Sountracks

If you were to put together a soundtrack of your life, what songs would you include? That opportunity has presented itself to me and it’s been an interesting adventure. 

Songs I loved as a child cause me to cringe and look to see if anyone’s listening. Yes, I liked the Carpenters, and Puff, The Magic Dragon still beckens me to the land called Honahlee. In time, I wandered down some colorful paths listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers, but it was the sad music of James Taylor, Neil Young, and Jackson Browne that carved a deeper place in my soul. 

Mine is an eclectic soundtrack, one that includes popular songs that are obvious, sappy ones which make my cool friends roll their eyes, as well as “druggy tunes,” as my wife describes them, that bring me back to circle of friends in a dorm room I’ll never forget. There’s even church music and Broadway musicals which provide their own theologies.

As we return to the festive months of summer, music cascades over all we do, and I would invite you to consider your life’s soundtrack. What was your first “favorite song”? What was the song you always played whenever you hooked up a stereo? What did you listen to when you were hurt? What did you listen to when no one else was listening? What song did you play in your first car? What music makes you get speeding tickets? What did you dance to at your wedding? What song moves you to tears? What would you want played at your funeral?

More than reminiscing, soundtracks can teach about the various chapters of our lives. The most important people and moments of our lives are usually intertwined with the melodies and words of particular songs. Friends in school used to ask what 5 albums I’d take with me on a desert island (Which must have had electricity and a stereo)? Now I pose a similar question to you. What songs would you select if you were to make a soundtrack of your life?

Extra Credit: Make the soundtrack and play it for someone, offering commentary where appropriate.