Playlist for You and Your Valentine

Hello, music-lovers and just plain old lovers :-)

What are you planning for your Valentine's Day tomorrow? A classy night out? A cozy night in? A crazy girl's night?

Well, this playlist is perfect for not knowing what you want to do. Just play your way through the tunes--some of them romantic, some sexy, some just plain fun--and see what happens.

1. "That's Amore" by Dean Martin
2. "Accidentally In Love" by Counting Crows
3. "You and Me" by Lifehouse
4. "Freelove" by Depeche Mode
5. "Sway" by Michael Buble 
6. "Kissed You" by Gloriana
7. "Cupid"by Sam Cooke
8. "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" by Belinda Carlisle
9. "When Did You Fall" by Chris Rice
10. "Always Be My Baby" by David Cook
11. "Lonely Road" by Fernando Ortega
12. "Everything" by Michael Buble
13. "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith
14. "I Will Be Here for You" by Michael W. Smith
15. "Annie's Song" by John Denver 
16. "Lovefool" by the Cardigans
17. "Open Arms" by Journey
18. "Heaven" by Bryan Adams feat. Jason Aldean
19. "Write About Love" by Belle and Sebastian
20. "Just What I Needed" by the Cars

Playlist for World Travel

If there's one thing I've learned in the past five months, it's that anything is possible if you dream big and trust God to handle all the important details. Last year, Josh and I never would have dreamed that we'd get the opportunity to visit one country outside of North America let alone visit seven gorgeous European countries and even live in one for a short time. Now that the trip has been reduced to memories, I can't help believe that we will find a way to continue traveling in the years to come.

After all, anything is possible.

Odds are that the embedded YouTube playlist won't work very well regardless of what you do, although you may better luck playing it on YouTube than in this little viewer. On the bright side, I added a bonus ten songs to this global playlist embodying the wonder of travel.

1.  "Whenever, Wherever" by Shakira
2. "Life Is a Highway" by Rascall Flats 
3. "LDN" by Lily Allen
4. "Al Improvviso Amore" by Josh Groban
5. "Seed to Sow" by Michael W. Smith
6. "Autobahn" by Kraftwerk
7. "No Dudaria" by Rosario
8. "Travelin' Prayer" by Billy Joel
9. "Africa" by Toto
10. "Go the Distance" by Lucas Grabeel
11. "Where the Streets Have No Name" by U2
12. "Jai Ho" by A. R. Rahman 
13. "We Danced Anyway" by Deana Carter
14. "Waka Waka" by Shakira
15. "Resten Av Dit Liv" by Timbuktu
16. "Traveling Light" by Joel Hansen and Sara Groves
17. "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake
18. "Come Fly With Me" by Michael Buble
19. "Tekitoi" by Rachid Taha
20. "Land Down Under" by Men Without Hats
21. "Amsterdam" by Coldplay
22. "Traveling Song" by Will.i.am
23. "Marakesh Express" by Crosby, Stills and Nash
24. "I'm Gonna Be" by the Proclaimers
25. "Love Song" by Bigbang
26. "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" by Edith Piaf
27. "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
28. "American Boy" by Estelle feat. Kanye West
29. "Hoppipolla" by  Sigur Ros
30. "I Will Always Return" by Bryan Adams

Playlist for a Rainy Day

Ah, April showers and their empty promises of May flowers. I'm not sure how this month goes down wherever you live, but I know that in Rochester, NY, it is often miserably cold and altogether dreary. I'm talking just downright wet. It seems that whenever it's not raining, it's foggy and misty. What's a fashionista to do? Wear bulky boots everyday, or ruin good shoes in bothersome puddles? Heavy sigh.

When I originally wrote this post, I added at this point that I had managed to escape to Avila for this season's drippy drudgery and therefore I couldn't sympathize with you too awful much. I was not anticipating that the skies would open up and let loose rain, snow, sleet, and hail, making me only dream of the tranquility of April showers in place of this April apocalypse!

I never thought I'd say this, but I actually missed Rochester weather this past weekend.

I mean, is there anything better than a drizzly day to compel you to mix up a Chai latte, make some white-chocolate-drizzled popcorn, and curl up on the couch with your honey for a cuddly movie date? Or maybe just take a nice nap!

Last week all I felt inspired to do was write my will and Skype my family in case I didn't live to see them again . . .

If you don't have this time to spare, I encourage you to let the following playlist be a soundtrack to whatever drudgery you find yourself doing today. Some of these songs will try to cheer you up out of your soggy gloom, and others will merely commiserate with you, but all of them evoke at least one of the many emotions that go along with the dreaded rainy day.

1. "Banana Pancakes" by Jack Johnson
2. "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" by Credence Clearwater Revival
3. "Crying" by Roy Orbison and K.D. Lang
4. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" by Burt Bacharach
5. "Friday, I'm in Love" by The Cure
6. "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers
7. "November Rain" by Guns 'N' Roses
8. "Roads" Portishead
9. "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars
10. "Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
11. "Remember When It Rained" by Josh Groban
12. "Brighter Than Sunshine" by Aqualung
13. "Rainy Days and Mondays" by The Carpenters
14. "Little Girl Blue" by Janis Joplin
15. "Rain" by Mika
16. "Waiting for a Girl Like You" by Foreigner
17. "Kentucky Rain" by Elvis Presley
18. "Kiss From a Rose" by Seal
19. "The Blues Are Still Blue" by Belle and Sebastian
20. "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn

Playlist for Spring

Well, it has happened, hasn't it? I woke up today with a sunbeam in my eye and a chorus of birds (in addition to the usual grunting pigeons) were cheerfully announcing this fine Monday morning. My first breath of outdoor air smelled of cut grass, muddy water, and sun-baked pavement. I'm not sure about all of you, but the deciding factor in my mind of when the season has changed is not determined by a calendar date or even a change in the weather. It is determined by the change in the smell of the air. 

Spring has sprung.

For so many of us, spring is a promise of the shorts, swimsuits, and sunglasses yet to come in the future months. It means that not only is spring here, but summer is almost here. Spring means, "It's only a matter of time before my time is mine again. Viva la vacation!"

For Josh and I, however, spring and the summer to follow mean the end of our vacation and the return to "real life." We will be working hard all summer long to pay for this semester and our final two semesters at college before entering the workforce doing our "real jobs." In this sense, spring really is a brand new day for us, and we couldn't be more excited.

Many of the lyrics of the following songs feature themes of growth, new life, and new beginnings. Others are just those bouncy, feel-good melodies you love to play on your iPod as you saunter down a street the sunny morning after a rainstorm. Be advised this is a very diverse playlist, and it is likely that you will encounter some of your favorite songs mixed in with some of the music this world has to offer that is more annoying to you than anything else . . . Even so, I like to think that it has something for everyone.

I hate that this is true, but the playlist may only function on YouTube.

"Beautiful Day" by U2
"Here Comes the Sun" by Sheryl Crow (I like this version better than the Beatles :-/)
"Younger Than Springtime" (South Pacific) by Matthew Morrison
"First Day of Spring" by Chris Brown
"Rockin' Robin" by the Jackson 5
"Sunrise" by In the Heights cast
"April Showers" by Al Jolson
"Lollipop" by Mika
"Here I Am" by Bryan Adams and Hans Zimmer
"There Is Life" by Allison Krauss
"Allstar" by Smashmouth 
"Concert of the Age" by Phillips, Craig, & Dean (One of my favorite songs of all time!)
"59th Street Bridge Song" by Simon & Garfunkel
"Winter's on the Wing" by The Secret Garden Original Broadway Cast
"Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colby Caillat
"Sunchyme" by Dario G
"Hoppipolla" by Sigur Ros
"Best Years of Our Lives" by Baha Men
"Four Seasons (Spring)" by Antonio Vivaldi
"New Day" by Avalon

More Ways for Singles to Celebrate V-Day

Despite the fact that there are some definite perks to being single, Valentine's Day is often a reminder that you haven't yet found that person who will make all of the waiting worthwhile. On this day that celebrates love, why not get closer to any and all loves in your life with some of these fun activities.

NOTE: Even more fun with other single friends!

1) Jam out to this playlist! You won't find any love songs that will make you mope about what you think you're missing or any songs about how badly "Love Stinks" and that Valentine's Day is a joke. We're talking about ways to spend the holiday aware of how loved and how worth waiting for you are.

Playlists work best when enjoyed on Youtube.

1. "Single Ladies" by Beyonce (duh)
2. "Ridin' Solo" by Jason Derulo
3. "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby Mcferrin
4. "Be Good to Yourself" by Journey
5. "Free to Be Me" by Francesca Battistelli
6. "Let's Dance" by Hawk Nelson
7. "Express Yourself" by Madonna
8. "Perfect" by Pink
9. "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain
10. "Single" by Natasha Bedingfield
11. "Something 'Bout Love" by David Archuleta
12. "Barlow Girls" by Superchic[k]
13. "More Beautiful You" by Johnny Diaz
14. "Firework" by Katy Perry

2) Watch a funny movie. Not a romantic comedy or anything that could be remotely confused with a chick flick! You are celebrating be single, not longing for your prince charming!

3) Make some munchies. Worried that you'll spend the evening "eating away" your loneliness? Well, who needs ice cream and chocolate when you can try try some of these perfectly healthy snacks  from College Fashion (two separate links). Again, these taste better with friends ;-)

4) Have slumber party! Snacks, hair and nails, chitchat, what could better remind you how well you're loved by your chicas?

6) Help out at a homeless shelter, Salvation Army, etc. Nothing like getting your eyes off of your loneliness and loving on other people in need.

7) Bless your mom and dad and their love that has held your family together for all of these years. If you think about it, they were the first people to ever teach you what love was. Go back to this post for a cool idea that will make their day.

8) Write letters to old friends and family that you'd like to stay in touch with. When was the last time you wrote a nice, old-fashioned, hand-written letter?

9) Make yourself over. I always find that a little change of personal scenery can be a great mood upper and can provide a super boost to your self-image. Try a haircut or color. If you're feeling less daring, just buy a nice new outfit or some new makeup. If you're feeling more daring, try a tattoo, haha (mostly joking . . .)

10) Babysit for a young couple so that they can go out and enjoying a worry-free Valentine's Day together. I will admit that this would be quite a sacrifice, but if anyone ever offered to do this for me I would offer to put them through college or something like that. Talk about a blessing!

Playlist for a Chilly Winter Day

I don't know how you feel today . . .

But this playlist is filled with songs that feel cold. The melodies and/or lyrics have a certain lifeless air to them, but even in the "deadness" that they capture so well, they stir up feelings of wonderment about the crisp air, biting breeze, bright sky, and sparkling snow.

Even though I complained about the serious snowfall Avila experienced the other week, I have to admit that I'm grateful that God blessed me with a taste of winter chill. As much as I enjoy being warm and dry, there's nothing like winter to help you appreciate the promised coming of spring.

I'm so sorry that my holiday playlist didn't work out last month. It turns out that holiday music is much more heavily copyrighted than any other type of music. I could hardly put any of them into a playlist and have them play on the blog.

I'm having similar problems this month. I really need to find a new platform (besides YouTube) to use for sharing playlists. Boy, if it's this hard to share music already, how much worse will it be with SOPA?

The best I can recommend is to play Chilly Winter Day on YouTube. So sorry!

1. "Vanilla Twilight" by Owl City
2. "Canvas" by Imogen Heap
3. "Winter Winds" by Mumford and Sons
4. "Missing You" by White River Music Company
5. "Cold" by the Cure
6. "River Shiver" by Pomplamoose
7. "Wintertime Love" by The Doors
8. "Frozen Lake" by Buffalo Tom
9. "Snowblind" by Black Sabbath
10. "Winter" by Tori Amos
11. "Bare Trees" by Fleetwood Mac
12. "Boy With a Coin" by Iron & Wine
13. "Misty Mountains Cold" by The Hobbit Cast
14. "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult
15. "A Hazy Shade of Winter" by Simon and Garfunkel
16. "Winterbells" by Ferry Halim
17. "The Red Shoes" by Kate Bush
18. "Doledrums" by The Chills
19. "Winter Song" by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson
20. "Love Like Winter" by AFI

Playlist for the Holiday Season

Miss Kitty is getting festive

Well, in order for this playlist to last all the way through your family's annual decoration of the tree or through Christmas dinner, your happening Christmas party, or whatever, I figured more than the standard 20-song playlist here at Nine to Phive would be in order.

These songs have all been near and dear to me for one reason or another throughout my childhood Christmases. Many of these are faith-based Christmas songs because I believe that faith in the story of God's saving gift to us is what Christmas is all about. Don't worry, there are plenty of traditional favorites as well.

Sorry about the overabundance of Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant. Talk about a big part of my childhood. I couldn't stay away . . .

Just hit play and let the magic consume your December :-)

1. "Christmastime" by Michael W. Smith
2. "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey
3. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Annie Lennox
4. "Let It Snow" by Frank Sinatra
5. "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby
6. "Carol of the Bells" by Mannheim Steamroller
7. "Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells" by Michael W. Smith
8. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" by Darlene Love
9. "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" by Aaron Shust
10. "Sleigh Ride" Relient K (Incredible version of this song. Check out the adorable music video, too)
11. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee
12. "Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burl Ives
13. "When Love Came Down"  by Point of Grace
14. "Act II: Candy Cane" from George Balanchine's The Nutcracker
15. "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole & Natalie Cole
16. "Feliz Navidad" by Jaci Velasquez
17. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Michael Buble
18. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by Amy Grant
19. "The First Noel" by Steve Green
20. "I Saw Three Ships" by Blackmore's Night
21. "Gloria" by Michael W. Smith
22. "Joy" by Selah
23. "A Christmas to Remember" by Amy Grant
24. "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" by Ella Fitzgerald
25. "Last Christmas" by WHAM! Performed by Hawk Nelson
26. "Believe" by Josh Groban
27. "Emmanuel" by Amy Grant (Guess who my two favorite Christmas musicians are?)
28. "Blue Christmas" by Elvis Presley
29. "I Don't Wanna Spend One More Christmas Without You" by NSYNC
30. "Sing Noel" by Newsong

P.S. I'm related to Bing Crosby. Just sayin'.

Playlist for Autumn

Below is the list of songs found in the YouTube playlist "Songs for an Autumn Day." Some of these songs have fall in the lyrics, other just have themes of coming to an end or moving on to a new stage of life, and others just have a cool, detached, enchanted sound or feel to them that makes me think "autumn."

I even got a little carried away and made the last few songs focus more on autumn nights. You know the kind I'm talking about--the chilly clear evenings under the stars in the arms of the one you love probably wrapped in a blanket and sipping hot cider--

I promise that if you just hit play and let this playlist run its course while you do your homework or make dinner, you will be in such a mood for this beautiful in-between season God has created. Hope you like it!

1. "The Cave" by Mumford & Sons
2. "Autumn Almanac" by the Kinks
3. "True Colors" by Phil Collins (I know it was Cyndi Lauper's song, but Phil makes everything better)
4. "Merry Happy" by Kate Nash
5. "Leaves Come Falling Down" by Van Morrison
6. "September" by Earth, Wind, & Fire
7. "I See You" by Group One Crew
8. "Apartment Story" by The National 
9. "Seasons of Love" by Rent Film Cast
10. "September" by Daughtry (So many songs about September!)
11. "Colors of the Wind" from Disney's Pocohantas
12. "October" by U2 (Or just about months in general)
13. "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes
14. "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day
15. "Goodbye Summer" by Skizzo Franick
16. "The Last Dance" by the Raveonettes 
17. "Moondance" by Michael Buble
18. "Harvest Moon" by Neil Young
19. "Dancing in the Moonlight" by Toploader
20. "When the Stars Go Blue" by Ryan Adams

Remember, it's about the music, not the videos. That's why the player is so small . . .

Playlist for A Lazy Summer Day

Photo credit

Today is one of those hot and muggy days when you can't bring yourself to do anything else besides bake a little bit while reclining in your kiddie pool sipping a strawberry daquiri. That is, it would be if I had a kiddie pool or was old enough to sip a daquiri . . .

Instead I just lie in the shade with my laptop and listen to songs like these. Yes, I made a point of refusing to include the Lazy Song by Bruno Mars. Overplayed much? I can't take much more of that one. These, however, are my enduring companions on lazy summer days.

Remember, it's about the music, not the videos. Some of these are just lyrics on a colored background as opposed to music videos, so don't get your hopes up . . . but there may or may not be some really cool stop-motion animations snuck in here . . .

 You probably want to open the playlist in YouTube, since a few of these videos can't be embedded and therefore won't play on Nine to Phive.

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by Verve
2. "Pinch Me" by Barenaked Ladies
3. "Island in the Sun" by Weezer
4. "Strawberry Swing" by Coldplay
5. "Better Together" by Jack Johnson
6. "Sunburn" by Owl City
7. "Big Yellow Taxi" by Counting Crows
8. "Us" by Regina Spektor
9. "Half of My Heart" by John Mayer
10. "Mr. Blue Sky" by ELO
11. "Lazy Music" by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
12. "Her Beautiful Ideas" by The Guggenheim Grotto
13. "I Don't Know What I Can Save You From" by Kings of Convenience
14. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears
15. "Little Fluffy Clouds" by The Orb
16. "Mouthwash" by Kate Nash
17. "Lazy Summer Days" by Cafe del Mar
18. "Soak Up the Sun" by Sheryl Crow
19. U2's "With or Without You" by Sungha Jung 
20. "Come On, Get Higher" by Matt Nathanson

The songs that I have selected are all both cheerful and relaxing and possess a certain warmth either in terms of melody or lyrics (or both). I hope that you will incorporate some of these into your own lazy summer day playlist.