Soundtrack of Our Lives (or Life According to Sue to Music, of course)

I would like to say that for once, I am going to be serious. I spend so much of my time being cynical and judgemental of the things that I think are stupid in this world. So, mixed in with the seriousness of the subject matter (how I think people can be happier in this world) is the number one love of my existence, music - to the tune of some of my favourite songs. (Ok, number one thing,not person or persons). Music is very important to me, as anyone that knows me will agree but so is being happy. You get one life. Make the most of it. And don't worry, be happy.....(I couldn't resist).


“I hate everything about you, why do I love you”. ~ I Hate Everything About You – Three Days Grace

Typical love-hate relationship. Anyone been in one of those?? Hard to know what to do in this situation, isn't it. Remember, you must really LIKE the people in your life. Love is often not enough.

“History please let me go, let me be, leave me alone”. ~ There’s a Light – Jay Malinowski

It saddens me that so much of our self is rooted in our past. No matter how wonderful or how sad our past was, we tend to live there, thus ignoring our present. We dwell on past hurts, broken hearts, the cruel and the nasty. Or we wish again for a time that we were happier, richer or whatever it is we feel we are missing out on. I love this line because it’s so true and basic.

“Time is contagious, everybody’s getting old”. ~ Coconut Skins – Damien Rice

Getting old doesn’t have to be a bad thing but for so many of us, it is. Some of us try to put a halt to it by subjecting ourselves to plastic surgery. Some, like me, like to dye the gray out of our hair. I rue the day when I will be too old to wear my hair long and will be forced to wear an old lady style (curly frizzy short hair). I don’t want to get old but it’s happening. The trick I guess is to do it gracefully. There’s nothing wrong with aging. It’s normal, natural and it does happen to everyone (unless you’re one of the “Only the Good Die Young” ilk ~ Billy Joel circa 1977). Sadly, I remember that song when it was first played on the radio….. On a positive note, the older you get, the smarter you get. (I am not saying that I am smart. I know I am an immature idiot). But, at least now I have some sense. Until I reached the age of 35, I don't think I had any.

“While we’re on the subject, can we change the subject now?” ~ Missed the Boat – Modest Mouse

It’s hard to hear things we don’t want to hear or discuss things we’d rather not. I am probably the best at avoidance so this song is very close to my heart….I know I am flawed. At least I can admit it.

“One love, we get to share it, leaves you baby if you don’t care for it”. One – U2

Yep, it’s the old “you never know what you have til it’s gone” and I am sure most people have been guilty of this at some point in their adult lives. All I can say is appreciate what you have. Love and relationships don’t have to be hard but we tend to make them that way. I think if people listened more and talked less, things would be a lot easier.

“Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be…” ~ All You Need is Love – The Beatles (and)
“I’m always where I need to be”. ~ Always Where I Need to Be – The Kooks

There have been times in my life when I felt that a particular period of my existence had been a total waste of time. But I know now that it’s not true. True, "All You Need Is Love" is just an old pop-rock song by a bunch of Englishmen that were probably drunk from a few too many pints and/or smoked a bit of the wacky stuff before they wrote this song. But it makes sense. We are the architects of our own lives, for the most part. And if I spent four miserable years in a situation I didn’t like, well, maybe that’s what I needed to do to figure out what it was I didn’t want out of life. Or maybe I myself have had a few too many pints and have no clue what I am talking about…..

“Lights will guide you home and ignite your bones, And I will try to fix you “ ~ Fix You - Coldplay

Yeah, right…..You can’t change people. You can’t fix them either. Only the person needing changing or fixing can do that for themselves. I like the song, but it's not very reasonable. True, Chris Martin wrote it for his wife Gwyneth Paltrow when her father passed away, so it was probably written out of love for her. It probably killed him to see her so sad. But, just like everyone else, we need to grieve. Or we need to be angry. Or be sad. Whatever the issue, the person needs to go through it and move on. They’ll fix themselves, thank you. Good song though…..and I know, it's just a SONG! Jeeze....


"I just want to be there, When we're caught in the rain, I just want to see you laugh not cry
I just want to feel you, When the night puts on its cloak
I'm lost for words don't tell me, All I can say
I love you 'till the end" ~ Love You Till The End - The Pogues

The freaky Irish band seemed to get it so right with this song. What woman (or man for that matter) wouldn't love to hear those words spoken by the love of their life? My heart melts whenever I hear this song. I don't think of myself as a romantic but this song does it for me.

"I thought you were my friend". ~ Jesus Stole My Girlfriend - Violent Soho

I just think the line is funny given the song title.

"With friends like you, who needs enemies
You ain’t right, you ain’t ever gonna be
Your soul is toxic, you ain’t no friend of mine" ~ Far Behind - Social Distortion

I think we have all had a "friend" whose idea of friendship was much different from our own. It leaves you thinking that you're a horrible judge of character and unfortunately, can prevent you from trusting anyone in the future. There have been a few of those in my life, from the time I was a child to fairly recently. It's helpful for me to remember that not everyone is a lying sack of shit. Some people really value your friendship and want you in their lives. The trick is to weed out the lying sacks of shit before you're too emotionally involved. It's often hard to do that, however (especially if you're like me - I always tended to believe that people were inherently good). Talk about a flaw! Not anymore. I trust only the people that have been in my life for years and who demonstate that they're not in it to get something from me. I have good friends now.

"So give me something to believe, Cause I am living just to breathe
And I need something more, To keep on breathing for
So give me something to believe" ~ Believe - The Bravery

Not quite sure how to take this song. At first, I thought it was talking about having something in your life that was important to you. Or maybe it means having faith in whatever entity you believe in. Not sure, but I like the song because there were times in my life that I often wondered what the point was. Either way, it's important to feel that you have a purpose. Whether it's taking care of your children or saving the world from bad music, if it's important to you, then it's worth it.

"And to be yourself is all that you can do" ~ Be Yourself - Audioslave

How important is this one? Being yourself and true to yourself is probably the ONLY thing that will ensure you're happy in life. How hard would it be to go through life, even one day of pretending you're something you're not? Or trying to force yourself to be happy in a situation where you're miserable? There are phony people everywhere. There are people that pretend their lives are the absolute best and wouldn't you love to be just like them? No, I wouldn't. Shakespeare's character Polonius told his son "This above all: to thine own self be true". Probably the most important quote ever....

"Get on, come on, why you scared, you’ll never change what’s been and gone
Cos all of the stars are fading away, Just try not to worry you'll see them someday
Take what you need and be on your way
And stop crying your heart out" ~ Stop Crying Your Heart Out - Oasis

Is there anyone out there who hasn't had their heart broken so badly, you thought you'd die from the anguish of it? Or anyone lost someone to death and felt that it was too painful to go on? This song talks about the aftermath. How we try to carry on but we can't because the pain is just too much to bear. Good advice though - you CAN'T change what's been and gone and no amount of wishing that you did things differently is going to change it. Time to wipe those weepy eyes, get in the shower and carry on. Life's too short for regrets.

"I'd rather die for love than die for the want of it" ~ With a Bullet - Sam Roberts

Alfred Lord Tennyson said 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all'. Everyone needs to love and to be loved. I know that there are people that give up on it for fear they will be hurt. Or fear that it won't work out. You never know til you try. And you won't spend your life wondering "What if?"

"So many times I'd planned, to be much more than who I am" ~ Shine On - Jet

I am not sure how common a problem this is. I myself sometimes suffer from thoughts like this. When I was a teenager and even into my early adulthood, I had so many plans, dreams, ideas. In the normal course of life, however, things happen. Plans get put on hold, ideas seem too far-fetched and there is never enough time or money. I am now in my mid-forties and I have done none of the things that I had so desperately wanted to do. I wanted to travel Europe. I wanted to move from Ontario and live in Vancouver, or the Keys or England. I wanted a fulfilling job. None of that has happened and I know now that it probably never will. But, I try to stay happy and positive. Because, as John Lennon said "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans". And I am not too old to keep hoping that one day, I will board that plane for Heathrow and have a dream come true.

I know....easier said that done...And by no means am I saying that I live my life perfectly. But in a perfect world with perfect people, everyone would be happy.