Another 30-Day Song Challenge

Back in 2017, I did a 30-Day Song Challenge that played out on my Tumblr and was summed here on the blog. I’ve decided to do another one for the month of May on my Instagram Stories, and I’ll be summing it up here again. Some of the songs also appeared in the 2017 challenge, but many of them are new.

The songs featured in this post will be from the first week of this challenge, which started on May 1st.

Day 1: A Song with a Color in the Title

“Blue Monday” by New Order

I just absolutely love this song. I love ‘80s music in general, but this one has been a bop for me ever since I discovered it a few years ago. Their song “Bizarre Love Triangle” is also considered an ‘80s Classic here in the U.S., but this one both got mashed up with Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Outta My Head” and was also used in the first trailer for the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984.

Day 2: A Song with a Number in the Title

“1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins

I grew up hearing this one a lot on the local alternative rock radio station. The Smashing Pumpkins helped to define the sound of the 1990s and are part of the soundtrack of many ‘90s kids’ lives.

Day 3: A Song That Reminds Me of Summertime

“Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett

Given the state of the world today, sometimes I wish things were as easy as blowing out a flip flop, stepping on a pop top, looking for a lost shaker of salt, and ending the day with a nice frozen margarita. Let’s hope that the summer of 2021 is better than the summer of 2020.

Day 4: A Song That Reminds Me of Someone I’d Rather Forget

“Never Gonna Let You Go” by Sergio Mendes

This song doesn’t remind me of an ex (as I have no actual exes to speak of), it actually reminds me of a bully. From 7th grade all the way through my senior year of high school, there was a boy who made it his mission to tease me mercilessly and try to make me feel embarrassed or miserable every chance he got. I don’t know why he targeted me in particular, but I’m pretty sure a crush was not involved. There were many taunts and methods he used to try and get under my skin over the years. This one in particular came in 8th grade, when he was assigned to sit behind me in algebra class. He would sing stupid lyrics to the tune of this song solely to annoy the shit out of me. (And yes, I felt the swear word was justified here). The teacher eventually moved him to another seat when she got wind of what he was doing, but the bullying did not stop until we graduated from high school. I have not seen him since, but he is supposedly a lawyer now (according to social media), and I imagine if he saw the state of my life right now, he’d probably still find a way to make fun of me.

Day 5: A Song That Needs to Be Played Loud

“Toxicity” by System of a Down

The Nu metal movement of the early 2000s created a lot of tracks that frankly make me cringe now (especially Limp Bizkit, although their track “Nookie” was recently used in a pretty genius way in a commercial for CarMax, complete with a cameo by frontman Fred Durst). One band from that era whose songs have aged surprisingly well, though, is the Armenian-American band System of a Down. Their first single was the song “Chop Suey!”, but it was the title track from their debut album Toxicity that really got my attention. This song is a cynical look at their hometown of Los Angeles, with the memorable line “Eating seeds as a pastime activity…”, complete with a headbanging breakdown bridge before frontman Serj Tankian bellows out the final chorus and closing lines in his booming baritone voice. I remember headbanging along to this as a teenager in the early 2000s and I still stan this song now in my thirties.

Day 6: A Song That Makes Me Want to Dance

“The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats

This song is just so much fun in all its cheesy ‘80s glory.

Day 7: A Song to Drive To

“Radar Love” by Golden Earring

It literally starts with, “I’ve been driving all night, my hands wet on the wheel…” The rhythm of the drumming also reminds me of watching the lane dividers pass outside the passenger window while my dad is driving along the interstate highway. In other words, it’s the driving song!

I’ll have more coming up over the next few weeks!