My Soundtrack for 2009

I really enjoy creating my annual soundtrack. It’s fun to consider the music I’ve been listening to over the course of an entire year and decide what songs best express the seasons I’ve been through. This marks the third such soundtrack I’ve made. (Have a look at the ones from 2007 and 2008.)

I have a few rules when picking the songs for my soundtrack. First, I limit myself to twelve songs, which is somewhat of an arbitrary number. Second, I limit myself to one song per artist. Third, I use both quantitative and qualitative data to make my decision. The quantitative data is how many times I played the song (I use my Last.fm account to keep these stats). The qualitative data is how the song impacted me personally. Finally, I can’t repeat a song from a previous soundtrack. Something else to keep in mind is that these songs weren’t necessarily released in 2009; they are songs that impacted me in 2009.

Now it is my pleasure to unveil this year’s soundtrack.

1. Be OK (Live) by Ingrid Michaelson from Live Session (iTunes Exclusive) – I’ve been a fan of Ingrid Michaelson for a few years now but this is the first time she’s found herself on my soundtrack. Her songs are clever yet simple. I always get the impression she’s singing about her life, not just about some out there topic. The EP this track comes from is awesome and includes a very good cover of Radiohead’s Creep. She actively uses social media, including a Tumblr on which she posted a song about her love of Twitter. “Open me up and you will see that I’m a gallery of broken hearts. I’m beyond repair. Let me be. And give me back my broken parts.” [Fan on Facebook] [Follow on Twitter] [Buy on iTunes] [Not available on AmazonMP3]

2. Heaven by Jars of Clay from The Long Fall Back to Earth – Jars of Clay has long been my favorite band. But I have to admit I was doubtful as to whether I’d like their new album when I first heard that it would have an ’80s vibe. I’m not a fan of ’80s music at all (much to the dismay of many of my recent roommates). But leave it to Jars of Clay to do the ’80s right. I’m telling you, this album is incredible. I’ve said it numerous times and I’ll say it again: this is the best album of 2009. By far. Every song is about relationships at one level or another. It was difficult to decide which song to include. Headphones and Boys both were seriously considered before I decided upon Heaven. This song is a perfect example of the ’80s sound they used. Lyrically it became the anthem of my mission trip to Berlin this past summer. “Go undercover. We drop from the screens. We’re hunters and lions. We are submarines. Under the surface, slip through the wires, decipher the code words, disable the liars.” [Fan on Facebook] [Follow on Twitter] [Buy on iTunes] [Buy on AmazonMP3]

3. Superman by WAZ from Superman (Single) – I’m a big fan of the TV show Scrubs, and one of the reasons is because it uses some awesome music in its episodes. Twelve of the thirty-six songs I’ve picked on my three soundtracks have been featured on the show, including this one. This is a remake of the theme song originally recorded by Lazlo Bane. This fall the show was revamped with a new cast and a med school focus, so the opening title sequence was changed (compare the new sequence to the original). This new version of Superman has entirely different instrumentation and vocalization. It sounds much more indie and really suits the collegiate environment of the new season. It’s difficult to remake a song and make it your own, and I think WAZ did a good job pulling that off. “Well I know what I’ve been told: you got to work to feed the soul. But I can’t do this all on my own.” [Fan on Facebook] [Follow on Twitter] [Buy on iTunes] [Not available on AmazonMP3]

4. Mess of Me by Switchfoot from Hello Hurricane – This marks the first of three songs on my soundtrack to feature the vocals of Jon Foreman. I still don’t think Switchfoot has produced anything as good as what’s on The Beautiful Letdown. Hello Hurricane doesn’t sound like them, but there are a few pretty awesome tracks on this record. Mess of Me is an anthem about what sin does to our identity. The bridge of the song lets Foreman show off his vocal abilities. I’d really like to see these guys live, and it just so happens they’re coming to Soul Fest in 2010. “I am my own affliction. I am my own disease. There ain’t no drug that they could sell. No, there ain’t no drug to make me well.” [Fan on Facebook] [Follow on Twitter] [Buy on iTunes] [Buy on AmazonMP3]

5. If You Would Come Back Home by William Fitzsimmons from The Sparrow and The Crow – I came across this William Fitzsimmons song randomly. It was on a playlist iTunes was giving away free. It’s a beautiful song about a guy desiring reconciliation, but by the end of the song you realize it may already be too late. It’s a moving song. Oh, and the guy has an awesome beard. If you haven’t heard of this guy I recommend you check out his music. “If you would come back home we could start all over. If you would come back home I swear it would be better.” [Fan on Facebook] [Follow on Twitter] [Buy on iTunes] [Buy on AmazonMP3]

6. When She’s Near by Fiction Family from Fiction Family – I had very high hopes for Fiction Family. Combine Jon Foreman of Switchfoot with Sean Watkins of Nickle Creek and you should have an incredible duo. But this album ended up having a pop sound that was a bit too generic for my tastes. Still, the first track on the album is incredibly catchy and one I’d recommend. Given the talent of these two performers I’d be willing to give them another chance to dazzle me if they ever decided to make another record. “When she’s near the new year’s here and there is not a resolution that I can’t do!” [Fan on Facebook] [Follow on Twitter] [Buy on iTunes] [Buy on AmazonMP3]

7. Laughing With by Regina Spektor from Far – I don’t usually fall for this type of song. By that I mean a song that talks about God in vague terms, saying things that at first blush seem deep but upon further inspection are rather mundane. I’m not sure why I like this song as much as I do. Maybe it’s because, likely without intending to do so, it speaks about God’s sovereignty. He chooses the times set for us, even the bad ones, so that people would seek him and perhaps reach out for him (Acts 17:26-27). I first heard the song when Regina Spektor was the musical guest on the Tonight Show this summer. I actually like that version better than the studio version, which she sings a bit faster. “No one laughs at God in a hospital. No one laughs at God in a war. No one’s laughing at God when they’re starving or freezing or so very poor.” [Fan on Facebook] [Follow on Twitter] [Buy on iTunes] [Buy on AmazonMP3]

8. The Spirit vs. The Kick Drum by Derek Webb from Stockholm Syndrome – Derek Webb is an expert at pushing people’s buttons, and his newest album continues that trend. While lyrically he stays consistent with his past work, the music on this album is a departure from the melodic tunes we’ve come to expect. On Stockholm Syndrome Webb experiments with a much more electronic sound, with mixed results. The best track sporting his new sound is Black Eye. The song I chose for my soundtrack isn’t quite as radical musically. In it Webb puts into words what a lot of Christians allow their actions to say about their faith. “I don’t want the Father, you know; I want a vending machine. I don’t want the Son, you know; I want a jury of peers. I don’t want the Spirit, you know; I want a kick drum.” [Fan on Facebook] [Follow on Twitter] [Buy on iTunes] [Buy on AmazonMP3]

9. Behind Your Eyes by Jon Foreman from Winter EP – Here’s Jon Foreman’s third appearance on this year’s soundtrack. I first heard this song last year when I picked up all four of his EPs named for the seasons, each of which is tremendous. This particular song has taken on additional significance as I’ve watched three men I’ve lived with get engaged in the past year. This song seemed to capture one of those relationships especially well. It speaks about how scary a new relationship can be, how risky it is to let the other person see who you really are. “And no one needs to know that you let me in tonight, that you let me see the world behind your eyes.” [Fan on Facebook] [Follow on Twitter] [Buy on iTunes] [Buy on AmazonMP3]

10. The Book of Love by Peter Gabriel from Shall We Dance Soundtrack - Last spring ABC aired what was supposedly the series finale of Scrubs. The final episode was very well conceived and executed, unlike many for long-running sitcoms. It closed with a look into JD’s future with this song playing in the background. It took me until after the show was over to realize it was a cover of a Magnetic Fields song. Peter Gabriel does a much better job with it. (Sadly there’s no way to buy this track individually; you have to buy an entire album to get it.) It’s a very self-aware love song, poking fun at many elements of the love song archetype while maintaining a unique charm. “The book of love has music in it. In fact, that’s where music comes from. Some of it’s just transcendental. Some of it’s just really dumb. But I love it when you sing to me. And you can sing me anything.” [Fan on Facebook] [Not on Twitter] [Buy on iTunes] [Buy on AmazonMP3]

11. Little Victories by Matt Nathanson from Beneath These Fireworks – One more song from a Scrubs episode. This song by Matt Nathanson was featured in a seventh season episode and plays as Dr. Kelso retires from the hospital. It’s a touching song about someone willing to risk everything, even in the face of struggles and failures along the way, at the prospect of making a little bit of ground. That’s a sentiment I feel like I face all the time in campus ministry, and probably something anyone faces in any kind of ministry, in which growth can be difficult to gauge. “I’ll be awful sometimes, weakened to my knees. I’ll learn to get by on the little victories.” [Fan on Facebook] [Follow on Twitter] [Buy on iTunes] [Buy on AmazonMP3]

12. Bless The Lord (Son of Man) by Urbana09 Worship Team from Worship from Urbana 09 – My last song comes from the worship team that played at the Urbana 09 conference. The band led us with many unique songs in numerous languages. (I took a video of the band playing a song called Hakuna Mungu Kama Wewe.) Buying the CD on sale in the conference bookstore was a no-brainer. I could have chosen any song on the album to include on the soundtrack; they’re all that good. (I almost chose an Arabic song called Madgan Lik.) I chose Bless The Lord because I think it’s the best of their studio recordings. “In the splendor of your majesty, from deep within my spirit sings, ‘Holy, holy!’” [Fan on Facebook] [Follow on Twitter] [Not available on iTunes or AmazonMP3]

Listen now!

You can listen to this soundtrack for free right away by heading over to this YouTube playlist. Currently it includes eleven of the twelve songs. (I can’t find Bless The Lord as performed by the Urbana worship team in its entirety anywhere on the web. But I’ll keep my eyes open for it and add it when it becomes available.)

If you’d like to download this soundtrack on iTunes check out this iMix. (Again, it does not include Bless The Lord.)

What songs rocked you in 2009?

You’ve seen my soundtrack. Now I put the question to you. What were some of your favorite songs during ‘09?

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