While my camera awaits me somewhere in a friend’s beach house in Cesme (I can barely sit still…), I eat fabulously, only undocumented. In the meantime, other thoughts abound.
I was thinking randomly about songs that I never really listen to anymore but have a lot of meaning to me, despite perhaps being of little musical value to others. To me, they’re the world.
1. Lisa Loeb – “Stayâ€
I only include this because this is the first song I actually remember ever being a fan of and to which I memorized the lyrics. I was 6 when it came out.
2. She Moves – “It’s Your Loveâ€
I was nine when this came out, but whenever I hear it, I remember myself at that age and my exact mentality.
4. Jewel – “Foolish Gamesâ€
I used to sit in my room playing Jewel’s 2-song cassette over and over, singing along to this and thinking my voice sounded identical to hers. It most definitely didn’t, as I have a sneaking suspicion I’m tone deaf. Regardless, my dreams to become a singer were alive and vibrant when this song came out. Respect.
5. Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg – “The Next Episodeâ€
Hands down the #1 song that threw me into hip hop.
6. Davut GüloÄŸlu – “Katula Katula”
I’m originally hail from Bafra-Samsun along the Karadeniz (Black Sea) coast in Turkey. The people who come from that area have a distinct culture, dialect, dance, and music. This song is hands down our anthem. The best feeling in the world is when the first few notes play, signalling the awesomeness to come at a wedding or party, random shop on the street or a small drunken gathering. Everyone gets up and dances. It makes my heart full of love and happiness.
7. Des’ree – “Kissing You”
This is my hopeless romantic pre-teen love song. I was obsessed with Baz Luhrmann’s version of Romeo & Juliet and have watched it more than two dozen times.
8. Xavier Naidoo – “Wo Willst du Hin?â€
This officially makes me the dorkiest person in Germany. Disclaimer: I learned German by translating songs. When I Googled “German Top 10” he kept popping up, so I ordered his CD and this song was the first I translated and began jamming to. I actually thought he was cool until I moved to Germany and was quickly re-educated.
9. The Kooks – “Seasideâ€
This song is just perfect. It reminds me of the month I spent in the beach town of Marbella, Spain five years ago and my British-Venezuelan guy friend who introduced me to the band while we drove around in his window-less car (we had to throw a rock through the window to get to the keys). I would replay this over and over upon returning home, wishing I was back in la-la land in all its recklessness.
10. Paolo Nutini – “These Streets”
Paolo Nutini is one of those singers who always has a song that pertains to whatever is going on in my life. His voice is so soulful and among the few that make me shudder (James Morrison, Damien Rice, Xavier Naidoo, Ray Lamontagne and Sting, among others I can’t recall at the moment).
11. Lil Wayne – “How To Love”
The lyrics are simple, yet beautiful. I think every girl can relate to this. Thank you, Weezy.
12. Jessie J – “Do It Like A Dude”
Glad someone said it. I was always a tomboy, and as I got older, it has manifested itself in me wanting to beat the boys up. Girl power, baby.
And that was quite a trip down memory lane! Hope you aren’t too turned off by what makes me smile. Looking at the list, I realize it’s the weirdest bunch, but so much fun for me to zone out to.
xo Aylin
