The Soundtrack of Right Now: 5 Songs I've Been Grooving to Lately

I almost always listen to music in the mornings to help wake my mind up and get my blood flowing. But today’s soundtrack isn’t just background noise.

It’s a living, breathing presence in the room with me. It's flowing into my ears through the Cali Roots Festival live stream on YouTube, and also on the wind through my open window, as we're lucky enough to live just down the street from the venue.

We call that specific phenomenon “music on the wind” in this house. A beautiful proximity gift that makes us feel like the sky itself is humming a tune we know by heart. 

There’s something especially magical about these kinds of days. Not because anything profound is happening, but because sometimes the right soundtrack leaves your entire environment vibrating in harmony. The incense smoke is curling upward at just the right angle. The sky outside is striking a perfect balance of sunny and cloudy. 

Summer's not officially here yet, but you can tell it's just down the street and around the corner. And the free concert is reminding me of how important the music I love really is to me. Today, yes, but also every day. On that note, here are five songs (and their spirits) that feel especially like me lately. 

1. "Home" - Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

If my personal version of grounded joy were a song, it would probably be this one. It's the kind of song that makes you sway without meaning to. Feet rooted, spirit light. You don’t need to get up. You just feel better because it’s playing. Spotify often tosses it onto some of my curated walking-themed and "happy" playlists, and it always has a way of playing at exactly the right time.

2. "Don't Dream It's Over" - Crowded House

As a child of the '80s, this song takes me right back to the best parts of my childhood. Sunny days spent playing in the yard, ham sandwiches enjoyed alongside a good book, feelings of safety and childlike joy unrelated to anything in particular –– just a few of the things it reminds me of. This is also one of the first songs I can remember noticing, liking, and hoping to hear when I turned on the radio.

It's also proof positive that a song doesn't have to make you dance in your seat to be balm for your soul. Sometimes, it's just a low, steady groove that reminds you you’re OK. You’re home. You're alive.

3. "Hazy Shade of Winter" - The Bangles

Back in 1987, it would actually be years before I learned to relate to the feeling of time slipping through your fingers that this song is truly talking about. But when I was 11, this was still it for me –– a beautiful melody with poetic lyrics that encouraged me to consider (and reflect on) the wheel of the year while dancing around my room with glee. 

Back then, I was sure life was going to be so good. This song brings this version of me right back in living color and makes her smile, even while the current version of me understands all too well what "time, time, time, see what's become of me" really means.

4. "Six Underground" - Sneaker Pimps

I discovered this one when I was in college –– definitely not a kid anymore, but still young enough to be sure life would be nothing but moonbeams and rainbows, even if I still had no idea what I wanted to do with mine yet. 

It's always reminded me of summers that felt like they would last forever, foggy evenings on the beach, and laughing with friends over sandwiches in the park. Today, it's reminding me of the simple magic of being alive on a Friday in May.

5. "A&W" - Lana Del Rey

Ever hear a song that makes you feel like the screen’s about to fade to black on a perfect day? For me –– right now, and ever since last summer, really –– that’s this one. It makes me feel like dropping the mic on whatever awesome day I just had before spinning off into the sunset singing about "Jimmy, Jimmy cocoa puff," because sometimes it be that way. 

This song is also my current reminder that even in my 40s, I still very much have the ability to obsess over and make memories to newer music. 

There are days when everything feels like a battle. But then there are days like this one, where even the air feels like it's singing your name. That’s the soundtrack of right now.

* This reflective music round-up is part of this moon cycle's Feast of the Wandering Pen, a month-long challenge that's all about showing up exactly as you are.