Essays
People from all around the world share personal stories about the songs that changed their lives 🤯
✨New entries every Friday✨
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No. 086 - India.Arie’s “Video” changed my life
🏆 A top-read essay
Mocked for her differences as a child in 90s Germany, Jasmin Annmary happened upon a music video that helped her embrace her authentic self
No. 085 - Kishi Bashi’s “Penny Rabbit and Summer Bear” changed my life
Alone in a hospital room, Sean Devare finds catharsis and a new beginning
No. 084 - Tori Amos’s “Cornflake Girl” changed my life
🏆 A top-read essay
Emily Curran rekindles her love for a forgotten favorite
No. 083 - Scott Joplin’s “Solace” changed my life
Lost to memory for over three years, the composition that Adam D’Agostino needed to discover and re-discover
No. 082 - Enya’s “Only Time” changed my life
🏆 A top-read essay
A tonic for Samantha Vell's sleepover anxiety
No. 081 - The Beatles’ “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” changed my life
An old circus poster, 2000s teen memories, and the song that transported Seth Vertelney to another dimension
No. 080 - David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
🏆 A top-read essay
In a ’72 Chevy Nova, in front of a pizza parlor, Tracy McKenna saw, really saw, her mother for the first time
No. 079 - Hop Along’s “Get Disowned” changed my life
A touchpoint traveling through time and space with Austin Tucker
No. 078 - PK Chishala’s “Common Man” changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
🏆 A top-read essay
The Zambian Kalindula song that set Chilufya Chileshe on a lifelong mission
No. 077 - Stevie Wonder’s “Come Back As A Flower” changed my life
A deceptively simple song invites Sarah Conarro to draw a deep breath and spread the sweetness of love
No. 076 - Vampire Weekend’s “White Sky” changed my life
🏆 A top-read essay
How cheeseburger Fridays helped Sean Swaby cope with an untimely cross-country move
No. 075 - Nomeansno’s “Two Lips, Two Lungs And One Tongue” changed my life
Where braggadocio and machismo failed, a musical joke helped Joseph DeSimone feel understood and awakened
No. 074 - Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” changed my life
Erin Byrne Siskind on loathing, leaving, and finally loving the city she grew up in
No. 073 - Ali Sethi & Shae Gill’s “Pasoori” changed my life
Salena Malhotra on the 1947 Partition of India, ancestral stories never fully told, and the invisible borders we cross in search of self
No. 072 - Orange Juice’s “Rip It Up” changed my life
Sal Kimura dances with hope and finds transformation in the face of destruction
No. 071 - Nick Drake’s “Road” changed my life
A rotting picnic table, the Grand Tetons, and a secret stash of film reels under the stairs — Josh Cohen assembles memories of his grandfather
No. 070 - The Menzingers’ “Gates” changed my life
A prescient shower thought and a fateful phone call — how James Barrett's teenage dream came true
No. 069 - Incognito’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
As Karabo Lediga's childhood home fades away, the radio sends a message of hope and comfort
No. 068 - Bob Seger’s “Night Moves” changed my life
From riding shotgun with her dad to road trips with friends, Laura Frizzell talks big love, good sadness, and treasuring life's great adventures and little beauties
No. 067 - Built To Spill’s “Time Trap” changed my life
When Tom D'Agustino got high on friendship (and weed) at the baseball field behind his house
No. 066 - WITCH’s “Mashed Potatoe” changed my life
The 70s Zamrock song that Mwandwe Chileshe didn't believe was real
No. 065 - Operation Ivy’s “Knowledge” changed my life
A mixtape, a compilation CD, and a mythical fanmail response — how a teenage Greg Lindquist became a punk for life
No. 064 - Vinnie Caruana’s “Somehow the World Keeps Turning” changed my life
The song that found Matthew Welch in the stockroom of a Target
No. 063 - Scott McKenzie’s “San Francisco” changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
The Prague Spring, Soviet invasion, and hopeful emigration — how a Czech film set in 1968 changed Gabi Cinkova as a child in the early 2000s
No. 062 - Ani DiFranco’s “Evolve” changed my life
Yonina Hoffman takes us back to 2004 and talks 20 years of evolution
No. 061 - John Frusciante’s “My Smile Is a Rifle” changed my life
As a teen, Paul Smirl's synesthesia led him to chase down colorful sounds he could see
No. 060 - Koven's “Gold” changed my life
The song that reminds Morgan Wessner that she carries angels within
No. 059 - Los Lobos' “Saint Behind the Glass” changed my life
Immigrating, serendipity, and the virtuosic sounds that showed John Tsung what was possible
No. 058 - Tom Odell's “Sparrow” changed my life
The night Ezekiel Decker surrendered to life's uncertainty
No. 057 - Lush’s “De-Luxe” changed my life
Dani Laundry levels up from Guitar Hero extraordinaire to real-life musician
No. 056 - The So So Glos’ “Isn't It A Shame” changed my life
Why Ben Godward always shows up for the openers
No. 055 - Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “Is This Love” changed my life
The love song that hit Christian Banda like a freight train when he was a child
No. 054 - Paramore’s “Misery Business” changed my life
Diana Filar reexamines her past disdain for a 2007 chart-topper
No. 053 - Sum 41’s “The Hell Song” changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
Record shops, album art, and the song that cracked Nick D'Agostino open
No. 052 - The Beatles’ “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” changed my life
A sixth-grade music class gone rogue and the unusual song structure Jason Matu aspires to emulate
No. 051 - 311’s “Love Song” changed my life
The couple danced, the baby slept, the parents split, and Devon Balfour found new meaning in a cover of a love song
No. 050 - Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
🏆 A top-read essay
MJ Sieber's family odyssey, set to the sounds of Graceland
No. 049 - My Brightest Diamond’s “That Point When” changed my life
Derek Piotr revisits and reworks a track that fuels his soul
No. 048 - Jackson Browne’s “Something Fine” changed my life
🏆 A top-read essay
Homeschool, oldies radio, and a vision of Brandon Madsen's future
No. 047 - The Strokes’ “12:51” changed my life
Suburban teendom and the song that made Sam Banellis want to move to New York
No. 046 - Built to Spill's “Car” changed my life
A declaration of love and a change of plans on the Fourth of July, by Michael Hoolihan
No. 045 - The Band's “It Makes No Difference” changed my life
The vivid, aching love song (and performance) that Eric Reichbaum keeps coming back to 25 years later
No. 044 - Raveena's “Time Flies” changed my life
The song that reminds Kathryn Curtis that the cost of love is worth it
No. 043 - Fred again..'s “Kyle (i found you)” changed my life
🏆 A top-read essay
Thato Noinyane's big crush, aha moment, and "Year of Being Brave"
No. 042 - Van Morrison's “Caravan” changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
Fateful friendship, heart-shattering loss, and the farewell concert clip that Joe Kubler returns to time and again
No. 041 - Sixpence None the Richer's “Kiss Me” changed my life
When Shannon Egan's life changed, this song changed with her
No. 040 - “Mother Sent Me to the Store” changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
A mother-son hunt for a missing song that Duane Lauginiger swears is real
No. 039 - Vampire Weekend's “Hannah Hunt” changed my life
🏆 A top-read essay
Lyrics as literature and Jonathan Rooke's decade-long friendship ritual
No. 038 - Arthur Russell's “Soon-to-Be Innocent Fun/Let's See” changed my life
Photographer Olivia Locher on the overheard song that she now holds most dear
No. 037 - Pinegrove's “Aphasia” changed my life
Loneliness, a dream trip to Ireland, and the lyrics that made an age-old lesson click for Stone Deal
No. 036 - Cécile McLorin Salvant's “Thunderclouds” changed my life
Poet Elaine Bleakney is walking, wondering, and befriending this song this spring
No. 035 - Taylor Swift's “Love Story” changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
Middle school bullies, the Great Recession, and the song that helped Brinna Feist escape it all
No. 033 - Sublime's “What I Got” changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
Meghan Mae on a deep, enduring friendship and a Y2K West Coast anthem
No. 032 - Willie Nelson's “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” changed my life
Award-winning author DW Gibson found clarity in a shuffled CD mix in the early 2000s
No. 031 - Dead Man's Bones’ “My Body’s a Zombie for You” changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
🏆 A top-read essay
When you know, you know. The spooky, sweet song that affirmed Lee Havlicek's intuition.
No. 030 - Roy Orbison's “You Got It” changed my life
Culinary creative Erin Barnhart finally finds her perfect karaoke song
No. 029 - Elvis Costello's "Alison" changed my life
The ballad that soundtracked Luke McCanna's early crushes, and steered him toward a career in live music
No. 028 - Kendrick Lamar's "Institutionalized" changed my life
🏆 A top-read essay
JJ Tauil on family, gratitude, and keeping a clear head while living within a culture of rampant consumerism
No. 027 - The Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs" changed my life
An 18+ comedy show, Music Central 96, and the years Matthew Schratz spent imagining a song he'd never heard
No. 026 - Bright Blue's "Weeping" changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
Struggle and healing in post-apartheid South Africa, and the song that brought Khanyi Mlaba's sense of purpose to life
No. 025 - Pure Prairie League's "Amie" changed my life
Marlboro smoke, riding shotgun on the New Jersey Turnpike, and the song that Dan Svizeny used to sing with his dad when there was nothing much to say
No. 024 - The Postal Service's “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
The song that found Meagan Shorey-Wilson in a Chili's and fueled her sense of connection for over a decade
No. 023 - Portugal. The Man's “Sleep Forever” changed my life
Shane Evans on coping with change, the idea of home, and fully accepting the winding path of his life
No. 022 - Julius Aglinskas' "blue dusk I" changed my life
Artist & musician Brandon Locher on the transcendent, transformative quality of music
No. 021 - Winger’s "Miles Away" changed my life
Adult sleepovers, homemade potato salad, and KC Schmitz's journey of separating love from possession
No. 020 - Paramore’s "Ain’t It Fun" changed my life
Musician Marcus Drew talks visiting Florida without a phone, local radio, and the tune that kept him going in the midst of chaos
No. 019 - Julián De La Chica & Yana Mann's "Poemas de Bar, Op. 12: No. 8 El Amor" changed my life
A new chapter, affairs with married women, and the song that led Cole Burnett to a place of beauty and wonder
No. 018 - Ingrid Michaelson's "Can’t Help Falling in Love" changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
How one song changed the course of Zoe Regan's life over and over
No. 017 - Krill's "Theme from Krill" changed my life
Michael Sansevere on touring, cathartic release, and the friend who introduced him to his rallying cry
No. 016 - Esther Phillips' "And I Love Him" changed my life
Walking through LAX, late nights in Lisbon, and the 1965 Beatles cover that Joon Song hears everywhere he goes
No. 015 - Frightened Rabbit's "The Modern Leper" changed my life
Seven years ago a lover boy introduced Nina Faure to this bittersweet tune and it's stayed with her ever since
No. 014 - WHAM!’s "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
How a dance-inducing song helped awaken the artist in Matthew Miller
No. 013 - Warren Zevon's "Keep Me In Your Heart" changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
🏆 A top-read essay
Writer David Gianadda's ethereal connection to this song goes beyond the limitations of time and space
No. 012 - Kid Cudi’s "Immortal" changed my life
A moment on a park bench, shifting perspectives, and the song that helped Delia Hernandez find the light within
No. 011 - Bill Callahan's "Faith/Void" changed my life
Chase Burnett on spiritual expansion, letting go of certainty, and moving on from the past
No. 010 - Andrew Bird's "Danse Caribe" changed my life
Big changes, Zydeco music, and the song that offered Deirdre Hynes peace
No. 009 - Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" changed my life
Adam Forrester talks leaving home, bus rides through the mountains of Mexico, and a night he'll never forget
No. 008 - Ella Fitzgerald's "Someone To Watch Over Me" changed my life
Nigeria-based soul singer-songwriter JazzZ shares a creative connection to this tune
No. 007 - Of Montreal's "Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse" changed my life
🌸 A Grace favorite
High school drudgery, a diary shoplifted from Borders, and the song that helped Willem Helf realize he wasn't alone
No. 006 - Matthew Sweet's "Divine Intervention" changed my life
Evan Trusewicz on Tiny Tim, being nine years old, and anime music videos
No. 005 - Elvis Presley's “We Can Make the Morning” changed my life
Lauren Bishop talks finding your person, crying in cars, and Elvis as an acquired taste
No. 004 - U2's “With or Without You” changed my life
Josh Ramos on growing up, connection, and the Gospel of The Joshua Tree
No. 003 - Aniceto Molina's "Cumbia Sampuesana" changed my life
🏆 A top-read essay
Ezra Sun Wallace takes an accordion-filled trip down memory lane
No. 002 - David Bowie's "Rock and Roll Suicide" changed my life
Clémentine Koenig talks loneliness, lyrics, and loving Bowie
No. 001 - Bruce Springsteen's "Mary's Place" changed my life
🏆 A top-read essay
Brendan Higgins shares the personal meaning he finds in The Boss's 2002 tune. You might want to grab some tissues.
No. 000 - The Origin Story: This Song Changed My Life
How we got here — a series of events dating back to 2007