If you’re a Millennial or a Gen Zer, (or a Baby-boomer or Gen-X-I don’t discriminate!) chances are, you have a spotify account.
As a teenager, I was an avid spotify user. And I mean AVID. I listened to music while studying, doing the dishes, hanging out in my room, falling alseep. The music was constant. Just ask my Mom.
However because my spotify was set up through my facebook account, when I deleted facebook a few years ago, I just assumed I had to delete my spotify as well. The last time I signed out of facebook was the last time I used spotify.
A few weeks ago, my best friend, who is a spotify user, reminded me that she still followed my old spotify account. Puzzled at how this was possible, I hopped on spotify through my new work account to stalk my old username and see if all my old playlists were still intact.
Turns out my account must not have been linked to my facebook after all, because every playlist was there, in all their grit and glory.
My hipster playlist titled “tea and the sea” full of songs by Bon Iver, Lord Huron and Sufjan Stevens, my “mocha cookie crumble” playlist, affectionately named after my old go to order at Starbucks and my “giithar” playlist that was intentionally spelled wrong because I thought doing so was cool.
Don’t ask.
Rediscovering my old spotify account has taken me on a little trip down memory lane, and I’ve learned a few things along the way.
They are as follows:
- Some things never change
I still love John Denver. I still love Lord Huron. I still love Needtobreathe and The Lumineers and Rich Mullins and The Tallest Man on Earth. Some things never change. And I’m grateful for that. - Wallowing in your feelings won’t fix them
I had playlists specifically curated to listen to when I was depressed or angry or sad. It wasn’t easy to listen to those songs. While I know there is a time and place for grieving and sadness, and even the Psalms are full of laments, there is also a difference between feeling emotions and wallowing in them. Wallowing in them won’t fix them. Most of the time, it only makes them worse. - Don’t take yourself too seriously
It is slightly embarrassing and slightly comical that I know it took me literal hours to organize my playlists, sort them in just the right order and choose just the right album cover to best represent each specific conglomeration of songs. Looking back now, it seems so silly and I wish I would have spent more time just enjoying my listening experience rather than stressing over the fact my “latte art and forest fires” playlist had too much of Gregory Alan Isakov and not enough of Noah and the Whale. - Love is worth the wait
I got a pretty big kick out of my 5 and 1/2 hour long playlist of love songs that was made long before I ever had a boyfriend. I remember listening to those songs and imagining what it would be like to one day picture someone in my head when I heard Elvis Presley croon the words of his classic “Can’t help falling in love”. Well I know now.
And it was worth the wait. - Country music isn’t bad
Country music is definitely not my favorite genre, but I have grown to appreciate and aquire a taste for it the last few years. Emily Brown circa 2017 didn’t have a single country song on any of her 21 playlists and I wish I could tell her what I know now: Some windows down-dirt road moments can only be appreciated with Randy Travis, Scotty Mcreery or Thomas Rhett singing in the background . - You are not defined by your taste in music
Five years ago my spotify account felt like an extension of myself. As strange as it sounds, I thought people would judge me based off the presentation of my playlists. It seems so shallow to type out, but I think a lot of people would feel the same way, not only about their spotify account, but also about their other social media accounts. There is so much more to us however, than what we choose to let people see online. We are not defined by what we share or post. - It is good to look back
There are songs I used to listen to that bring back memories and feelings I don’t like remembering and yet, at the same time, it is good to look back and be reminded of how far I’ve come and what the Lord has brought me through. I am incredibly grateful for his grace and his kindness and looking back puts current struggles into perspective.
It’s been a strange but enjoyable experience to rediscover my old spotify account. I hoped you got a kick out of my reminiscing and perhaps as you’ve read about what I’ve learned, maybe you have learned something too.
Now go enjoy some music- from spotify, or pandora, or soundcloud, or wherever you stream your tunes.
Just don’t take yourself too seriously and remember that your identity is so much more than your favorite band, taste of music, or collection of playlists.
You are a child of the Maker of melody itself!
