If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time (particularly the Music Monday posts), you’ve probably noticed that my musical tastes tend to run toward the hipsterish (with a few notable exceptions). I’m the kind of person that people label a “music snob.” (Trust me, I get that a lot.)
I’m going to admit something shocking today, though: I have musical guilty pleasures. (Okay, that’s probably not that shocking.) The guilty pleasures, though? Probably at least kind of shocking. But hey, I like what I like!
Today I’m going to share one of these musical guilty pleasures. It’s not that it’s bad … It’s just that it’s so far from what I normally like that most people are surprised when I mention that it’s something I enjoy listening to.
Image courtesy of en.wikipedia.org.
I like some of Kelly Clarkson’s other songs, but the Breakaway album just does it for me. First, she is an undeniably talented singer. I mean, seriously … Girl can sing. But there’s more to my love of this particular album than her stellar vocals.
This album reminds me simultaneously of some of the best, most carefree moments in my life and some of the darkest, most painful times. I got into it during my senior year of college after hearing it on repeat in some of my best friends’ cars when I’d go back to my hometown. Although I didn’t completely love every single song on the album, it quickly went into rotation in my own car. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I made road trips while singing my heart out along with Kelly. And since this was one of the few artists my pop-loving hometown best friends and I actually agreed on, it was a staple anytime we drove anywhere (particularly on longer road trips to Cedar Point).
Unfortunately, one of the other reasons I fell in love with this album is because the songs were so relatable for me at the time. I was dealing with some major heartbreak, and lyrics like “Now all that’s left of me is what I pretend to be/So together, but so broken up inside” from “Behind These Hazel Eyes” as well as pretty much the entirety of the lyrics from the song “Addicted” (among others) just described everything I was feeling so well. I sang my heart out to these songs not only because I thought they were good (and they are), but because I actually felt the words. It sounds silly, I know, but that’s one of my favorite things about music … Being able to relate to it.
As with other album discussions (and I suppose that’s what this is even though it started off as more of a confession), I’ll share my top 5 favorite songs from the album and my favorite line(s).
* Addicted
Personal Favorite Line(s): It’s like I’m lost/It’s like I’m giving up slowly/It’s like you’re a ghost that’s haunting me/Leave me alone/And I know these voices in my head are mine alone/And I know I’ll never change my ways if I don’t give you up now
* Behind These Hazel Eyes
Personal Favorite Line(s): Now all that’s left of me is what I pretend to be/So together, but so broken up inside
* Hear Me
Personal Favorite Line(s): I used to be scared of letting someone in/But it gets so lonely being on my own
* Gone
Personal Favorite Line(s): That’s all changed into lies that drop like acid rain/You washed away the best of me, you don’t care
* Because Of You
Personal Favorite Line(s): I lose my way/And its not too long before you point it out/I cannot cry/Because I know that’s weakness in your eyes/I’m forced to fake a smile, a laugh every day of my life/My heart can’t possibly break when it wasn’t even whole to start with
If anyone reading this wants to comment, do you have any musical guilty pleasures?
Can't Believe How Strange It Is To Be Anything At All ... 