33 Years, 33 (Plus) Tracks

Happy Tunesday, friends!

For my 33rd birthday, I'd like to offer a gift to all who may stumble across this. Despite the fact that I don't intend to write much copy for this week's post, I feel a little vulnerable sharing this playlist. I thought this birthday playlist project would take me an hour. Tops.

Many hours later... I finally have everything compiled and complete. I started by listing out all the years I've been lucky to be alive. That was the only part of this process that was quick. Then, I filled my list of 33 years with songs I love and know the release year of. Some were easier than others. For example, Fight The Power kicks off with "1989, the number, another summer, sound of the funky drummer..." sothat was the first one listed. Next was some Googling but, to give myself a birthday pat on the back, I did manage to fill in just over half the years with songs without looking up release dates! The hard part was determining my criteria for song selection beyond just the year it was released and trying to create at least a little continuity between songs.

Below is more than a simple chronological list of songs I enjoy. I spent a good deal of time mapping songs to match sentiments I remember feeling at various stages of life. Well, that's true for the stages of life I remember anyway. The first couples years, the song selections were based on how I like to believe I interacted with the world as a tiny human.

So, without any further ado, here's the playlist on Spotify! Timeline, song selections, and links to videos at the bottom.

1983
1984
1985

1986
1987
1988
1989
1990

1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999

2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

2012
2013
2014
2015

2016


 

Let's Dance, David Bowie
People Are People, Depech Mode
From Here To New York, Too Short
Pop Life, Prince
Slow Ride, Beastie Boys
I Know You Got Soul, Eric B. and Rakim
Children's Story, Slick Rick
Fight the Power, Public Enemy
Muchos Quieren Tumbarnos, Ivy Queen
Groove Is In The Heart, Deee-Lite
A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays", De La Soul
Children Play With Earth, Arrested Development
Human Behavior, Björk
Feel The Pain, Dinosaur Jr.
Ruby SoHo, Rancid
Zealots, The Fugees
Who Am I, Beenie Man
Rosa Parks, Outkast
Dynatmite!, The Roots
I Want Your Love, Kelis
Cherchez La Ghost, Ghostface Killah
Things Are Getting Better, N.E.R.D.
Gossip Folks, Missy Elliott
Y Control, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Strudel Strut, Romanowski ft Jacko Peak)
No One's Gonna Love You, Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators
Postcards From Italy, Beirut
Pape Ndiaye, Orchestra Baobab
The Healer, Erykah Badu
Bring Me Up, The Dynamics
Home, LCD Soundsystem
Ritual Union, Little Dragon
BTSU, Jai Paul
The Socialites, Dirty Projectors
Nunca Es Suficiente, Natalia Lafourcade
Wait for a Minute, tUnE-yArDs
That Other Girl, Sevdaliza
Fruit, Abra
Formation, Beyoncé