1998-2001
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, EA asked to specially curate a playlist for our last few years of high school. So it only seemed right to ask her which songs she thought should make the cut for this Monday Mixtape. A couple of these songs were actually released before this 3 year window, but they were definitely on the radio by the time 1998 rolled around. Songs are in the order in which they were released. Also, the commentary for the below songs are totally from me and do not necessarily represent the thoughts and feelings of my wife.

1. “Tubthumping” by Chumbawumba (1997)
Come for the epic singalong chorus and then have fun answering questions for your kids about the verses. Yep, those are about getting sloshed and singing songs that make them happy. Although, if you replaced the lyrics with “O Danny Boy” with something like “Amazing Grace” and we’re suddenly talking about your hip local church that holds a Beer & Hymns night at the local pub. Also, Chumbawumba is definitely on the first ballot for the Fun Band Names To Say Hall of Fame.

2. “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day (1997)
In which I always said something loudly to drown out the muttered profanity right before the guitar starts strumming. They never heard it because they would have definitely said something if they heard it. We don’t look like the best parents so far. I promise we are trying our best with them. Also, it is wild to me that I discovered this song because of a montage shown right before the series finale of Seinfeld. Even more wild that the montage made me tear up considering that Seinfeld was notorious for its “no hugging, no learning” rule.

3. “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” by Will Smith (1998)
Pop quiz: How many na’s are there each time before the former Fresh Prince says “Gettin’ jiggy wit’ it”? This makes me yearn for a simpler time when Will Smith was known for party jams, blockbuster movies, and party jams that re-told the plots of blockbuster movies. Do you know how awesome it would be if Will Smith decided to record a double album that went through the entire MCU song by song? It would be amazing for his career! There could be songs titled “Cool Like a Winter Soldier,” “Thwip Thwip (Spidey’s Coming),” and “Ragna-rock.” Let’s make this happen, Will.

Sunday
A little bit of a switch-up. For about as long as I could connect an iPod (later iPhone) to a car stereo, I have been creating and continuously updating a Sunday playlist. This is typically what we have listened to as we go to and from church. It is due for another update, but I wanted to make note of what this ever evolving playlist is at this point in our lives. These are in the actual order in which they appear.

1. “Oh Great God, Give Us Rest” by David Crowder Band

This one is honestly kind of prayer for me since Sundays are rarely my most restful day of the week. The lyrics of this one have touched a chord within me especially in the last five years or so.

2. “I Need Thee Every Hour (20th Anniversary Edition)” by Jars of Clay

Before iPods and iPhones, we had these things called CDs that played songs. If it was a Sunday in my early 20s, there was a pretty good chance that the CD in my car would be Redemption Songs, Jars of Clay’s collection of re-recorded and reimagined hymns.

3. “Your Love is Strong (Live)” by Jon Foreman

This is a song that I would love to hear in a church context at some point; a beautiful, straightforward song that touches on teachings and parables of Jesus and the Lord’s Prayer. This version from Foreman’s Roll Tape: Live from Melody League Studios is my favorite with the exception of the Switchfoot frontman exclaiming, “I love playing with you guys!” at the end. Kind of messes up the vibe, but that’s how good the rest of the version is.

4. “Till Kingdom Come” by Coldplay

This song has been on the Sunday playlist from the very beginning. My favorite Coldplay song and one of the most personally meaningful songs in my life. I know technically it is not a song about God, but it has become one for me. I even preached a sermon about it this past year.

2002-2009
Who says we have to go in chronological order? We’re going to fast forward from the 60s to our playlist from last week: 2002-2009. Why not just the 2000s? Well, EA wanted to curate a special playlist for 1998-2001 (not so coincidentally our last two years of high school), which meant our decade journey took stops in 1990-1997 and 2002-2009. So welcome to the 21st Century. These are in order by the year released.

1. “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton (2002)

That piano line. Apparently Vanessa Carlton was working on the riff in her home and her mom told her it was a hit. Mom was right. That thing is imprinted into my brain and I love it. I am also fully convinced that any guy in the early 2000s who could play the riff from “A Thousand Miles” on piano had an unfair advantage in the dating realm over the rest of us.

2. “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé (feat. Jay-Z) (2003)

Twenty years on, the horns that kick off this song feel like an announcement and a coronation.

3. “Hey Ya!” by Outkast (2003)

A stone cold classic. The internet is still arguing over what time signature this song is in. Polaroid had to release a statement asking people not to shake their instant photographs. Plus there’s the music video with 8 Andre 3000s, which I promise you aired about 50 times a day on MTV International when I was on foreign study my junior year of college.

A few months back, I realized two things: 1. My sons get along a lot better when we listened to music on the way to school; 2. They have not had wide exposure to music. So we started doing theme weeks where would listen to an artist, genre, or decade in the car on the way to and from school. Each Monday for the next few weeks, I am going to whittle down one of those playlists of 40-60 songs into a 12-14 song playlist. This is Monday Mixtape.

The 60s
The 60s playlist was the first decade that we did in our car-based music education series and it is our youngest son’s absolute favorite. There have been times when I’ve had to go run an errand and asked Liam if he wanted to go with me. If he waffled, all I had to say was, “You can listen to the 60s playlist” and he was in. As such, his favorite song will be on this list. These are in order by the year they were released.

1. “Runaround Sue” by Dion (1961)

On one hand, I feel bad for kicking off this list with this song since it follows the tired trope of the girl who dates a bunch of the other guys. If a guy went around dating a bunch of girls, he would get a song celebrating his magic with the ladies. But the music just moves; doowop evolved into something actually cool. When I was growing up, our family would typically listen to either Christian music or the Oldies station and even as a 6 year old I would have told you that “Runaround Sue” was a jam.

2. “My Girl” by The Temptations (1964)

It’s the first song EA and I danced to at our wedding. It’s my ringtone for her (even though like a good millennial, my ringtone has been on silent for about 12 years). It is simply a pop masterpiece. When those strings take off right before the key change and the last verse? It’s magical. Plus “When it’s cold outside / I’ve got the month of May”? That is the month of my wife’s birth.

3. “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” by Stevie Wonder (1965)

This song is on the list purely for the reason that the jubilant horns in this song are how joy sounds in my head. It’s really hard to feel down when those things hit.