Essays

Grace Lilly
Jan 27, 2024
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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. 048 - Jackson Browne’s “Something Fine” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Jul 19
No. 048 - Jackson Browne’s “Something Fine” changed my life

Homeschool, oldies radio, and a vision of Brandon Madsen's future

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No. 047 - The Strokes’ “12:51” changed my life

Grace Lilly
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Jul 12
No. 047 - The Strokes’ “12:51” changed my life

Suburban teendom and the song that made Sam Banellis want to move to New York

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No. 046 - Built to Spill's “Car” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Jul 5
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

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No. 045 - The Band's “It Makes No Difference” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Jun 28
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

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No. 044 - Raveena's “Time Flies” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Jun 21
No. 044 - Raveena's “Time Flies” changed my life

The song that reminds Kathryn Curtis that the cost of love is worth it

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No. 043 - Fred again..'s “Kyle (i found you)” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Jun 14
No. 043 - Fred again..'s “Kyle (i found you)” changed my life

Thato Noinyane's big crush, aha moment, and "Year of Being Brave"

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No. 042 - Van Morrison's “Caravan” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Jun 7
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

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No. 041 - Sixpence None the Richer's “Kiss Me” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
May 31
No. 041 - Sixpence None the Richer's “Kiss Me” changed my life

When Shannon Egan's life changed, this song changed with her

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No. 040 - “Mother Sent Me to the Store” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
May 24
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

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No. 039 - Vampire Weekend's “Hannah Hunt” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
May 17
No. 039 - Vampire Weekend's “Hannah Hunt” changed my life

Lyrics as literature and Jonathan Rooke's decade-long friendship ritual

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No. 038 - Arthur Russell's “Soon-to-Be Innocent Fun/Let's See” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
May 10
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

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No. 037 - Pinegrove's “Aphasia” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
May 3
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

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No. 036 - Cécile McLorin Salvant's “Thunderclouds” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Apr 26
No. 036 - Cécile McLorin Salvant's “Thunderclouds” changed my life

🏆 A top-read essay

Poet Elaine Bleakney is walking, wondering, and befriending this song this spring

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No. 035 - Taylor Swift's “Love Story” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Apr 19
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

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No. 034 - Gal Costa's “Baby” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Apr 12
No. 034 - Gal Costa's “Baby” changed my life

Oren Peleg's letter to a past lover

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No. 033 - Sublime's “What I Got” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Apr 5
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

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No. 032 - Willie Nelson's “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Mar 29
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

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No. 031 - Dead Man's Bones’ “My Body’s a Zombie for You” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Mar 22
No. 031 - Dead Man's Bones’ “My Body’s a Zombie for You” changed my life

🏆 A top-read essay

When you know, you know. The spooky, sweet song that affirmed Lee Havlicek's intuition.

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No. 030 - Roy Orbison's “You Got It” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Mar 15
No. 030 - Roy Orbison's “You Got It” changed my life

🏆 A top-read essay

Culinary creative Erin Barnhart finally finds her perfect karaoke song

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No. 029 - Elvis Costello's "Alison" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Feb 29
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

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No. 028 - Kendrick Lamar's "Institutionalized" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Feb 23
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

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No. 027 - The Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Feb 16
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

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No. 026 - Bright Blue's "Weeping" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Feb 9
No. 026 - Bright Blue's "Weeping" changed my life

🏆 A top-read essay

Struggle and healing in post-apartheid South Africa, and the song that brought Khanyi Mlaba's sense of purpose to life

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No. 025 - Pure Prairie League's "Amie" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Jan 26
No. 025 - Pure Prairie League's "Amie" changed my life

🏆 A top-read essay

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

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No. 024 - The Postal Service's “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Jan 19
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

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No. 023 - Portugal. The Man's “Sleep Forever” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Jan 12
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

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No. 022 - Julius Aglinskas' "blue dusk I" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
Jan 5
No. 022 - Julius Aglinskas' "blue dusk I" changed my life

Artist & musician Brandon Locher on the transcendent, transformative quality of music

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No. 021 - Winger’s "Miles Away" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
December 29, 2023
No. 021 - Winger’s "Miles Away" changed my life

Adult sleepovers, homemade potato salad, and KC Schmitz's journey of separating love from possession

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No. 020 - Paramore’s "Ain’t It Fun" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
December 22, 2023
No. 020 - Paramore’s "Ain’t It Fun" changed my life

🏆 A top-read essay

Musician Marcus Drew talks visiting Florida without a phone, local radio, and the tune that kept him going in the midst of chaos

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No. 019 - Julián De La Chica & Yana Mann's "Poemas de Bar, Op. 12: No. 8 El Amor" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
December 15, 2023
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

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No. 018 - Ingrid Michaelson's "Can’t Help Falling in Love" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
December 8, 2023
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

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No. 017 - Krill's "Theme from Krill" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
December 1, 2023
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

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No. 016 - Esther Phillips' "And I Love Him" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
November 24, 2023
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

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No. 015 - Frightened Rabbit's "The Modern Leper" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
November 17, 2023
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

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No. 014 - WHAM!’s "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
November 10, 2023
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

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No. 013 - Warren Zevon's "Keep Me In Your Heart" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
November 3, 2023
No. 013 - Warren Zevon's "Keep Me In Your Heart" changed my life

🏆 A top-read essay

Writer David Gianadda's ethereal connection to this song goes beyond the limitations of time and space

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No. 012 - Kid Cudi’s "Immortal" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
October 27, 2023
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

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No. 011 - Bill Callahan's "Faith/Void" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
October 20, 2023
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

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No. 010 - Andrew Bird's "Danse Caribe" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
October 13, 2023
No. 010 - Andrew Bird's "Danse Caribe" changed my life

Big changes, Zydeco music, and the song that offered Deirdre Hynes peace

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No. 009 - Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
October 6, 2023
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

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No. 008 - Ella Fitzgerald's "Someone To Watch Over Me" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
September 29, 2023
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

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No. 007 - Of Montreal's "Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
September 22, 2023
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

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No. 006 - Matthew Sweet's "Divine Intervention" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
September 15, 2023
No. 006 - Matthew Sweet's "Divine Intervention" changed my life

Evan Trusewicz on Tiny Tim, being nine years old, and anime music videos

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No. 005 - Elvis Presley's “We Can Make the Morning” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
September 8, 2023
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

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No. 004 - U2's “With or Without You” changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
September 1, 2023
No. 004 - U2's “With or Without You” changed my life

Josh Ramos on growing up, connection, and the Gospel of The Joshua Tree

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No. 003 - Aniceto Molina's "Cumbia Sampuesana" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
August 18, 2023
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

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No. 002 - David Bowie's "Rock and Roll Suicide" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
August 4, 2023
No. 002 - David Bowie's "Rock and Roll Suicide" changed my life

Clémentine Koenig talks loneliness, lyrics, and loving Bowie

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No. 001 - Bruce Springsteen's "Mary's Place" changed my life

Grace Lilly
·
July 14, 2023
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.

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No. 000 - The Origin Story: This Song Changed My Life

Grace Lilly
·
July 14, 2023
No. 000 - The Origin Story: This Song Changed My Life

How we got here — a series of events dating back to 2007

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