My Happy Song – Hallowed Be Thy Name by Iron Maiden

Like many of the songs that I love, I was introduced to this masterpiece by my dad. I will give it to him; the man has got taste. I don’t know if it’s the build-up or the harmonizing of the guitars, but this song simply puts me in the best mood. Even though the lyrics do not match what the song makes me feel at all, it still manages to plaster a smile on my face every time I listen to it. This tends to be in the car, accompanied by both my father and brother, with the car windows down, playing air guitar and screaming at the top of our lungs. I would highly recommend.

My crying song – All the Pretty Girls by Kaleo

I discovered this song, yet again, through my dad, who had recently become obsessed with ‘Way Down We Go’ by Kaleo. He decided to download the entire album and played it on a loop for a few weeks. Once, I found myself alone in the car at a gas station with this song playing in the background and next thing I knew, I was bawling my eyes out. Even though I love music, there are few songs that truly make me feel something, let alone cry, but this one really did it for me. Unfortunately, I found out that, much to my disappointment, they do not perform this song live. I went to their concert with my father and brother (music is probably the main bond between the three of us, aside from blood) and they played every song in the album except this one. I don’t blame them, the song is fully sung in falsetto, which is not easy to do, but I still hope I will hear it live one day and cry in front of a bunch of strangers.

A song in a language I don’t speak – Via Con Me by Paolo Conte

‘It’s wonderful, it’s wonderful, it’s wonderful, good luck my baby.’ The only part of the song I understand. I find that people shy away from music in other languages because they don’t understand the lyrics, but I personally don’t need to understand the lyrics to connect with a song. I also think that claiming you know a song in a different language makes you sound more cultured so here is me pretending to be a super educated twenty-year-old who knows Italian music from the 80s. All jokes aside, this is a very mellow and calm song that I listen to when I want to relax, or when I’m walking to lectures to lighten up my mood.

A song in my native language – Bulería by David Bisbal

With my first language being Spanish, it only seems fair to mention one of the most famous Spanish songs ever. There is no researched basis behind that claim except for the fact that whenever you ask someone to name a David Bisbal song, this tends to be the answer. Being the Spanish icon that he is, David was a significant part of my childhood. Just like my dad introduced me to the greatest American and international artists in the world, mom kept it pretty local. Her iPod consists solely of Spanish hits from way back and the early 2000s, making this iconic tune one that has followed me through the years. From car rides, to parties, to family gatherings; this song is always there as a reminder of my childhood.

A song I performed – Grease is the Word from the musical Grease

Alas, the last musical I ever took part in. This is probably one of my fondest memories of sixth form. Myself along with two of my friends were cast as the radio in Grease. Not a lead role, but as Stanislavski said ‘there are no small parts, only small actors’. So, there I was, in a royal blue 50s dress with a white ribbon wrapped around my waist (not a very accurate outfit, I know) in front of a microphone and about 100 parents who could not care less about me or my friends’ singular act in the whole show; but it still holds a special place in my heart. I remember rehearsing it for hours because I was incapable of getting the harmony right and would always change my key; not good when you are the one singing the melody, but all the hours of hard work and vocal strain paid off. After having performed it, I have to say, it is a pretty underrated song in comparison to the musical’s other hits and I am definitely not being biased when I say it is probably, the best song of the entire musical.

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