Thirty-Four (a lifetime mix)

It’s the end of the year; why not another list? This one is a bit different, though. A friend shared with me the idea of making a mix of songs from each year of your life. I loved the idea, so I’ve made my own. It was a challenging task! I tried my best to stick to one song per year, with a few exceptions for years when choosing only one was just too difficult. There were also some years in which good choices were relatively few. Below, I’ve included my final list and a link to the spreadsheet I created to work through my choices, which includes all the runners-up from 1980 through 2014.

If this inspires you to create a lifetime mix of your own, I’d love to hear it!

— CB, December 31, 2014

♬

1980: “Games Without Frontiers,” Peter Gabriel

1981: “Once in a Lifetime,” The Talking Heads

1982: “O Superman (For Massenet),” Laurie Anderson (released as a single in 1981; as a track on Big Science in 1982)

1983: “New Year’s Day,” U2

1984: “When Doves Cry,” Prince

1985: “Running Up that Hill,” Kate Bush

1986: “Don’t Give Up,” Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush

1987: “Troy,” Sinead O’Connor

1988: “Where is My Mind?” The Pixies

1989: “Lovesong,” The Cure

1990: “Enjoy the Silence,” Depeche Mode

1991: “Losing My Religion,” R.E.M.; “Ultraviolet (Light My Way),” U2

1992: “Crucify,” Tori Amos; “Come as You Are,” Nirvana

1993: “Mayonaise,” Smashing Pumpkins

1994: “Corduroy,” Pearl Jam; “Last Goodbye,” Jeff Buckley

1995: “Bullet Proof…I Wish I Was,” Radiohead; “Say It Ain’t So,” Weezer

1996: “H.,” Tool

1997: “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space (I Can’t Help Falling in Love),” Spiritualized

1998: “Angel,” Massive Attack

1999: “She’s a Jar,” Wilco

2000: “Don’t Panic,” Coldplay

2001: “Pagan Poetry,” Björk

2002: “Do You Realize??” The Flaming Lips

2003: “Such Great Heights,” The Postal Service

2004: “Naked as We Came,” Iron and Wine

2005: “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.,” Sufjan Stevens

2006: “Here We Are (Family in the Hallways),” The Appleseed Cast

2007: “There’s a Limit to Your Love,” Feist; “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb,” Spoon

2008: “Strange Overtones,” Davide Byrne and Brian Eno

2009: “Daniel,” Bat for Lashes

2010: “Madder Red,” Yeasayer

2011: “I Don’t Want Love,” The Antlers; “The Wilhelm Scream,” James Blake

2012: “Take Off Your Shoes,” Sinead O’Connor

2013: “Provider,” Midlake; “Hrafntinna,” Sigur Rós; “I Should Live in Salt,” The National

2014: “Prince Johnny,” St. Vincent

♬

The spreadsheet.

The playlist on Rdio, which is partial due to the unavailability of some songs on that platform.

You want the liner notes? YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE LINER NOTES! Seriously, they’re really long, is all.

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Written by Christopher Butler on December 31, 2014,   In Essays

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