This is the first post in my brand new feature ‘Five Songs That Changed My Life’. Interested in participating? Leave a comment below, or e-mail me at mliss024[at]gmail[dot]com. New posts will be up every Friday for as long as I have people interested in participating :) 

I thought it was only fit to start my blog feature by talking about the music that has changed MY life. I am a music junkie at heart, and without music in my life? I don’t know where I would be. Here is a little bit about the music that has changed my life.

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We all have those songs that have impacted our lives in some way. There are many tracks that remind me of the exact moment I fell in love with a band; others have stayed with me because I listened to them on repeat while I traveled. Whatever the moment, the song stuck, and that’s what matters.

Choosing only 5 songs is nearly impossible for me. I think for each era of my life, a new set of 5 songs emerge and they begin to shape the person I am, and that I’m becoming. I have such an intense love for the songs that I had on repeat in high school, but they haven’t all necessarily stood the true test of time, I don’t still listen to ALL those bands, despite the fact that at one point or another, I couldn’t get enough of them.

There are more than five songs that have changed my life. Many, many more. Today, I’m going to share the five that I still listen to and love as much as the first day I heard them.

1) I Woke Up in a Car by Something Corporate 

The first band (and musician) that I remember loving so much, it physically hurt. I was 14, in my room with this album, and this song is just the one that has always stood out for me most. 8 years later (two years ago) I got to see this band live during their reunion tour, and still to this day, Andrew McMahon is my absolute favorite singer/songwriter. He not only inspired my love for music and my appreciation for songwriting, he is a big reason I pursued my passion when I felt like I had no direction in life.

2) The Middle by Jimmy Eat World 

I discovered this song in high school, not knowing what a big impact this band would have on me for years to come. Not only are JEW still together making wonderful music, they are a band that I rely on to get me through tough days, much in the same way that I rely on some of my best friends. Their song ’23′ is the anthem to my current twenty-third year. Their concerts have changed my life! They are absolutely on my “must interview” list for CONFRONT Magazine.

3) Hum Hallelujah by Fall Out Boy 

I’ve been a fan of Fall Out Boy since high school and their ‘From Under the Cork Tree’ album- any of those songs could have easily made this list- but it was ‘Hum Hallelujah’ that inspired my very first blog. The title of that blog was “I could write it better than you ever felt it”, lyrics from that song. I’ve always taken a deeper meaning from this particular track, and I always thank it for giving me the courage to start writing my life out in the open, something that would eventually change my life.

4) Old School by Hedley

This track just coincidentally began playing as I started writing this. This band’s first album is by far one of the most influential in my life, and it is because of them and their countless concerts that I have some of my best friends today. The day that they played a stadium show in Montreal for the first time ever, my friends and I stood up to this song, linked arms, swayed, and there were definitely some tears as we sang along. This band has seen me grow up, and the concert experiences I’ve had because of them are still my most memorable from when I was 18-21 years old.

5) Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran 

The only song on this list that comes from an artist I haven’t listened to since a teenager, but I think it’s fair to say that Ed Sheeran has gained his place in life changing moments. I discovered his music because Rupert Grint from Harry Potter was in his music video. This isn’t that song, but since then, almost two years ago now, I have had his music on repeat. This is the song that he opened with both times I’ve seen him live, and it is spectacular. It’s also my favorite from his album.

Beyond just this song though, I have grown as a music writer because of Ed Sheeran. His music has been with me in some of the craziest years of my LIFE. University, my job at CONFRONT as an editor, all the crazy days where I almost went insane… His music has just *been* there. I can’t wait to road trip to Toronto in June and see him live for the third time. He is one hell of a musician, and this song is just the start of it.