What Makes a Song GOOD + LAST Month's Spotify Playlist

Hey there!

Sooo maybe I was supposed to post this a looong time ago and maybe I've been super lazy recently and maybe this post will not be up to par with my previous ones. But oh well, right? I'll include two playlists to make up for it ^^

So I'm sure you've all heard me say "OMG GUYS THIS SONG IS SOOO GOOD LIKE SERIOUSLY" several times as I force my music taste on you. But what really qualifies a song as "good"? How does a song earn a coveted spot on one of my monthly Spotify playlists? (this is a trick question; I really just add whatever songs are getting stuck in my head at the moment)

The point is, in most cases, there are some things that actually make a song good. I do believe there is still good music, however little, being made today. And so I will reveal to you the secrets of what makes a song good (in my opinion).

Lyrics

A song that says the same thing over again can get annoying. Of course, I am guilty of turning up to mindless songs (i.e. "Turn Down for What" and "Watch Me Whip" ayyyyy) but truly good songs have beautiful, meaningful, and well-thought out lyricism.

Examples: 

Echosmith, "Tell Her You Love Her" Tell her she's lovely / Always tell her the truth / When she says she loves you / Tell her you love her too

Vance Joy, "Riptide" I love you when you're singing that song and / I got a lump in my throat 'cause / You're gonna sing the words wrong

A Great Big World, "Say Something" And I will swallow my pride / You're the one that I love / And I'm saying goodbye


I think a song's lyrics should mean something to the person singing them--whether the singer wrote them or not. You can tell when someone really feels the words they're singing, and when they're just singing whatever because they were told to. When a song means something to both the singer and the listener, it's well on it's way to being a GOOD song.

Mood

All songs have different moods. Some are happy:

Sara Bareilles, "Brave" Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live / Maybe one of these days you can let the light in / Show me how big your brave is

Echosmith, "March Into the Sun" With hands in our pockets / This doesn't have to be our last dance / With hands in our pockets / This world doesn't have to end

Florence + the Machine, "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful" And every city was a gift / And every skyline was like a kiss upon the lips / And I was making you a wish

And some are sad:

The Fray, "How to Save a Life" Where did I go wrong / I lost a friend / Somewhere along in the bitterness / And I would have stayed up with you all night / Had I known how to save a life

Of Monsters and Men, "Little Talks" And some days I can't even / Dress myself / It's killing me to see you this way / 'Cause though the truth may vary / This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore

Bon Iver, "Skinny Love" (link goes to Birdy's cover) And in the morning I'll be with you / But it will be a different kind / 'Cause I'll be holding all the tickets / And you'll be owning all the fines

Those are jut really basic "song moods". Some songs make me feel like I'm in a field of flowers surrounded by the smell of clean linen (no, I'm not crazy, I'm just telling what I envision when I listen to certain songs). Some songs make me feel like I'm a warrior wearing heavy black eye liner and war paint going into battle (*cough cough* basically every Fall Out Boy song ever *cough cough*). The point is, if a song can convey a sort of mood or feeling in me--whether it's chill, angry, melancholy, exciting, rebellious, etc.--then it's getting even closer to becoming a GOOD song.

Sound

There are all different types of "sound" in music. There are those with heavy beat drops (AYYYY oh oops not the time for that now), and those with sort of ambient sounds, and, the most popular right now, the "house music" sound--a constant beat, a sort of techno sound in the background, and, of course, everyone's voice being auto-tuned. 

I like all kinds of sound in music, but currently I really love acoustic songs. All you hear is the singer's true voice talent and maybe a couple of lovely acoustic instruments along with it. I love those types of songs, as you can truly hear how good a person can sing without all that auto-tuning. So I've gathered together a playlist of my current favorite acoustic songs--both covers and songs by original artists.

When I'm feeling the sound of a song about ten seconds in, then it has indeed mastered being a GOOD song.

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So! Now you know what it takes for me to like a song.

And now, before I bid you all adieu, I'll finally share last month's playlist with you (I'm getting really sick of saying "last" month's playlist; it makes me want to stop the whole thing altogether if I can't even post it on time)

Anyway, here it is:

I LIKE THE SAD EYES, BAD GUYS

MOUTH FULL OF WHITE LIES

To be honest, I'm not in love with Hasley's Ghost--I think it sounds super catchy, and I only know the song because it's always in LoveFromLiyax 's videos. It bugged me forever because I'd always hear it on her channel but I didn't know it, so finally I searched what little lyrics I could snatch out of the song and found out the title and artist. And now I may or may not be unable to stop playing it.

OH WE GO WHERE NOBODY KNOWS

WE GOT GUNS HIDDEN UNDER OUR PETTICOATS

NO WE'RE NEVER GONNA QUIT IT

NO WE'RE NEVER GONNA QUIT IT NO

As usual, you can hardly ever tell what The 1975 is saying in their songs, but once you look up the lyrics and memorize them, then you can heartily sing along. So it went with Chocolate. It was incredibly catchy, but I hadn't a clue what Matt Healy was saying. So after a couple of Google searches I finally found out, and now I can be heard walking around in my natural habitat belting out "OH MY HAIR SMELLS LIKE CHOCOLATE" while my family gives me strange and disturbed looks. It is an interesting life I lead.

OUT ON THE VERGE OF THE REST OF OUR LIVES TONIGHT

TOP OF THE WORLD AND WE'RE DRESS TO THE NINES TONIGHT

If you don't think I'll be blasting this song in three years during my graduation time then you, my friend, are gravely mistaken. When I found out that Owl City had released his second album, I checked it out on Spotify. I literally heard only five seconds of Verge before I added it to my montly playlist--I knew it was gonna be one of my songs of the month. And I was right. On Sunday I spent the night at my aunts' house, and was forced to visit Wal-Mart in the a.m. due to my forgetting important hygiene items (don't worry, it was just deodorant, body wash, etc.). And so, there I was--in the travel size aisle of the neighborhood Wal-Mart, bopping around awkwardly in my baggy pajamas as Verge played over the speakers and I clutched a bunch of little bottles. If you weren't convinced before that I lead a strange life, you certainly are now.

WHEN YOU'RE ALL ALONE, BY YOURSELF

DO YOU LIKE YOU?

DO YOU LIKE YOU?

Colbie Caillat's vocals and lyrics are just...wow. I heard this song accidentally when I was trying out Spotify's "mix" compiled with suggestions from my love for Jasmine Thompson, and I was about to skip it, but then I heard the lyrics and stopped. Try is just so beautiful and true and honest and I wish every girl could hear it. But for now, I'll have to settle for all of you hearing it.

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You'll also notice that there are a couple of Sleeping With Sirens songs on my playlist. I thought they only made scream-y songs, but apparently they've made some super beautiful, more slow-paced songs, so I had to add those as well. (But okay am I just an ignorant rookie or does Kellin Quinn sort of sound like a girl at first listen?)

Anywho! Let me know what you thought of this post (I know, the first bit sort of sucked; I was in a rush to write it.) and of my two playlists. What are your favorite songs from the playlist? What were your favorite songs in July? What qualifies a song as GOOD for you? Let me know in the comments!

(P.S. Yes I know I mentioned the giveaway before but my announcement date is being pushed back just a bit but hopefully you guys will be given full disclosure before the end of next week...? Ugh, let's hope so. If that lazy old Olivia would just go ahead and tape the video...she can be quite a pain sometimes, can't she? Oh, well. At least she'll be giving out free ma--oops, I mean free stuff  to make up for it [Almost let a secret slip out there.])

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