♡ songs that Get It

there are very very few songs that i actually relate to. these are them, those that evoke a strong sense of warmth or energy or sickness through how unbelievably Right they are. about me. you know.


1. i speak six languages from the 25th annual putnam county spelling bee

marcy park was a bit of a life-changing character for me. she's an asian-american stereotype, a gifted kid who does and excels at everything underneath the implied pressure of expectations of her parents. standoffish, a little out of touch, secretly crumbling underneath the mask. it isn't hard, no—marcy's actually just that cool, but crucially, even with all her success, she is not happy. she's sick and tired of playing along with it all, exerting all this energy and spending all her time when she doesn't actually feel accomplished or satisfied with her life. then... she realizes she can just... not. and that's a mindset that's really affected me, the one where i don't pursue things that don't bring me joy even if i'm good at them (stem being the big one) and instead focus on things that i love doing. it's so wonderful. god i love her.

2. anklebiters by paramore

regardless of the many issues i will have throughout my lifetime i've promised myself that letting others dictate how i live my life will never be one of them. in a world of trends and expectations and envy you have to always always always know who you are and who you want to be. this song is so short but its so very right about never letting the world chew you up and spit out someone else.

3. stuck in the middle by mika

stuck in the middle is so sickeningly light and high and cheery while the lyrical simplicity lends to this succinct and punchy conveyance of this conflict, frustration with one’s family and conviction that they are right in being who they are, but oh the chorus. the chorus’s cadence emphasized by the piano and those goddamn lyrics. oh oh oh is there anybody home who wants to have me just to love me. the satisfaction of knowing you’re right and understanding yourself can’t replace the human need to be loved and understood by others. especially by those who are supposed to love you unconditionally (and when they don’t. well.)

4. on my own time (write on!) by gym class heroes

i wish i could climb right into this song, settle in between the lyrics and make a home into it. it feels so comfortable. i put "write on!" on my grad cap in reference to this song. the first time i listened to it it struck me immediately. there's a special vulnerability in it, one that's almost unexpected esp from the album it comes from, an expression of such heavy doubt of your abilities and accomplishments despite how far you've come... you're sick with want. you're terrified. you're conflicted. you go back and forth, you know you can be better but it feels so heavy on your shoulders. but still you'll make it happen on your own time, at some point. you write on.