"Updated" Playlist

(Same Love by Macklomore)

Music is my life and passion. Music is in my eyes the soul of the story behind you the person. Your life- happy verse sad, depressed, excited, and etc can be explained by the music you listen to, the music you avoid and the songs you play on repeat. 

As I reflect upon my playlist, I began to see how much it describes my life and the emotions I feel. The songs on my playlist are the following: Chasing pavements by Adele, I kissed a girl- Katy Perry, Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield, Black by the Dream, Coffee by Miguel, Hometown Glory by Adele, Be ok by Ingrid Michelson, and Same love by Mackleomore.  My playlist express every emotion, feeling, and moment in my life. While I listened over and over again to the songs on the playlist, I laid in my bed thinking as if I was an outsider or another individual. An individual who was just given a playlist entitled “Clarissa’s Playlist”. As I listen I challenged myself to come up with characteristics that I feel the random individual would think of me as they listen to my playlist.  I came up with the characteristics of gay/bisexual, open to listening to all types of music, spiritual, optimistic, unique and maybe a little emotional.

Each characterizes derived from a song and the lyrics of the song. Most of what I imagined a random individual would think of me as they listened was mostly true.

Lets breakdown the first assumption which was she may be gay/bisexual. This assumption came from listening to the song Same love by Mackleomore. The song is about same sex relationships and explains how it is a love you cannot change. It explains how Americans today have assumptions and judgment towards same sex couples. I am an individual who openly as of December 25th 2014 identifies with the LBGTQ+ community- making that assumption would have been true. The song Same love holds so much meaning to me, which is why I choose to put it on my playlist, because it is how I was able to build the confidence to come out to my mother. The songs talks about how "you can't change it", which is the exact words I told my mother. She cried and I cried however she said, "I love you". She realized it was who I am not something I was trying to be. So every time I listen the song it truly makes me happy and feels empowered. Other songs like Black by the rapper the Dream, is another song that allowed me to get through a major life moments. I grow up begin told that my race was a dishonor to my family last name. I am Irish and African American; my family is a very prideful Irish family. Begin African American was not acceptable and not worthily of the family last name which is Pavich. The song Black is a reminder of the power surrounded with identifying as an African American. It was a great reminder that I should love who I am. The song as strong emotion through it and a tone of “Black” power throughout. Songs like Hometown glory by Adele and Unwritten provide more clues to me begin a bit emotional. Both songs have so much emotion and such powerful messages. But one characteristic that is very true and can be noticed through my playlist is Be ok by Ingrid. She really helps me when I am feeling down, helps me get my optimistic perspective back. We all have to remember that it will be okay, because it will. All together, looking- well listening to my playlist I can see how true it is that music describes you to a T. So if you let anything define you, let it be music your playlist.