Nosediving From the High
Nosediving From the High
Influenced by Miranda
For this playlist, we’ve got songs that I either discovered or grew to like even more thanks to the influence of my fifteen-year-old daughter. It’s always been my mission as a parent to make sure she has a well-rounded knowledge of good music, so I’ve tried to expose her to tunes from all kinds of genres and and time periods. I don’t always feel like I’ve done an adequate job of that, as there is still soooo much stuff out there that I love but have never shared with her. I mean, life is short and busy. Squeezing in everything I love is a seriously daunting task. But I do feel rather successful in that Miranda has fully developed her own tastes (and they’re good), she knows how to discover new music on her own, and she’s now influencing me just as much as I do her. If you’ve read any of my previous playlist blogs, especially the Earworms Challenges, then you’ve probably noticed this already. So anyway, here is the list, followed immediately by my notes on most (if not all) of the songs. Give it a listen and tell me what you think!
Numb Little Bug, by Em Beihold: This is for sure not a song to be judged by its title. Before Miranda started playing it, I think I had heard this song maybe once from some little girl wanting to sing it at karaoke. After really listening to the lyrics, I told M that this song pretty much nails what clinical depression feels like. I hate being able to relate it so well, but on average, most people probably can. The final lines:
Do you ever get a little bit tired of life?
Like you're not really happy, but you don't wanna die
Like a numb little bug that's gotta survive
That's gotta survive
U & Us, by QuinnXCII: There’s several Quinn songs on here, with good reason. I’d never even heard of this guy, but he has done collabs with several of Miranda’s favorite artists, including AJR, one of my own favorite bands. I may need to include that song, Too Late, at the end of this list, but I won’t write more about it than I am right here. It has definitely made it onto an Earworms playlist before. Anyway, U & Us is a simple yet beautiful song of longing for the one you love. Definitely give it a listen!
Two Birds, by Regina Spektor: I’m not sure where Miranda found this song, as it’s from 2009, which also happens to be the year she was born. I had heard a fair few songs from Regina Spektor before, and I gotta say, she has a lovely, crystal clear voice that just sounds effortless. She doesn’t need to do frilly runs with her songs, she just keeps it simple, and it’s beautiful. So Miranda has played Two Birds for me several times, and now it regularly plays in my head. Great song.
Infinitely Ordinary and Freaking Out, by the Wrecks: Two completely different songs from the same band, I figured I’d talk about them both at once. I love the Wrecks. I’ve said before, they definitely give me American Authors and Colony House vibes. Infinitely Ordinary is a heartfelt ballad about how a life with the right people in it makes “ordinary” feel wonderful. Absolutely perfect song for when you’re in a sentimental mood. Freaking Out, however, is a wild, scream-along-at-the-top-of-your-lungs type jam with hilariously clever lyrics. I like to play it when I’m feeling frustrated or overwhelmed, cos singing along with it makes me feel better.
Shadow, by Livingston: The first time I heard this, I got chills. This dude is amazing. He’s going to be big, he deserves to be—definitely already has a cult following. Similar dynamic energy to Panic! At the Disco. Livingston’s vocal range is absolutely insane. I’ve heard several other songs of his as well, his newest one being Gravedigger. Check this guy out, for sure.
Nobody Loves Me, by mxmtoon, Ricky Montgomery, and Cavetown: This one is quite the collaboration. All three of these artists are big favorites of Miranda’s, and she was super excited to see mxmtoon open for AJR this past summer for her birthday. Anyway, this song is one I initially didn’t think I’d like. “Nobody Loves Me?” sounds whiny. It’s not. It’s very sweet and I like it. Listen to the whole thing.
Melt, by Quinn XCII: I wrote about this one in one of my Earworm Challenges, even titled it with a line from this song. You can check that out here to read my thoughts on it. Anyway, I love this song, it’s a common earworm for me. Check it out.
Rockstar and Nosedive, by BoyWithUke: Again, since I put two songs from the same artist back-to-back, I figured I’d make just one entry. BoyWithUke is straight up infectious. His songs are catchy and his super fast vocals are hella impressive. Rockstar is a fun look at the life of fame from an introvert’s perspective: “I just wanna go back to my room, I don’t want the fame, I just want you.” And then there’s Nosedive, which just makes me happy. I love the lyrics and the harmonies and like everything about it.
Devil Town, by Cavetown: This reminds me of all the pop punk I used to listen to in high school and college. I love the harmonies and how fun it is to sing along with it really fast.
Devil Town is colder in the summertime
I'll lose my mind at least another thousand times
Hold my hand tight, we'll make it another night
Backyard Boy, by Claire Rosinkranz: This song is adorable and fun. Makes me think of the music video for Ok Go’s A Million Ways, where the band dances in the backyard (see my train of thought there?). Otherwise unrelated song aside, it does kinda make you wanna dance in the backyard. Although everytime she says “Looking super fine in your corduroy,” my automatic thought is that actually no one looks super fine in corduroy.
Let Me Down, by BoyWithUke: Catchy as hell like his others, this one is distinctly memorable cos of the strategically placed sharp inhales. That may be one of the weirdest sentences I’ve ever typed. But you’ll understand once you listen. Anyway, that’s what I remember most. It’s a fun song and I love his random quirky lyrics such as, “I like the way your socks look.”
Good Thing Go, by Quinn XCII: Another Quinn tune, this one is sweet, the kind of song you want a romantic partner to sing about you. As always, his lyrics are ones you wish you had thought of yourself. For example, here’s the whole first verse, cos I couldn’t choose just one line to share:
I want you to want me like you want a beer when it's hot in the middle of June
And I wanna be like your morning coffee, always the first thing you do
Baby I know what you're thinking before the words even come out of your mouth
When I look at you I forget what the hell we were talking about
See what I mean? Such a great song.
Loverboy, by A-Wall: This is one of those I’ve liked from the first listen, but for some reason had to ask Miranda like every single time who sings it, cos I’ve otherwise never heard of this guy (or band? I don’t even know). This song is sooo incredibly catchy and fun to sing along with, and definitely gets stuck in my head a lot. Can’t believe it hasn’t made an Earworms playlist yet.
Life is Fun, by Boyinaband and TheOdd1sOut: Ok this song is hilarious. The first time she played if for me, I was like who IS this? And when she told me Boyinaband was involved, it made total sense. This is a collab between two different YouTubers, with TheOdd1sOut singing positive fun things about how exciting and good life is, while with every single line, Boyinaband answers back with the negative side of it. It does end happily, and it’s adorable and fun, like life is. I’m unfamiliar with TheOdd1sOut, but Boyinaband actually produced one of my favorite YouTube videos of all time, called Don’t Stay in School. And it does not promote students dropping out of school, instead it talks about how much of what is taught in school is completely useless, and how these particular subjects should not stay in school. Here’s the video:
I do recommend watching the YouTube version of Life is Fun, as well, as it has animated versions of the artists and it’s super cute.
Loafers, by BoyWithUke: I didn’t realize just how many of his songs were on this list, I guess I like him more than I thought. This one mainly gets stuck in my head cos of one line, “You’re in my melatonin dreams.” And Melatonin Dreams is the name of one of his albums, but NOT the one this song is on. I don’t get that. To be fair, he’s also got one called Seratonin Dreams.
Softcore, by The Neighbourhood: I’ve always liked them, cos let’s be real, who doesn’t like Sweater Weather? Different vibes for Softcore, it’s mellow and chill, and I can’t explain why I love it, but I just do. It’s so good.
Atlantis, by Seafret: I’ve never heard a single other thing by Seafret, and I know nothing about them. I first heard this song cos some little kids at karaoke sang it, and I didn’t hear the actual song until Miranda played it for me. This song is so damn good. Such a great use of his vocal range, and the emotions in the song are almost palpable. Really gives me Bastille vibes, and I adore Bastille. Also, on a whim just now, I decided to watch the music video. It’s beautiful, but heartwrenching. Check it out if you like:
Tongue Tied, by GROUPLOVE: I knew and liked this song for years before Miranda started playing it. I mean, it’s great, how can anyone not like it? Anyway, she kinda revived it for me, and she does a killer job singing it at karaoke.
So that’s it for this playlist. Who in your life helps influence your musical tastes? Tell me about it in the comments!
Meanwhile, check out my writing at
where I talk about raising a baby with Down Syndrome, and maybe also my YouTube channel, where I post my music and videos of our sweet little girl. I’ll have a new Earworms Challenge coming soon, so be on the lookout! Subscribing here is a good way to make sure you don’t miss it. Thank you so much for reading!