Look! A Post That's Not About Baseball!

If you've read my blog anytime in the last day or so, then you'll see that I added a cool new feature that I found on the worldwideweb, and specifically at playlist.com. True to form, I didn't do a whole lot of research about the site, but simply dove right in and created my own playlist.

One thing I want to mention right away is that if you don't like listening to music while you're reading, you have the option of clicking the "Pause" button on the player, which effectively acts as a mute button. Also, when I was creating the playlist I was given the option of making songs play randomly but I chose to keep my songs in a specific (though insignificant) order. So if it takes you 30 seconds to read one of my entries and you don't want to listen to Shout To the Lord (what are you, crazy?)every time you surf by, feel free to click on any one of the songs in the playlist and listen to a new song each time you visit!

Today was "Senior Sunday" at church and we had a special program and luncheon to honor our graduating seniors from high school and college. Last night I wanted to get a head start on meal prep rather than saving everything for the morning, so I opened up my blog and listened to my playlist as I chopped, mixed, poured and sauteed. And then it hit me: I should post an entry detailing WHY I chose each of the songs on my playlist. There are so many more songs that SHOULD be on the playlist and that will probably be added to the playlist, but a girl's only got so much time! So without further ado, here is "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Andrea's Playlist But Were Afraid to Ask":

1. Shout to the Lord (American Idol Top 8) - First, I should mention that I am not an American Idol watcher. That is not to say that I don't like American Idol. I simply don't have time for American Idol. What I am is akin to a stalker; you know (or maybe you don't) how people will read a blog for months and then one day they'll decide to comment and they preface their remarks by saying, "I have been a stalker on this site for months"? Well, that's me with American Idol. I waited until all the auditions were over, I waited for the Top 25 to be named, I waited while they were whittled down to 12 guys and 12 girls, I waited while one or two or three were eliminated . . . and then I pounced. I checked out the Top 10 and started taking note of early favorites and reading reviews of the different contestants' voices, and then I went straight to YouTube. (Is there anything that can't be found on YouTube?) And then one day I read on the internet that the ensemble had sung Shout to the Lord on the show and I was like, "Wait, that's a contemporary Christian song! Am I missing something?" Apparently they sung it on the Idol Gives Back episode, but I confess I'm still a little amazed. (Whew, this explanation is already too long, and I haven't even made it past #1!) Today, this very day, I finally took the time to look up the video clip (and there are a ton) and I found several "edited" versions, but the one on my playlist is my favorite. All that to say, this is one of my favorite songs and I think the ensemble sounds amazing (way better than some of them sound individually--and yes, I mean YOU, Michael Johns!).

2. Bring the Rain (MercyMe) - These lyrics feel deeply personal to me in the season of life I'm currently experiencing. I've been going through some stuff that has just flat brought me to my knees, and I have pleaded with God to give me answers and healing and hope. And each time I sing "Instead I draw closer through these times" and especially "And I know there'll be days/When this life brings me pain/But if that's what it takes to praise You/Jesus, bring the rain," my life is put back into perspective again.

3. Come to Jesus (Chris Rice) - This song is inextricably linked in my mind to my mother's passing. My dad made a CD of the music that was played at my mom's funeral for me to bring home with me, and I can remember sitting in Sawyer's nursery, rocking or nursing him, and sobbing while listening to this song. Sawyer was only four months old when his grandma was taken from him so he didn't understand why I was crying--he probably didn't even realize that I was. At the time, I didn't think I would be able to bear the pain of losing her, and I was heartsick (I still am) that she wouldn't get to see her newest grandson grow up. She would simply eat him up!

4. Smile (Chris Rice) - I didn't intend to put these two songs together but it's probably just as well because coincidentally, this song will also always make me think of my mom. I remember hearing this song for the first time while driving around town and finding a parallel between the lyrics and my own feelings regarding my mom's impending death. The chorus blew me away and I remember thinking, "That's exactly how I feel!"

Cause I just wanna be with You/I just want this waiting to be over/I just want to be with You/And it helps to know the Day is getting closer/Every minute takes an hour/Every inch feels like a mile/Til I won't have to imagine/And I finally get to see You smile.

5. Unfailing Love (Chris Tomlin) - I jumped on the Chris Tomlin bandwagon a little late (trust me, if an artist hits it BIG, I'll find out about it two years later), but this song was one of my immediate favorites. Not only are the lyrics powerful and beautiful--I can't pick out anything particular to highlight because the whole song is perfection from top to bottom--but it doesn't hurt that Steven Curtis Chapman accompanies him, and SCC has had my heart ever since I Will Be Here. In fact, why isn't THAT song on my playlist??

6. Bring It On (Steven Curtis Chapman) - Well what do you know? I was just talking about my boy! "Now, I don’t want to sound like some hero/‘Cause it’s God alone that my hope is in/But I’m not gonna run from the very things/That would drive me closer to Him/So bring it on!" 'Nuff said.

7. Remember Me (Mark Schultz) - I couldn't get more than a snippet of this song but included it anyway. If you haven't heard this song, YouTube it or download it from iTunes or whatever it is you do to listen to a song without getting the whole CD--although I would recommend the whole CD, come to think of it. Anyway, for some reason this song always makes me think of Tyler, and anything that makes me think of my kids MUST be a good thing! As Tyler has grown he has developed quite an ear for music; I wouldn't say he goes around the house singing all the time, but we sing in the van--A LOT. And what I especially love about Tyler is his ability to pick out harmonies, because I love me some harmonizin'! He has a beautiful voice, too. And I keep asking him to sing this song as a duet with me but he thinks I'm being silly. Which, of course, reminds me of the, oh, one million times my mom begged me to sing "The Rose" with Brian EVERYWHERE WE WENT, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, and I broke her heart by saying no each and every time. The lesson: What goes around comes around!

8. The Long and Winding Road (David Archuleta) - Have I mentioned this boy can sing? I will confess, I look forward to Wednesdays for one reason other than the fact that I get my mid-week WW fix; I also get to see and hear David's chosen song from American Idol the previous night. In my humble opinion, David has had very few missteps this season, regardless of what Simon Cowell might say on any given week. I am not afraid to admit it: I will TOTALLY buy his CD when it comes out!

9. The Real Me (Natalie Grant) - This is another snippet, but I absolutely ADORE this song. I didn't know much about Natalie Grant when I attended the Women of Faith conference several years ago for the first time, but she had already made a name for herself with the song "Held," and I think she even had an award or two under her belt. And along with "Held," she performed an arrangement of "When Peace Like a River/It Is Well" that had me in a puddle of tears when it was all over. I immediately purchased her CD and that's how I became acquainted with this track. Her transparency is compelling and the lyrics really resonate with me because I spent a lot of years feeling like I was two different people, the "perfect" one with the mask that the world could see, and the flawed, broken creature that God could see: "You see the real me/Hiding in my skin, Broken from within/Unveil me completely/I'm loosening my grasp, There's no need to mask/My frailty 'cause you see the real me."

10. Lord Move, or Move Me (FFH) - Hands down, one of my favorite CC bands of all time. I think Jeromy Deibler has one of the most distinctive voices in Christian music, and I still remember the first time I heard this song. I was in the girls' bedroom (in Ohio), putting away laundry on a Saturday and I had their clock radio tuned to 104.9 "The River." Did I mention I love harmony? I don't mean like "peace and harmony" (although that is highly valued by me as well!); the harmonies in this song make me stop whatever I'm doing (unless I'm driving, of course) so that I can devote my full attention to singing at the top of my lungs. Yes, I'm a dork, and proud of it!

11. Beautiful One (By the Tree) - Oh, how I remember the first time I heard this awesome song. We were on a road trip to Auburn, and this song came on the radio. I wasn't even paying attention to it--I clearly remember that I took absolutely NO note of it until Randy started BELTING out the chorus so exuberantly, I was like, "Who IS this?" He had no idea what the band's name was, and it was a long time before I was able to track down their name; since we were on vacation, I kind of forgot about the song for a while and then couldn't remember the name of it. So then I was like, "Remember that song we heard in the car on vacation? The one that you were singing so exuberantly?" (Yes, I think I actually used the word "exuberantly.") This CD (Hold You High) is great--and I absolutely LOVE hearing Sawyer belt out, "Beautiful One I love/Beautiful One I adore/Beautiful One my soul must sing!"

12. Holy (Nichole Nordeman) - Confession: I don't actually LOVE this song. But I love the memory that hearing it brings me. About two years ago, when Darcy was around seven or seven-and-a-half, she started developing her own taste in music, and she definitely gravitated to artists of her own gender--early favorites were Nicole C. Mullen, Jaci Velasquez, Joy Williams and this Nichole. Since Darcy already had a personal CD player to listen to audio books, she began raiding my CD collection for music she could listen to in bed at night, and I just loved that something I take such pleasure in (music) was just one more love that Darcy and I could share.

13. Press On (Selah) - Oh, Selah. What can I say about Selah? I should clarify--the Selah that I love is the original group of Todd Smith, Allan Hall and Nicol Sponberg (Todd's sister). I know, I know I am a big huge dork, but this is one of those songs that I simply cannot get through without breaking down and weeping. "Dear Lord with the prize/Clear before our eyes/We find the strength to press on." If you've never heard this song, you have no idea what you're missing.

14. Wonderful Merciful Savior (Selah) - It breaks my heart that I couldn't get the full cut of this song. Incidentally, neither this song nor the song above was "the song that started it all" for me. I'll get to that one in a bit. But again, just see if you can get through these lyrics without crying (and if you can, well, there's just something wrong with you):

Wonderful, merciful Savior/Precious Redeemer and Friend/Who would have thought that a Lamb/Could rescue the souls of men/Oh you rescue the souls of men

Counselor, Comforter, Keeper/Spirit we long to embrace/You offer hope when our hearts have/Hopelessly lost the way/Oh, we've hopelessly lost the way

You are the One that we praise/You are the One we adore/You give the healing and grace/Our hearts always hunger for/Oh, our hearts always hunger for

Almighty, infinite Father/Faithfully loving Your own/Here in our weakness You find us/Falling before Your throne/Oh, we're falling before Your throne

15. Written on my Heart (Plus One) - Heard this song on a WOW CD that Randy picked up at the library, thought they sounded like the Backstreet Boys or N'Sync or some other boy band, but the little ditty is pretty catchy and I love me the harmony! Too bad I've never heard anything of theirs since.

16. King of Glory (Third Day) - I heard this song on the same CD as the previous song, and all of a sudden this band that I had heard of but had disdained for so long shot to the top of my favorites list! Mac Powell: in a word . . . AWESOME.

17. You Raise Me Up (Selah) - Now THIS is the song that started it all. I was driving to Wal-mart in Columbus one day and as I was pulling into the parking lot, this song came on. This is one of those songs that you know from the very beginning is going to be special. I prayed desperately that the disc jockey would tell the name of the group (Hallelujah! He did!), and I went straight home and found it on the internet and played the song with an accompanying video from YouTube for the kids. To this day this is one of Tyler's favorite songs (one more thing we share--do you detect a pattern?). There is just something about the harmony between siblings, and Todd and Nicol are brilliant, just brilliant.

18. Upside Down (Jack Johnson) - Another one of those artists who had already made it big before I'd ever heard of him. I became acquainted with Mr. Johnson when we took the kids to see a cute little family film called Curious George--maybe you've heard of it? I'm telling you, I would watch paint dry if the C.G. soundtrack featuring Jack Johnson was playing in the background.

19. Music of the Night (David Cook) - He's been dubbed "The Rock Star" (or maybe it's "The Rocker") of American Idol and while he's been a little uneven for me, he has had flashes of brilliance. (Yes, I'm one of those that was left in awe of his performance of "Billie Jean.") One thing you need to know about me: I am a sucker for "macho" guys/men who are not afraid to try a little tenderness. Sure, David puts his own little spin on this song here and there, but overall this is just a beautiful ballad (one of my favorites from The Phantom of the Opera) and I thought he ROCKED!

20. For Good (the Broadway musical Wicked) - My brother Clark saw this musical a couple of years ago, and while he is truly a theater buff and often raves about shows he's seen, he raved so profusely about this musical and this song in particular that I went out and bought the soundtrack without knowing a thing about it! A great song about love and friendship and the legacy we leave on this world. (And oh yeah, the musical is fantastic!)

21. Homesick (MercyMe) - Okay, okay, if you must know, this one reminds me of my mom . . . again. I could have the timing wrong, but it sure seems like I heard this song just a month or so after my mom died. "You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times/And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you/But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry/Is how long must I wait to be with you

In Christ, there are no goodbyes/And in Christ, there is no end/So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have/To see you again/To see you again."

22. Testify to Love (Avalon) - I love this song; Tyler loves this song; Darcy loves this song; Peyton loves this song; Sawyer loves this song; Randy loves this song.

We LOVE this song.

23. Nothing Compares (Third Day) - You know, there are so many other Third Day songs I could put on my playlist, so this one may become interchangeable with some of their others. I. Love. Mac. Powell. I might have mentioned that.

24. Never Alone (BarlowGirl) - I forgot about this song until a few weeks ago, and it just popped into my head. One friend who had never heard it before thought it was a "sad" song, but I find incredible strength in the lyrics, "I cried out with no reply/And I can't feel You by my side/So I'll hold tight to what I know/You're here and I'm never alone/And though I cannot see You/And I can't explain why/Such a deep, deep reassurance/You've placed in my life/We cannot separate/'Cause You're part of me/And though You're invisible/I'll trust the unseen." When it comes right down to it, isn't that what faith is all about? Trusting the unseen? But feeling that deep reassurance that though He's invisible, we're never alone. Love it.

25. Get'cha Head in the Game (High School Musical soundtrack) - Okay, so this probably wouldn't make any of your Top 25 lists, and this isn't even the version of the song that I really wanted, but every time this CD cycles around in the van and Sawyer hears Track One begin, he automatically shouts, "Track 11!" That is the "hip-hop" or "rap" version of this song that was included as a bonus track on this soundtrack. And yes, I realize that I haven't included any of Peyton's favorites on my playlist, but I just couldn't bring myself to stick "Bop to the Top" in there!

And there you have it. If anyone actually reads to the end of this post, leave me a comment--I may just have to send you a prize!