The Perfect Playlist--Lucy Whitman Sandmeyer

The Perfect Playlist for When You’re Conflicted (or When Everything is Just Really Confusing)

My playlist is appropriate for a plethora of confusing situations because the whole thing is a list of confused songs.

From God’s Perspective (Bo Burnham): This song, initially is funny (unless you're offended, in which case, sorry). But then, you actually listen to it and, especially if you don’t firmly believe in God or organized religion, it’s totally legit. So not only is it light hearted with a conflicting theme of realness but also it’s about one of the most conflicted things ever (faith). This is a great way to ease into the complexities of confusion

Grapevine Fires (Death Cab for Cutie): Mostly, this song is just weird. It’s part sad and part happy while talking about fire and kids and destruction. So for the pure mix of emotion and confusion, I place it in this list.

Bad Self Portraits (Lake Street Dive): This song makes the playlist because, despite it’s peppy and optimistic tune, it’s super depressing. Not only do the major themes (musical and lyrical) conflict, the lyricist herself doesn’t really know what’s going on in her life. It’s boppy though, to keep things from slipping into Damien Rice and Bright Eyes kind of music.

Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (The Beatles): What a great conflict (and solution). Maxwell’s silver hammer is a peppy song that does not in anyway convey meaning of the lyrics since they focus almost entirely on homicide. Plus, Maxwell is obviously a confused guy.

Amsterdam (Imagine Dragons): Again, this song is solidly confused. Not only is it optimistic and almost happy, it’s also about failure, insecurity and realness. And sometimes, that’s just exactly how you feel. It’s a solid ending because, as a pop song, it’s got a bit more of a beat that might keep the listener from crawling into a hole.