I guess it makes sense, seeing as I’m planted on a desk that covers arts and entertainment, that music has always been firmly rooted in my life. My middle name is Alanis, after the very angry singer-songwriter of the nineties; my mother taught guitar lessons while she was pregnant with me and claims I would kick the back of her acoustic throughout the day.
I didn’t stop the attention-seeking after birth. My family photo albums and Thanksgiving stories are littered with me in costume — me playing my way through a mini drum set, a violin, a flute; me with my mouth wide open, shouting at whatever hapless relative got stuck behind the camera (fortunately, it runs in the family, so I don’t feel that bad about it).
From singing Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” at full volume on an airplane when I was two to impersonating Hannah Montana for a co-worker’s video project in the DTH office last December, I’m definitely not known for my ability to shut up.
That being said, sometimes I really like to shut up. Or at least not deal with other people. People who’ve hung out with me for more than five minutes don’t believe I’m an introvert, but the ones who’ve known me for months and years do. I really like other people, but sometimes they’re exhausting — music isn’t. I don’t have a ton of spare time, but I value the hell out of walking to class with my earbuds in and my social graces off. Here are 25 songs (including “American Money” by BORNS, “Seven” by Rainbow Kitten Surprise, “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys, and many more) that I’m probably not going to skip while I’m on those walks. I hope you like them half as much as I do.
