MARY KATHERINE CLARKE
July 2022

“The hardest part about putting this playlist together was narrowing down my list of songs.  I’ve had a lot of favorites over the years...I never thought I’d choose some of the ones that made the final cut.” 

July 15, 2022

As a millennial who grew up in the 90s and early 2000s, I’ve created a lot of mixed CDs and playlists over the years. When thinking through my 15x15, the hardest part about putting this playlist together was narrowing down my favorite songs.  I’ve had a lot of favorites over the years. At first, I added any song with any sort of meaning over the course of my life. I thought I would either chronicle my life through song or draw mostly on the “oldies but goodies” like the 90s country music I used to obsess over. I never thought I’d choose some of the songs that made the final cut, largely because they are so new. I also started to realize that my playlist changes depending on the audience. I might send a very specific playlist to my sister because she would just “get it,” whereas I’ve created an entirely different playlist for a stranger as a type of introduction to who I am. 

In the end, for my top 15x15 playlist (I now have many in the works), I went with my playlist made for a stranger which reflects my 15 favorite songs by 15 different artists in this particular moment. Some of these are from growing up, and some came across my radar just this year. There’s a little bit of every genre, but there is a reason I like them all. I hope you enjoy listening to the playlist as much as I enjoyed making it! 

  1. Someday by Kygo, Zac Brown –  I first heard Kygo in the car of my German friend while driving through Spain, and I was obsessed.  It was before he made it to America and the mainstream airwaves.  I grew up listening to country music and still do when I need a pick-me-up.  When Kygo partnered with Zac Brown to create this song, it worked (surprisingly), and I listen to it all the time.

  2. 32 Flavors by Ani DiFranco – This song was a staple in the high school playlists I created and played on my discman. It never gets old for me!

  3. Sometimes by Ben Rector – My husband introduced me to Ben Rector, and I always come back to this song. Maybe because it has the sound of the early 2000s and represents life for millennials, who’ve lived their entire adulthoods with social media and the inability to truly leave most anyone behind.

  4. Galileo by Indigo Girls – My mother-in-law and I discovered that we both love this song. I first listened to it 20 years ago and still love it.

  5. Hallelujah by Oh Wonder – My husband sent this to me and said it was an “MK song.”  He was right. 

  6. How Can I Make It OK? by Wolf Alice -  I love this band right now, this song, and how it aptly describes my life as a mother, daughter, wife, and friend.

  7. The Four Seasons Recomposed: Spring I by Max Richter – this Max Richter version always makes me happy. I can see why they used it on Bridgerton!

  8. Feathers & Gasoline by Smith & Thell – folksy, indie music has always held a special place in my heart.

  9. Coastline by Hollow Coves – so relaxing…take me back to the beach, please.

  10. The Space Between by Dave Matthew Band – just classic.

  11. Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles – a song from my childhood that always calms me.

  12. Songbird by Fleetwood Mac – I’ve always found this band interesting, and I particularly love this song, which a friend sung live at our wedding.

  13. In the Heights – I can’t have a playlist without a Broadway song. This opening song to In the Heights was my introduction to Lin Manuel Miranda. I saw him play the lead in In the Heights on Broadway, and he had all the buzz as an emerging musical genius. It was a hip-hop version of Rent-style storytelling. Fast forward a decade, and we now have Hamilton and movies In the Heights, Tick Tick Boom, Encanto, Moana…the list goes on. Choosing a favorite song is impossible. “Wait For It,” “96,000,” “It Won’t be Long Now,” “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” and “Come to Your Senses” (written by Rent’s Jonathan Larson and directed by Lin Manuela Miranda in Tick Tick Boom), to name a few, are all amazing.

  14. The Fox by Nickel Creek – I came to know this band in high school and listened to them through college, watching them at Stubb’s when they came around. Years later at the library, my daughter picked out a book, The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night, with these lyrics (originally a traditional folk song from England). It was beautifully illustrated by Peter Spier, a special and notable illustrator, and she was particularly drawn to it. We read it over, and over, and over, making this song that much more meaningful.

  15. Light of a Clear Blue Morning by The Wailin’ Jennys – -       this is a cover of a Dolly Parton song.  I listen to both versions, depending on my mood, but it always puts me in a better headspace when I’ve had a rough day. 

  16. Bonus Track: What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong – it’s the song my dad chose for his dance at my wedding, the book my children are drawn to at nighttime, and the general anthem for our lives, reminding us that at the end of the day, the world is beautiful, and we are blessed with the opportunity to live in it.