1. "All Your Favorite Bands," Dawes
I often signed my high school classmates' yearbooks with song lyrics. Someone quoted Billy Joel's "Vienna" in my freshman yearbook and I thought that was a pretty cool gesture, so I wanted to pay it forward. Instead of "Vienna," my Billy Joel song of choice was "Say Goodbye To Hollywood." "Don't Answer Me," by the Alan Parsons Project, was another favorite. Perhaps it was a bit pretentious, but my intentions were earnest. And, to the girl who I quoted "Let's Pretend Married," I apologize.
One chilly October morning in 2015, I sat in my car listening to an alternative country radio station on Sirius XM. I think the lead singer of Train was hosting. He played "All Your Favorite Bands" by Dawes and I was immediately transported back to those days of writing song lyrics in yearbooks and journals and notebooks. The chorus especially resonated:
I hope that life without a chapeone is what you thought it'd be
I hope your brother's El Camino runs forever
I hope the world sees the same person that you've always been to me
And may all your favorite bands stay together
There aren't many sweeter blessing one could bestow on a dear friend than "may all your favorite bands stay together." I can easily picture myself penning those words in someone's yearbook had this songs come out in the early 80s. It certainly sounds like ti could have. Actually, with its opening hymn-like piano chords, it has a mid-70s classic rock ballad vibe. I hear Springsteen or Jackson Browne in it. It's a kind, warm piece of sentiment that touches me every time I hear it. This is an ode to frienships, kinship, memories, and a shared love of a music. The video (posted below) is wonderful, too, and the little guy at the end is one of my heroes. You'll see why.
It's been a crazy decade and not in nearly enough good ways. Hate and diviseness seem to be status quo and no one really wants to change it. A kind word or deed seems like some unusual event when it should be the norm. Many of friends and loved ones experienced deep hurts in the 2010s. I know my family and I have had our fair share. There has been much to celebrate, too.
To everyone who is reading this, I hope the next decade brings you the best of everything. I hope you find peace, love, joy, kindness, excitement, and success. I hope your relationships deepen and thrive. I hope your health, both mental and physical, is strong. I hope the 2020s are everything you wan them to be and that at least one of your dreams comes true.
And may all your favorite bands stay together.
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