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sam-anderson-writes · 6 years

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My Top 10: Motivational Songs

I'm fairly new to the whole "Daily Motivation" thing, but ever since I've started it, it really has helped me. As someone who enjoys music immensely, in a myriad of genres, I have a tendency to make playlists to work to on YouTube.

The wonderful thing about YouTube is that, as long as you have an internet connection, be it at home, at the library, at school, or just as a wireless hotspot on your phone, you can enjoy all the music you want for free, though you can also find all the songs listed here on Spotify. So, to try to make your day a little more triumphant, without hurting your wallet, I thought I'd share some songs with you that often have helped me get through the day. I'm sure that you've heard many of them before, though you may find some new gems to get yourself up and going.

The first band I want to mention is My Chemical Romance. They are and always have been one of my favorite bands. Their message has always been one of hope and self-love. This song I want to share is no different. It has a bouncing beat that's wonderful to dance to, especially in a club-type setting, with a message that is important to the crowds that may gather in such a venue.

To me, the message behind the song has always been one of not letting yourself remain one of a massive number. Someone who blends in with the crowd. And not letting yourself be dragged down by people you consider friends or family who tell you to do the same. It's about standing up for yourself, being yourself, and if you don't fit into the place where you are, go exploring. Be adventurous and be who you wanna be, even if it takes you out of your comfort zone. Sometimes especially if it takes you out of your comfort zone. And to surround yourself with friends who are willing to support you, no matter what happens. The lovely thing about this band in general is that throughout their entire career, they were always sending the message that even if you didn't know the band members personally, they would always be there to back you up if you had no one else to do so. To support you through the bad times. Even the end screen to the video for their song "Teenagers" has a message featuring the Suicide Hotline just in case you're feeling lost and alone. To be honest, as much as I've always loved other music, this band really did get me through the angst-ridden teenage years that we all experience, and made that part of my life just a little bit easier. It still continues to do so today.

Song: Planetary (GO!) Artist: My Chemical Romance Album: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvfNmXbVHi4

Before I discovered My Chem, though, one of my friends introduced me to the essential modern punk rock experience known as Green Day. It all started with their album American Idiot, and then I backtracked through their earlier work from there. Though I don't have any of their older songs listed here, I can still say that my favorite album by them is Warning.

I chose these two songs because they give me the strength to keep going, even when I'm feeling down. They remind me to be who I want to be, and that even though times may be tough, I'm still breathing. I'm still alive. And I need to keep going.

I'll never forget the intro that singer Billie Joe Armstrong gave to "Holiday" on their concert DVD Bullet in a Bible. He shouted out to the crowd, "This song is not anti-American, it's anti-War!" An inspiring sentiment, and one that today still rings true, and to me, as I’m sure it is to many others, this song has always been one of satire, blatantly stating that though we may take a "holiday" from our day-to-day lives (the chorus), inevitably we must return to our capitalist, corporate, government-regulated lives and, in essence, are forced not to speak up for ourselves (the verses). Honestly, Green Day founded my love of punk rock and it doesn't matter if you listen to their older music, such as Kerplunk and Dookie, or their newer stuff, such as Revolution Radio, their message will always be a timeless one. Timeless, that is, until we, as a people, stand up and change things for the better.

Song: Holiday Artist: Green Day Album: American Idiot YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1OqtIqzScI

This next song reminds me of troubles that I've been through, troubles I'm still going through, and the troubles that we all go through in our everyday lives. But no matter what, here we are, still alive, still breathing, and still walking those streets. Still going to work, and school, and still interacting with those around us. It's those minute actions, the mundane ones of getting up, getting dressed, doing the things we need to do that sometimes, are the only things that are keeping us alive, and sometimes, that's okay. That's all we need until we find something better.

And sometimes it's that act of just keeping ourselves alive day after day that is in itself a call for help. A hand reaching out, waiting for someone, anyone, to come along and grab it, to pull us up. It can be a friend or family member, a coworker or authority figure, anyone, so long as it's genuine help. I think that like the end of the MCR's "Teenagers" video, this would be the perfect placement for the Suicide Hotline, just in case. And also like My Chem, sometimes, it's a band of magnificent people that you've never met that get you through the day just by playing the music that they do.

Song: Still Breathing Artist: Green Day Album: Revolution Radio YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnTZa4FY_7I

Continuing along the lines of 1) songs that make you feel that even though you are different, you matter; and 2) my top three favorite bands; let me introduce you to Steam Powered Giraffe. A quirky little band from San Diego, California where the entire band is made up of robots! Or rather, pantomime actors that play robotic characters who are themselves the band. That's not to say that they are auto-tuned though. Oh no. These wondrous thespians do all of their own make-up, vocals, and instruments, and even puppets!

The song I want to share with you can be easily explained in the official music video. It features fans of the band, and even the band itself if you look carefully, holding up signs stating what their "malfunction" is. What society looks down on them for. They range from the silliest, such as a smiling dog with the sign "Pitbull" to something serious, such as depression, anxiety, autism, or being transgendered. It's in listening to the song itself, and the representation on screen, in public media, that the band is conveying that even though you are considered flawed, you are not broken. You do not malfunction. You simply function in a different way, and that those who function normally, who are not “broken”, are uninteresting. Though, in making such a varied representation, the people are in fact showing that no one is perfect. Everyone has a little malfunction, a little quirk, that makes them who they are, and that's not something that is okay to laugh at or put down them down for.

Song: Malfunction Artist: Steam Powered Giraffe Album: Quintessential YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE01dViWqAM&t=18s

This song is another that I really enjoy from the female character in Steam Powered Giraffe, Rabbit. It's Rabbit when she's not Rabbit. It's Bunny as she normally is. This song is specific to her in that she is a transgendered woman, and that if only she were accepted as the way she wants to be, as a "she" rather than the "he" that she was born as (the silver robot The Spine is her identical twin brother), then she wouldn't care if they looked down on her. She wouldn't care that they didn't like her. She'd be happy to just be left alone to live her life as she saw fit. And that's all any of us ask for, truly. Just to be ourselves. To be accepted as ourselves. As the quirky, art/media-obsessed nerd that I am, I can absolutely relate, as I'm sure a lot of you out there could. There's no reason to be cruel to people just for being who they are, unless of course who they are is one of those... well, I'm sure you can fill in the blanks.

Song: Transform Artist: Isabella Bunny Bennett Album: N/A YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irQClUTaWJA

Okay, and now let's pick it back up. Like "Planetary (GO)", "Victorious" by Panic! At the Disco is what I would consider a dance-like-no-one-is-watching song. Or dance with people watching. Who cares? The important thing is that you're having fun, and it's a great song to have fun to.

Maybe you've had a bad day, a bad week, a bad month, or even a bad year. Sometimes it's that moment of pretending like you didn't, that fake-it-til-you-make-it mentality, that keeps you going. And eventually, every so often, it works out so that you don't have to fake it anymore. That's what I think about when I hear this song. Celebrating what you can. What helped you make it through the day, even if it was the littlest thing. Because even if you have a lot go wrong in your life, focusing on what went right can help it seem more bearable. Eventually, you'll be able to take the bad and deal with it like a boss!

Song: Victorious Artist: Panic! At the Disco Album: Death of a Bachelor YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUChk0lxF44

Now, up until this point, I've mentioned bands that you may or may not heard of, but now it starts getting a little more obscure. Maybe. The following are bands made up of YouTubers. This first one isn't even sung by the guy in the title, but is rather an auto-tuned version of him by another band made famous by doing auto-tuned songs of YouTubers and other celebrities. But the result is still the same: An awesome song that makes you want kick the butt of anyone and anything standing in your way. This is one of my absolute go-to motivational songs, which just so happens to coincide with the singer's newly established motto of "Positive Mental Attitude!" No matter where you're going, no matter what you're doing, no matter how many setbacks you have or how many mountains you need to climb, don't stop halfway through, or you'll never get there. You need to go all the way!

Song: All The Way (Jacksepticeye Remix) Artist: Shmoyoho Album: N/A YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJPc49z57bU

This next band is one I found that, to me, is rather silly and ridiculous, and it hearkens back to my boy-band days, but it's really just a bunch of guys having fun and singing about their favorite video games. Four YouTubers, including the singer of the last two songs on this list, dress up as or are animated as their favorite classic title bosses. There's G-Cash (Ganon from The Legend of Zelda series), Ronik (Dr. Robotnik from the Sonic the Hedgehog series), Big Bow (Bowser from the Mario games), and Sephy (Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII). By combining their strength and resourcefulness, they take out their heroes time and time again in this video, showing that no matter how many times someone tries to stand in your way, you can be the boss and take them down. Now, I'm not promoting villainy here, just self-confidence, something that I think we can all agree on needing every now and then.

Song: I'm the Boss Artist: Big Bad Bosses Album: Power Overwhelming YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H841uTdr5S0

And finally, this last artist is one that I found through his covers of big name titles such as Green Day's "Holiday", Fall Out Boy's "Thnks fr th Mmrs", and, funnily enough, Chip Skylark's "My Shiny Teeth and Me." (Extra cookies to whoever gets that last reference.) But not only does he do covers of big name songs, on top of his personal work, but he does songs from television series and movies.

The first one I want to share is from the children's show Steven Universe. It is originally sung by one of the main gem characters, Garnet, who is a fusion of the two female gems Ruby and Sapphire. Yes, a lesbian couple, but since all gems from the gem homeworld identify as female, making Steven the only male gem, lesbian/polyamorous relationships are inevitable. One thing that the creator Rebecca Sugar has consistently gotten flack in the media for, both unsurprisingly and undeservedly. Steven Universe is by far one of the greatest children's television series to come along in several years, and it's not stopping anytime soon.

I think that for Nathan to do a cover of that song, and do it well, is a testament to how powerful a statement its message really is. It doesn't matter who you have in your life that loves you, and that you love, it's that love itself, that bond, that can be stronger than anything that crosses your path, and you can use it to its full advantage. It's that confidence in that relationship, that trust, care, and compassion that makes you so strong. And that strength can carry over into your environment, including your children, your parents, your friends, until no one gives you any grief for anything. Any petty argument saltily flung your way reflects off your ward of awesome and falls to the ground, invalid and useless.

Song: Stronger than You (from Steven Universe) Artist: Nathan Sharp (NateWantsToBattle) Album: N/A YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkVbucbpZiw

Finally, I want to share one of Nate's covers of a big name song: Shakira's "Try Everything" from the film Zootopia. The premise is simple: You never know what you like until you try it, and you'll never be good at anything unless you keep trying, so pick yourself back up, brush yourself off, and try again. They only way you're going to learn is by fixing the mistakes, so why not fix them? If it's something that you really want to do, or to be, then it takes vigilance, persistence, and hard work. Be Judy Hopps! Be the first bunny cop in the history of Zootopia! Be you! Just make sure that you're the best you that you can be.

Not that I think Shakira's version is bad, I think I just have a preference for deep voices. (The Spine from Steam Powered Giraffe does an amazing cover of Rihanna's "Diamonds"!) But seriously, if you haven't seen Zootopia yet, you definitely should. Like Steven Universe, it's one of the best options for children's entertainment to come out in a long time, without being exclusively for kids!

Song: Try Everything (from Zootopia) Artist: Nathan Sharp (NateWantsToBattle) Album: N/A YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoKpPBM7fas&index=91&t=0s&list=PLTK7jKjKw3NU1karAt6LJAVsgYgPC1iAJ

That's all I've got for you now. If any song on the list helps you in any way, or if you have others that you think would add to it, feel free to post them in the comments. Tell me what you think of these songs, or artists. And if you'd like just hear all them in order instead of individually, here's the link to the playlist I created: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTK7jKjKw3NU4mnyMIqCm6nknV3FRLth_

Have a great day!

#My Top 10 #Music #Motivation #My Chemical Romance #Green Day #Steam Powered Giraffe #Panic! At the Disco #Jacksepticeye #Shmoyoho #Big Bad Bosses #NateWantsToBattle

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