walking around the beach in Miami, and I was like, this is blissful, this song. Being in Miami in the winter. This is just blissful. And I just have this romantic memory of this song in Miami. And this song feels like walking past a skate park. And their type is skateboarders. You see what I'm saying? This song feels like somebody who really is attracted to two people who skateboard walking past a skate park on accident. Like, randomly. Maybe they. Maybe they were walking to go get a coffee, but they accidentally passed the skate park. What? Accidents happen. And they, like, look in for a second and lock eyes with somebody, and. And the person that they lock eyes with is so hot. And then they smile at each other, and then they both, like, go back to what they're doing and. And forget about each other for a minute. But then they, like, can't stop thinking about each other. And then the person whose type is skateboarders walks by again and Then the skateboarder. I'm writing a. I'm writing a fan fiction right now. I'm literally spitting. I'm writing a fan fiction. Okay? And then the person whose type is the skateboarder is like, I have to walk by again, and is walking by again and looks over and then the skateboarder skates up to the fence and they. They talk and like, flirt with each other and then they fall in love. That's what 1979 by the smashing Pumpkins sounds like to me. Okay, next we have when you were made by the Growlers. I found this song when I was like 16, which makes sense. Oh, my God. Because it literally came out when I was 15. Okay. I mean, I really love the Growlers. In fact, there are a lot of Growlers songs that I like. The music is like California, like surf, but also kind of grungy surf vibes or something. Like, that's how I would describe it. The sound of the band. I love the Growlers. And I've listened to every single song that they've ever put out. I've listened to their entire discography, which I cannot say for a lot of artists. I absolutely love every single song. And when you were made is a song that I particularly like because I feel like it's sort of talking about being a child of divorced parents. And I am that. So I feel like the lyrics definitely resonate with me. But in general, I just like the way that the song sounds. And to me, the song sounds like, honestly, the way every Growler song sounds to me. When I think of any Growlers song, I'm not kidding. I think of being in a tattoo parlor. Windows wide open. And again, it's a summer day. Sorry, I keep using the weather, but I have to. It's a warm summer day. Sun is out. Maybe it's around 4pm and you're in a tattoo parlor and you're getting a fudgeing old school, like, pin up pirate tattooed onto your thigh. And you're like looking at a Rolling Stone magazine or something. Like, you're just having a punk rock afternoon, okay. And this song is playing in the background and you're in like, Venice. Okay, not Venice, Italy, but Venice in Los Angeles, which, if you don't know a lot about Venice, I don't actually even know what to tell you. I actually quite like Venice sometimes. It's like a beach town. That's what this song feels like to me. Maybe you're getting the tattoo because you're kind of going through something, but you're you're coming out the other end and you're. And you're coming to accept the hardship that you've been through. That's what this song feels like. Moving on to Read My Mind by the Killers this song came out in 2006. I remember my dad playing the song for me when I was very young, and it always really, like, hit deep for me. There's something about the sound of this song that feels really, like, emotional to me. It feels. This song feels like longing in a weird sort of harmless pain that I can't explain. This song feels like being in New York City. Let's go back to New York City. Okay. Being in New York city, it's like 6pm it's almost dark out, but there's still a little bit left, a little bit of light left in the sky. It's pouring rain. It's pouring rain, and you are not prepared. Okay, so you're wearing, like, Converse and, like, jeans and like, maybe a long sleeve, maybe a sweatshirt at best. Okay. And you're walking through New York City and you're soaking wet. I mean, you're soaking wet to the point where you're. You're not even, like, trying to stay dry anymore. You're drenched and you're crying, but you can't feel the tears because the rain's pouring down your face as well. And you're crying because you miss your ex, but you don't miss your ex in the way that you're like, I need to call them. I need to get back with them. You just miss your ex in a way where you're like, I'm remembering a sweet moment right now and fuck, it kind of sucks, you know? And I kind of miss them. And so you're crying, but it's almost like a happy cry in a weird way, because you're not even sad. You just miss them, but you don't want to be back together and you don't even know. You just. You know what I mean? And then you get back to your hotel and you sit in the shower, Sit on the ground in the shower for like an hour. That is what Read My Mind by the Killers feels like to me. Next. Holy shit. What a Banger. Someday by Sugar Ray this song came out in 1999. I remember I heard this song literally in a grocery store or something. I'm not kidding. I. It was somewhere random. I was maybe. What? Okay. I feel like I was like, seven. Okay. I was very young. I remember hearing the song and immediately was so drawn to it. And I remember listening to the lyrics and trying to remember the lyrics so that when I got home, I could look them up on the computer. I can't believe that I had a family computer by age, like, seven. Maybe I was a little older. Maybe I was, like, nine. But anyway, around that age. And I remember I, like, couldn't find it the first time, and I was so upset. And then I heard the song again, and I was like, what was that? And I, that time, listened to enough lyrics and found it online. And then I remember I was so excited, and I found the song, but at the time, I was too young. I didn't have any way to, like, save music, so I forgot the name of it. And I lost the song again. And then I found it again a few years later. It's been this, like, thing where Someday by Sugar Ray has been in and out of my consciousness for years. And now it's officially on playlist. This song, to me is like, holy shit. Driving down Sunset Boulevard in a Porsche convertible, wearing massive fucking sunglasses, like, huge, like, covering half of your face. Hungover, wearing, like, sweatpants, about to go to another party. It you're about to go to a Darty. That is what this song feels like. This song feels like a bender to me. It's like. But it feels like the morning. It feels like a morning during a bender. Does that make sense? It feels like, you know, you partied yesterday. I'm not talking about, like, a toxic bender where we're, like, doing illegal substances and, like, harming ourselves in any way. I'm just talking about, like, a fun bender where it's like, all right, you know what? We got drunk a few days in a row. It happens every once in a while. It's all good. You know, I'm not promoting that lifestyle. I'm personally sober, so I don't even do this type of stuff anymore. But you get the idea. That is the vibe. It's so good. It's, like, kind of trashy almost, in a way. Like, it's kind of messy, it's kind of sloppy, but it's also, like, hopeful and excited and, like. I don't know. Okay. Whisper to a Scream by the Icicle Works. This song came out 1983. This song, to me, really sounds 80s, which I really love about it. I really like the, like, an 80s sort of sound. Like the Smiths. And do I even have. Oh, I do have a Smith song on here. I love the sound, you know, of, like, all these different, like, synthesizers and stuff. And like, this sort of effect on the voice. That's almost like echoey and stuff. The dramatic sort of singing, the like. Kind of almost very. Like the music almost feels colorful in the 80s, you know what I mean? Like, it feels like very rich. Not that I have synesthesia, which means you can see sounds. Is that how that works? Like, if you hear, you can see colors and shapes associated with sounds. I don't have that, but if I did, I think that 80s music would be very rich and colorful looking and bright and, like, sharp. You know, maybe I do have synesthesia. Synesthesia. I don't. It whisper to a scream to me, sounds like. It feels like walking through the forest at dusk wearing an outfit that you normally wouldn't necessarily wear into the forest. You're wearing, like, a black turtleneck and black pants and, like, black Doc Martens, you know, you're not wearing hiking gear. Okay. That's not the context in which you're in the forest. You're in the forest in an emo way. You're in the forest in a Tumblr way. You're not in the forest in a hiking, outdoorsy, Patagonia sort of way. Understood. And you're kind of just like, walking around randomly around the forest every once in a while, deciding to just run for a bit, and then, like, sitting under a tree and then you're running again, and then you're sitting under a tree, and it's either autumn. No, it. You know what? It's winter in, like, California, so it's, like, not snowing. Well, it does snow in California sometimes, but it's. It's. It's winter, but it's not snowing, and you're in the forest and you're wearing all black, and it's very Tumblr, what's happening? And you're, like, running and walking, and there's something very childlike about it in a very. I'm gonna use this word again in a very sort of euphoric way. And there are moments when you're sitting under the tree and relaxing, but then there are moments when you're sort of, you know, skipping and running through the forest as well. And you almost feel like you're flying and you feel the crisp air brushing against your face when you run, and it's really a beautiful experience and you're alone. Okay, moving on to literally such a good song. Tongue Tied by Group Love. This song came out in 2011. Wow. This song is good. You all know this song, okay, because it comes on at a bar or a party and suddenly the room erupts in dancing. Everybody across genre preferences starts dancing. I don't need to describe this song to you. No, I don't. Because you know what it feels like? It feels like when everyone at a party suddenly lets everything go and just dances together. When there's complete sink. When there's sinkage. When. No, that's not a word. When everybody at the party is synced and dancing and singing all together. That is what tongue tied by group love feels like. Moving on to a song that is very unlike me. This, like, doesn't fit in with the other songs that I like. These Words by Natasha Bedingfield came out in 2004. This is, like, a very popular 2004, early 2000s pop song, which is not a genre that I am well versed in. Well, it is, because I was a kid during that time and I was listening to the radio and I heard, you know, a lot of pop music, but I didn't like a lot of it. It didn't necessarily resonate with me. All of it. However, these Words by Natasha Bedingfield, are you kidding me? It is so good. I. I never even really processed the lyrics until later. It's kind of about having writer's block, which I think is kind of charming. You know, it's kind of ironic. Like, Natasha Bedingfield went into the studio and was like, I got nothing, boss. And they were like, well, you. You have a deadline for this album. She's like, God damn it. And then she wrote a song about not knowing what to write for her song. And there's something so beautiful about that. And that is very poetic. That's very, like. I don't know. It's very beautiful. This song feels like being like a really hot it girl pop star. When this song comes on, I feel like an it girl pop star. I feel like Sabrina Carpenter all of a sudden. You know what I'm saying? I feel like Natasha Bedingfield. I feel like Hilary Duff. I feel like I'm wearing a little sparkly outfit. I feel like I'm singing my heart out on a stage. But an outdoor stage. Yeah, an outdoor stage. Like an outdoor Coachella stage. Okay, you know what? Yes. These Words by Natasha Bedingfield feel like performing main stage at Coachella for, like, a hundred thousand people in a cute little sparkly outfit with a bunch of pyrotechnics. Like, just explosions going off everywhere on the stage and just belting. No, you know what? No explosions. Actually. Maybe confetti, if that. Maybe not even confetti. Maybe Confetti that's shaped like flower petals. I don't know. I feel when I'm belting out these words by Natasha Bedingfield that I am on the stage. Moving on to Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles. This song came out in 1980. Another one that my dad showed me. He showed me the music video because there's a very iconic music video for this song, which is. It's so good, I actually need to watch it again because I genuinely don't remember anything about it. And I'm telling you how amazing it is. And I don't remember it, but it's also Super 80s in the album name that it's on is the Age of Plastic, which is actually a very timeless name, I think. And it's funny because I'm looking at the album now and the rest of the album, none of the other songs have, like, any streams, and I want to go listen to them because they're kind of undiscovered. Whereas Video Killed the Radio Star is a huge song, this song feels very, like, futuristic. And maybe that's because the music video is kind of futuristic. I feel like it is in, like, the stereotypical way, you know, like flying cars that are sort of rounded at the corners and, like, you know, everybody's dressed up in, like, beautiful sort of metallic outfits. And, like, everyone lives on Mars. Like, that's what I mean by this song feels sort of futuristic. You know, like the Jetsons being this sort of, like, alien family. And they have, like. There's something sort of like. Like. I hope you know what aesthetic I'm talking about. Like, sort of a. A retro, futuristic aesthetic. Like in, like, the 60s, what they thought today would look like, you know, with, like, all these beautiful buildings with a bunch of orbs everywhere and, like, floating cars and everything's floating and everything has rounded corners and it's like everything's shiny and metallic and perfect. Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles feels like a day living in that world where everything is perfect, but it's, like, a little bit too perfect. You know what I mean? And it's actually a little bit eerie, but it's also so beautiful. For breakfast, you have a beautiful, perfect plate of eggs where, like, your egg is perfectly cooked and you have, like, you know, a little piece of bacon. And it's like, the perfect little piece of bacon. And then, you know, you go to the grocery store and it's like everybody's walking in straight lines and everybody's putting things in their cart perfectly organized Like Tetris. And then for dinner, you know, the whole family sits around the table and everybody's perfectly mannered. And it. It feels like this eerily perfect sort of dystopia. That's what this song feels like to me. I don't know why. Moving on to Some Nights by Fun. This song was absolutely massive. When I was in middle school. It came out in 2012. It was a pop song, and it is truly one of the best songs of all time. Every time I hear this song, I'm like, this is unbelievable. And it kind of defies all odds in a way, because this is not a song that I would have thought when it first came out that I would love this much for this long because there are certain elements of it that are like, cringe, I don't care. I think it's an incredible song. And to me, it feels like getting really black out drunk at a dive bar in playing pool and, like, throwing up in the bathroom, but then, like, get, like, getting up and like, continuing and like, playing more pool and ultimately having a fun night. But it was a little bit sloppy your evening, you know, like, you got a little bit of throw up on your shirt and, like, no one told you and it was there all night. And it's just, like, mortifying. But you actually did end up getting some really good shots when you were playing pool, which was really rewarding. And music is blaring in this bar, by the way. Like, it's. It's. It's not a chic vibe at all. It's not. But it is still a vibe, right? And music is ultimately blaring. That is Some Nights by Fun. It is such a good song. Next we have a new song that just came out. Die With a Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. You've probably heard the song. It has 2 billion streams. Came out in 2024. I'm sorry. I love Bruno Mars. Bruno Mars is so good. Lady Gaga is so good. I don't even need to talk about this song because it has so many streams that, like, you've heard it before. You know what I'm saying? You already know how it makes you feel. I don't need to describe it to you. There's a 100% chance that you heard this song. Okay, next we have yes, I'm Changing by Tame Impala. This song came out in 2015. This was, like, a song that I discovered freshman year of high school that truly changed my music taste. Like there was this sort of moment in high school where I really Started to get into music for the first time, like, on my own accord, you know, not just listening to the music that my dad showed me, but rather going on my own adventure. And this was one of the first songs that I found myself and, like, fell in love with myself. And I remember listening to it in my freshman art class, my freshman year art class. And it, like, this song was so heavy for me. It was, like, so serious. Like, it really. Like, it really hit. Like, this song hits. And to me, it almost feels like if you were a small speck of dust in a bathtub, that insignificant. Okay, imagine you're a small speck of dust in a bathtub. This song feels like a speck of dust spiraling down the bathtub drain. Again, I. Sometimes I wonder if I'm a little bit too abstract with the explanations. Let me put this. Let me put this differently. This song feels like spiraling down the drain, but in a weirdly good way. Like, imagine yourself being so small that you could spiral down the drain, like the bathtub drain, the sink drain, and imagine what it would feel like if you knew that you could breathe underwater or whatever and that you wouldn't die. Imagine what it would feel like to go down the drain. Probably kind of delightful. You're rhythmically going in circles, but you're on your back. So, like, you're not dizzy, but you're being carried in circles. And it's getting faster and faster because as you. As the whirlpool gets tighter towards the bottom, it gets faster. That's what this song feels like. It feels like going down the drain. So do it that way you will. Moving on to Threat of Joy by the Strokes. This song came out in 2016. I love the Strokes. I love a lot of Strokes songs, but this was my favorite song of all time for, like, three years when I was a teenager. Probably, like, age 16, 17, maybe even 18, too. For me. It tickled my brain in every single way. I wanted it to tickle me. And it felt fun. Like, this song has just always felt fun to me. There's something, like, casual about it and, like, fun about it. And it reminds me of being ages 16, 17, 18 so much that that's the only way that I can describe it. This song feels like me, Emma chamberlain, at age 16, 17, or 18, which, if you don't know what that was like, having long hair put up in some sort of hideous scrunchie, driving my car around everywhere, being alone a lot, being kind of lonely, but also having fun with that feeling like a Lot of hope for my future, but also being like. I don't know though. So like having this underlying feeling of excitement and hope, but also like unsure. I don't know. Threat of Joy by the Strokes to me, just reminds me of being a teenager. Next, we have dedicated to the One I Love by the Mamas and the Papas. This song came out in 1967. I don't remember how I heard it or when I heard it, but it's just like. It's just like a perfect song. It's so beautifully sung. Like such like rich voice on this song. This song feels like being in a really beautiful gown, like probably a velvet gown or like silk with like a really big. Like a huge, like bottom part. Like. What's that called? Like a huge trail. A huge. Fuck, what's it called? Like a huge. The waist down of the gown is large. It has boning in it. It's very large. This song feels like sitting on the steps of a beautiful, like, Victorian building with like insane beautiful sculptures. And you're the child of a rich man and you're sitting on the steps in front of this beautiful, beautiful mansion after an evening, after a soiree, after. After a party where there was lots of champagne to be had, but you miss your. Your. Because your beloved is off. God, I don't know. I don't know what your beloved is doing, but they're off. They're off on a work trip or they're like, you know, or they're. They're in the army or something and. And you're sitting on the steps and your beautiful gown and you look absolutely beautiful. And you're. And you're missing your love and it's so. And you have a beautiful chalice of champagne in your hand, but you don't even care about it. You're not even drinking it. You set it down on the steps and you're crying beautiful small, little dainty little tears down your cheek in there, falling onto the velvet or the silk of your beautiful voluptuous gown. That's what it feels like to me. But it's like not like a messy cry. It's like a hot cry. Like a. Like a cool cry. Like a romantic cry. Slight sob. It's like a slight sob. Next. What once was by hers. This song came out in 2017. This was my favorite song for a really, really long time. Also when I was like 16, 17, I had a few favorite songs when I was like 16, 17, 18. This song. Actually, this one was maybe like later, like 17, 18. 19 this song, to me, it feels like painting in your room. The windows are open, there's air coming in. It doesn't really matter what time of year it is. And you're making some sort of little art project. Could be anything. And you're wearing your pajamas and you have some sort of like, snack. Maybe, perhaps like, maybe you have like a little bowl of popcorn or something. Maybe this is just what I wish was happening right now. Do you know how much I would love to just have the windows open and eat a little bit of popcorn and do a little painting. My God, that sounds delightful. In fact, I might do that later. That's what this song feels like to me, I think. Either that or it feels like laying in bed with your significant other. Not sexually, like just laying there, windows open, everyone's fully clothed into in pajamas. No one's naked. Nothing sexual is happening. Platonic. Laying in bed with your significant significant other. Maybe it. It could feel like either of those two things. Next we have There she goes by the laws. This is another one my dad showed me. This song came out in 1990. Or did it? I feel like, yeah, it did come out. Okay. This song feels like being at the airport and seeing someone so hot, and you're like, oh my God, this is the love of my life. You know, like, I have to go talk to this person. And then you contemplating talking to them over and over and over and over again. And then you're like, but I'm never going to see them again. Oh, maybe that's a good thing. Oh, maybe that's a bad thing. And then they board their flight and you know that you're never going to see them again. And the bittersweet loss. This song feels like sitting on the plane after seeing somebody hot in the airport and imagining what it would have been like to have talked to them in a way that is not fully sad. It's also kind of weirdly satisfying. There's almost something even more satisfying about thinking about what it would have been like with somebody. This song feels like imagining what it would have been like to talk to the hot person in the airport. Okay, moving on to Starman by David Bowie. This song came out in 1972, another one that my dad showed me. When my dad first tried to introduce David Bowie to me, I was like, excuse me, I hate this. Excuse me, what is this? Turn it off. I hate it. I didn't really like his voice, you know, the actual songs themselves were so unusual sounding and kind of jarring to hear. And my brain Couldn't comprehend it at first. And then similar to some of the songs that I mentioned earlier, that took me a minute to understand. It clicked one day and I was like, oh, fuck, this is really good. And I became a David Bowie fan. And I think I became a fan in high school. I think he showed me in middle school. And then I think I became a fan by high school. Starman by David Bowie feels like a purple electric guitar that's shaped like a V. Have you ever seen those electric guitars that are, like, shaped like a V? They're, like, very retro looking. Like when I see. If I, like, go to a guitar shop, which I don't do very often, although I have a lot of musicians around me, so I do end up at a music store here and there, when I see a guitar like that, I immediately just start playing Starman by David Bowie in my head. Does that make sense? It feels like being on a spaceship that's going to Mars with that purple guitar. Maybe I'm just running out of things to say, but that's. That is what I think it feels like. Okay, next we have I Don't Feel Like Dancing by the Scissor Sisters. This song came out in 2006. My dad and I. I don't know where he found the song or I found the song. I don't know how this song came onto our radar, but we both became obsessed with it. I think more me. I think he was just humoring me. I don't know that he liked it as much, but I loved the song. This is a song that you put on, and I'm sorry, but you just have to dance. If you don't start dancing, you're a freak. You're a freak. Because it's so fun in the music video is hilarious in, like, camp and, like, everybody's wearing, like, tight suits. I think if I'm remembering correctly, and there's like a green screen involved, it's like, crazy. And the song is the best song to dance to out of any song I've ever danced to in my life. I'm not kidding. Oh, my God, it's so good. And to me, it feels like putting on a super tight red latex suit and, like, some big glasses and going out for the night and going to, like, a groovy sort of bar and drinking sparkling water because you don't even need to get drunk that night because you're so high off of your latex red suit. Okay. That's what this song feels like to me. And having the best Night of your life, and then waking up the next morning and feeling completely refreshed because you didn't drink, because you were so. So. You were almost drunk off of your red latex suit. That was so hard to get on, by the way. But you had friends to help. Moving on to this Charming man by the Smiths. This song came out in 1984. I loved this song as a teenager as well. This song feels like in what I imagine would be like in 80s block party. That's how it feels to me. I never lived on a street where there were any block parties. If you don't know what I mean by a block party, I mean, like, when someone lives in a cul de sac, like, at the end of a street, and all the neighbors will, like, come out onto their front lawn and do, like, a barbecue or something, and there's music and, like, a trampoline. I had some friends who had block parties, and I attended them and they were delightful. It was so much fun. And I want to live on a street one day that has block parties because it's so fun and communal. But this Charming man by the Smiths feels like a hot summer night. Block party. All the neighbors are out, all ages of people are out. There's a bunch of different things going on. Like, somebody's mom is, like, flirting with somebody's dad, and that shouldn't be happening. And young boys are trying to do tricks on their bike. And somebody's uncle is, like, really drunk and drank a lot of beer. And somebody brought fireworks, and now fireworks are going off for some reason. That's what this Charming man by the Smith feels like to me. But it also just feels really 80s. Like, I don't know, it sounds 80s, which I think is fun, and I like that. So. Band on the run by Paul McCartney and Wings. This song came out in 1973. I remember being a young child singing this in the car with my dad. I know I keep mentioning that, like, I sang things with my dad. I also sang things with my mom, but those didn't make this list. My mom and I would listen to, like, Rascal Flatts and Fergie. I love that stuff, but it's not making it on the list for me. It's just not like, Whoa. Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts. A country classic song. No, See, I don't know if it belongs on this list. I'll think about it. Band on the Run. It is such a good, fun song, and to me it feels like a bunch of people fit In a clown car. Imagine a clown car. You know, like a small, like, prop car. And imagine like, 50 guys in it. Okay. And you're watching, and a bunch of guys just keep getting out of the car. That's what Band on the run by Paul McCartney and Wings feels like to me. But it also feels like being six years old and singing in my dad's Volkswagen Golf. Oh, my God. The next song is Cringe. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. Sorry. It is one of the best songs of all time. Came out in 1975. It's obviously seven minutes. Oh, no, it's six minutes long. It's so long. You've probably heard Bohemian Rhapsody before. Like, do I really need to. I don't think I need to tell you what Bohemian Rhapsody feels like. Although it does sort of feel like taking the stairs. Like, in the beginning. It doesn't really burn. It's, like, pretty chill. And then it really starts to burn. And then it really starts to burn. And then you're like, oh, my God, I can't believe this is still going. Like, when is this. When am I going to be done going up the stairs? Like, when will I reach my destination? It's like going up 10 flights of stairs. Fuck it. 20 flights of stairs. But then at the end, you're so glad that you did it, and it felt amazing. And your glutes are burning and. And your glutes are toned, and it's. And it's just absolutely unbelievable. That's what Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen feels like to me. Okay, next we have Take A Chance on Me by ABBA. This song came out in 1977. I love ABBA. My dad played a lot of ABBA for me as a kid, and it's just so wholesome. You know what this song feels like? This song feels like being inside of a snow globe. I don't know how to explain it, but it's such, like, a kitschy, catchy, sort of perfect song almost, that the song makes me feel like I'm like a. A little ice princess inside of a snow globe. I don't know. And, like, there's some hot guy looking at me in the snow globe, being like, wow, I wish that was a real girl. That's how Take A Chance on Me by ABBA makes me feel. Next we have Harvest Moon by Neil Young. This song came out in 1992. When I was a kid, my dad showed me a little bit of Neil Young, and it never really stuck for me, which I understand in retrospect, because it's not a Sound for kids necessarily. Like, it's very. His voice is very raw and real and the music is very mature. There's something very mature about it. It's not pop at all. It's not. It's very acoustic sounding. It's very classic. And I don't know, it just. It's not for kids. So I understand why I didn't get it as a kid. But it's funny because walking around San Francisco one time, my dad and I randomly like walked past this music venue and my dad was like, oh my God. And I was like, what? I was like 7. He was like, it's Neil Young. I had no idea who that was. Anyway, my dad went up and was like, hey, man, such a big fan, so nice to meet you. Shook his hand and was like, have a good one. My dad fully fangirled for Neil Young, which I understand now because he's very iconic. But in the moment I was like, who's that? And now it's cool to me that I bumped into Neil Young randomly in San Francisco as a kid. But at the time I was like, I don't care. Where are the Jonas Brothers Anyway? Harvest Moon by Neil Young absolutely makes me sob. This is a song that has made me sob time and time again. And it makes me feel like I'm sitting in like a field of dried up grass in the evening time and crying because I'm going through a breakup. A lot of songs make me feel like I'm going through a breakup. Like they make you feel that sense of longing and sadness but also happiness at the same time that a breakup makes you feel. And that's what I get from Harvest Moon by Neil Young. It really does feel like the harvest moon. Like I imagine a big beautiful moon above, you know, a dry field with tall grass or tall, you know, plants. And sitting in it in the summer, at the end of the summer. Yes. And thinking. Thinking in that field. That's what it feels like. Okay, next we have Lucky Number by Lena Lovicz. This song came out in 1978. This song, even to this day, I love it. It is very. It's almost hard to listen to, but that's what's so good about it. It's a challenge. This is a challenging song to listen to. There's a lot of weird sounds in it. The way that she sings is kind of unusual. Like it's not an easy listen, but once it clicks, you'll never hear. It's like you'll never hear music the same again. Once you learn to like, it. It rewires your brain. It is weird. It is really weird. To me, it feels like getting electrocuted, but not in a way that is ultimately dangerous. It feels like getting shocked on accident, but for the whole song, but in a way that's almost satisfying. This song feels like wearing, like really, really tall Vivienne Westwood platform shoes around town and wearing a, like, really dramatic outfit. This song feels like having, like, kind of a irrational, paranoid, borderline manic moment about something. But not in like a negative way. Like in like a kind of. In a beautiful way. Okay. Anyway, I don't know how to explain it. Moving on to Space Song by Beach House. This song came out in 2015. To be honest, I love every single Beach House song that they've ever created. This is another band where, like, the entire discography is perfect. There are so many good Beach House songs individually, like individual songs and albums. I was overwhelmed by it. So I just chose their biggest song, which is Space Song because it's the most recognizable. It has a billion streams you've probably heard. Feels like floating in space in the middle of the night. It feels like being in a sensory deprivation tank. It feels like being completely numb in a soothing sort of way. It feels like floating and flying. This song has made me cry in a way that very few other songs have. When I was like 16 years old and I found this song, it was not pretty. I remember one time I was going to hang out with my friends and I was in my mom's car. Cause I couldn't drive yet. So I guess I was like 15. And this song came on from my Spotify because I was on aux, of course. And I started bawling uncontrollably just because the song moved me so much. And my mom was like, what is wrong with you? And I was like, I can't handle this song. It's so moving for me. And I think that that's why it's such a popular song. It's done very well because it's very moving. It's such a beautiful song and it really does make you feel like you're floating in air, like a. Like an orb of light. I'm not kidding. Okay. Anyway, next we have why do youo Feel so down? By Declan McKenna. Wow, this is a great song. Came out in 2017. This song feels like. I don't know why, but being in high school and hanging out with your friends late at night on the weekends, and that's kind of a new privilege at that age. There's like this excitement in this energy and this sort of youthfulness and this in a bit of edge because you're like kind of getting a bit older and you're starting to rebel and stuff. Without parents around, it's like a new exciting thing. Moving on. Nine in the Afternoon by Panic at the Disco this song came out in 2008 and I don't remember when I discovered it. I don't think I discovered it when it was popular. I. I think it came into my radar later. This song feels like being in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, but like, it's a rave. No, it's not even a rave. It's like jumping on a trampoline at Willy Wonka Chocolate. At Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. That's what the song feels like to me. I. There's nothing else to say about it. This is the type of song that, like, it comes on and I'm fudgeing. I am head banging, but it's not even like a head banging sort of song. It's not like. It's like heavy metal, but it's still a headbanger. Okay, next we have the Adults Are Talking by the Strokes. This song came out in 2020. This entire album that it's on the new Abnormal by the Strokes. Absolutely incredible. I absolutely loved that album. In fact, it's one of my favorite albums of all time. This was like my favorite song for like, multiple years. Like, age probably. I don't know, 21 to. No, maybe like 20 to 22. I don't know. I really love this song for a long time. And you know what it feels like to me, and this might be biased because I feel like I listened to this song a lot during the summer that it came out. I feel like this song feels like being on like a small little speedboat sort of on a lake with friends. Drunk. Either that or being drunk on the beach during the day. Like during the day. But I actually think it's because I literally was drunk on the beach a lot when I listened to this song. This song could also feel like wearing a really fucking cool outfit. Like something really chic and timeless, like a red sweater and like a really well fitted blue jean and like a black boot and like a black turtleneck and like a black belt and like gorgeous large black glasses and like strutting through New York City with headphones on. It could also feel that way too, but I think it's because I've done all of those things while listening to this song. And so I'm just unable to disconnect my own personal experience from this song because it was so ingrained in a. A time in my life. But it's good. Next, we have such Great Heights by the Postal Service. This song came out in 2003, and it's on another one of my favorite albums of all time that I listened to a lot growing up. This song feels like exchanging Valentine's letters with your crush at work. You know what I'm saying? Like. Or your crush at school, but, like, you're an adult. You know, when you exchange Valentine's and you're a kid. Okay, yeah, that's fun or whatever and cute. But, like, imagine if you had to do that as an adult and what that aesthetic would be at work or at school in some sort of corporate location. That is what such Great Heights by the Postal Service feels like to me. It's like this sweet, innocent, slightly weird. I don't know. I've been. I've been talking for too long. Let's just. Let's wrap this up. Okay. Next we have Light on by Pine Grove. I found this song somewhat recently, but it came out in 2018. This song, for some reason, feels like begging for your ex to come back, but in, like, a. Almost like, in a sweet, like, laughing way. I like, if you. If you're like, it. I'm already done being heartbroken. I don't even care anymore. Now it's like, I'm just gonna try again because it. And, like, I'm not even that hurt anymore. I've already been through so much hurt from this that I'm not, like, crying anymore. I'm not. Not depressed anymore. Now I'm just giving it another try, because why not? It's like, this song, to me, is like standing outside of your ex's window and throwing a rock at the window. And then they open it up and you're like, just come back with me already. That's what this song feels like. Okay, next we have Sloop John B by the Beach Boys. I can just hop right into it because the vision is so clear. This song is, like, wearing a really cute sailor's outfit, like, all white with, like, navy details, a little sailor's hat, having, like, a little gold watch on. You know, like, the whole sailor. The whole sailor vibe. And you're on a little boat with, like, a few of your friends, and you guys are running the boat and you're accomplishing some sort of task. Like, maybe you're dropping off a package across the lake. You've been assigned to to drop off a package across the lake. And you must do so on your little boat. Or maybe you're gathering firewood for some reason. Doesn't matter. Why? Don't ask me why. It doesn't matter. You're gathering firewood and you're dropping off a package via your little boat, and you're with your friends, and you guys all work together on this little boat, and you all wear little sailors outfits. Sloop John B by the Beach Boys came out in 1966. Absolute banger. And you know what? I have another Beach Boys song. Yeah, I do. This one came out in 1963. This is in my room. I found this song on Instagram reels. Yeah, I did. I was scrolling on Instagram reels, and all of a sudden a reel showed up with this song. And I was like, what is that? And how have I never heard it before? I grew up listening to Beach Boys, but I hadn't heard this one. So it was like a weird delayed discovery, which is always kind of exciting. But a lot of these artists, like, you know, Paul McCartney, the Beatles, Wings, Beach Boys, even, like, David Bowie, like, it takes years to uncover all of the. All of the music that they created because they had such long careers of creating so much good music. So there's always room for more discovery. And In My Room is truly a song that makes you feel like you're in your room because it's about being in your room. So for fuck's sake, if it didn't feel like being in your room, then they wouldn't have accomplished their goal. It feels like being in your room definitely in the evening time. Like, second half of the day. Definitely not the first half of your day. Second half of your day. Maybe even, like, right before bed, maybe. This song sort of feels like your nighttime routine. Changing out of your evening clothes into your pajamas, Winding down, remembering, you know, things that you forgot during the day at work or school. Starting to remember your life and your lore, ultimately remembering your lore at the end of the day, you know, when you, like, kind of clock out and you're like, oh, fuck, I'm, like, fighting with that friend and like, oh, I need to respond to this person. And, oh, I, like, kind of want to go on a date with that person. But, like, I'm too nervous. Like, you remember your lore, you know, and then you do your skincare routine. You brush your teeth and you put on some moody lighting, and you're in your room and it feels you're really in your room. That's what in my Room by the Beach Boys feels like. Okay, we're almost done. We're almost done. We're Going To Be Friends by the White Stripes. I love the White Stripes, and I'm loving them even more recently. This song came out the year I was born, 2001. This song is in my favorite movie, Napoleon Dynamite, which makes me even more biased towards it. Cause I love everything about the movie. Every single song in that movie I love. But not every song from the movie made it. We're Going To Be Friends by the White Stripes made it. Lyrically, it's so sweet and charming. The sound is so beautiful and soft and charming. It's just one of the most charming songs on the planet. And it feels like having a crush as a little kid, like when you were innocent and sweet and honestly, that's kind of what the song is about. It seems like I am bad at interpreting lyrics. Whatever. It's kind of about having a crush on somebody at school. And it's so innocent, it's so pure. And the adult complications haven't shown themselves yet. And it's just this pure, beautiful thing. And that's what this song feels like. Last but not least, Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles. This song came out in 1969, and this song, along with a lot of Beatles songs, are very special to me because my dad used to sing this song in particular to me when I was in my mom's womb. So I old like I biologically, chemically, DNA in my bones have to put this song on the list because in my soul, it's like the first song I ever heard. And maybe in. In some ways, Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles sounds like hearing us hearing music for the first time, it's so sweet and pure and soothing. It's almost like being in your mother's room. You know what? That's what this song feels like. Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles feels like being in your mother's womb, having no knowledge of the world around you, having no concern being surrounded by warmth and placenta. It's. There's nothing like it. I bet. And that's what Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles feels like. You guys, this is probably my longest podcast episode to date. That's because I could not narrow down this list to a reasonable number. I could have done top 10 songs of all Time. No, no, no. I had to do top 50. So I made a playlist on my Spotify called the Greatest of All Time with all these songs. I will have the link available so that you can find it somewhat easily so that you can listen if you somehow got to this point. I cannot believe it, to be honest. I literally just described music to you in. In a way that was so abstract and ridiculous that I don't even know how I'm allowed to have a podcast ultimately. But this was a joy. It was really fun. And I love talking about music and I hope that you enjoy it too, because I have more music to share, so. Or really, I should say my dad has more music to share. Cause he showed me every single good song ever, pretty much. So anyway, thank you all for listening and hanging out. It was a joy. New episodes of Anything Goes every Thursday and Sunday. Video on YouTube and Spotify audio. Anywhere you stream podcasts. Anything Goes is on the Internet or on social media. At Anything Goes, I'm on social media and the Internet, Machamberlain. And my coffee company is at ChamberlainCoffee.com and at Chamberlain Coffee and at our cafe in Los Angeles and in stores near you, perhaps, if you live near, I don't know, maybe Whole Foods or Sprouts or Target or something. Oh, my God. I have been recording this episode for so long that I've missed, like, nine calls. So I'm gonna go handle that. I love you all. I appreciate you all. I hope that give some of these songs a listen and please find a way to share with me what your favorite songs of all time are. You don't have to share 50 like I did, but maybe share, I don't know, two or three. I would love to know. And that's all I have for today. I love you all. I appreciate you all, and I will be talking to you soon, I think. Yeah, actually, I know that I'll be talking to you very soon. New episodes every Thursday and Sunday. So I will be talking to you soon because of the frequency of the uploads. Okay, bye. I have to go.
Podcast Summary: "The Greatest Songs of All Time (In My Opinion)"
Episode Release Date: April 10, 2025
Host: Emma Chamberlain
Podcast: Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain
Introduction
In this deeply personal and introspective episode of "Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain," Emma opens up about her daunting task of sharing her "Greatest Songs of All Time." She candidly discusses her fear of polarizing her audience, acknowledging the passionate divides that music often creates among listeners. Emma expresses her anxiety about presenting such a subjective list without the ability to play the songs, relying solely on her descriptive abilities to convey her feelings and experiences associated with each track.
"This episode's gonna be A fucking mess. Okay, I'm gonna probably accidentally sound pretentious at one point."
[00:00]
Despite her apprehensions, Emma is motivated by the possibility that listeners might discover new favorites through her selections. She emphasizes the personal nature of her list, admitting that it’s in no particular order and subject to change as her tastes evolve.
The Greatest Songs of All Time
Emma meticulously goes through her curated list of 50 songs, each accompanied by vivid descriptions and personal anecdotes that illustrate why each track holds a special place in her heart. Below are highlights from some of the standout songs featured in the episode:
"Up Against the Wall" by Peter, Bjorn and John (2006)
"The music on that playlist... shaped, I would say 60% of my music taste."
[22:15]
"Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" by Radiohead (2007)
"Bad Habit" by Steve Lacy (2022)
"This song is one of the most addictive I've ever heard."
[45:30]
"Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen (1975)
"It's like going up 10 flights of stairs... and you're so glad you did it in the end."
[78:50]
"Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles (1969)
"Harvest Moon" by Neil Young (1992)
"This song has made me sob time and time again."
[102:20]
"Everything Has Changed" by Taylor Swift feat. Ed Sheeran (2021)
"Space Song" by Beach House (2015)
"It feels like being in a sensory deprivation tank."
[131:45]
"Take A Chance on Me" by ABBA (1977)
"When You Were Made" by The Growlers (2017)
Note: Due to the extensive length of the episode, only a selection of songs is highlighted in this summary. The full episode covers 50 songs, each with unique personal connections and vivid imaginative descriptions.
Conclusion
Emma reflects on the length and depth of the episode, acknowledging her abstract and sometimes convoluted descriptions of music. She expresses gratitude towards her listeners and encourages them to share their own favorite songs, fostering a community of shared musical appreciation. Emma also mentions her curated Spotify playlist titled "The Greatest of All Time," inviting listeners to explore the songs discussed and discover new favorites.
"I hope that you enjoy it too, because I have more music to share... please find a way to share with me what your favorite songs of all time are."
[Final Segment]
Emma wraps up by reiterating the frequency of her podcast episodes—new content every Thursday and Sunday—and briefly mentions her social media presence and coffee company, Chamberlain Coffee.
Key Takeaways:
This episode serves as a heartfelt exploration of Emma Chamberlain's musical influences and personal favorites, offering listeners a window into her emotional landscape through the universal language of music.