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  • A football team in red charges onto the field beneath stadium lights as a red-uniformed marching band and red-and-black hometown crowd cheer from the stands.
    Playlists

    Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose: Songs About Friday Night Football and Finding Your Way

    August 27, 2026August 27, 2026 Reading Time: 14 minutes

    In the fall, Friday nights start with marching bands, pep rallies, and stadium lights. But the game is never the whole story. From there, football becomes a language for hard hits, second chances, changing plans, and finding our way after the lights go out.

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  • A weary woman rests with her eyes closed in a parked car on a rainy evening.
    Playlists

    You Don't Have to Try So Hard: Songs for When You’re Tired of Being Strong

    August 19, 2026August 26, 2026 Reading Time: 10 minutes

    *As an Amazon Associate, The Songbird Soundtrack earns commissions from qualifying purchases. Have you ever heard someone described as “the glue”? Everybody knows someone like that, even if no one’s…

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  • Here It Goes Again: This Is the True Story of How MTV Entered the Real World
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    Here It Goes Again: This Is the True Story of How MTV Entered the Real World

    August 15, 2026August 17, 2026 Reading Time: 16 minutes

    The very first season of “The Real World” debuted on May 21, 1992. The cast was made up of Norman Korpi, Andre Comeau, Julie Oliver, Rebecca Blasband, Heather B., Eric Nies and Kevin Powell, who lived together in New York City. Let’s catch up with some of the cast: Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage/Getty Images

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  • I Shoulda Learned to Play the Guitar: Songs from When MTV Taught Us to See the Music
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    I Shoulda Learned to Play the Guitar: Songs from When MTV Taught Us to See the Music

    August 1, 2026August 3, 2026 Reading Time: 9 minutes

    August 1, 2026, marks 45 years since MTV first went on the air. Yet there’s more than a little irony in marking that anniversary just seven months after several of…

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  • Nothing Ever Lasts Forever: Songs for the Last Days of Summer
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    Nothing Ever Lasts Forever: Songs for the Last Days of Summer

    July 29, 2026July 29, 2026 Reading Time: 8 minutes

    Summer doesn’t really end all at once, does it? The days are still hot, and no one has put away the swimsuits or lawn chairs just yet. But the telltale…

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  • 'Cause There Ain't No Doubt I Love This Land: Songs for Independence Day
    Playlists

    'Cause There Ain't No Doubt I Love This Land: Songs for Independence Day

    July 3, 2026July 28, 2026 Reading Time: 6 minutes

    The Fourth of July arrives with its own familiar rhythm: flags lifting in the summer air, music spilling from open windows, brisket shared with friends, and pool parties stretching lazily…

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  • But All I Really Want is Some Room to Breathe: 13 Songs for Saying “No”
    Playlists

    But All I Really Want is Some Room to Breathe: 13 Songs for Saying “No”

    March 9, 2026July 26, 2026 Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Some “NOs” arrive like thunder. Others arrive cool, clear, and long overdue. This playlist leans into both: the theatrical refusal, the bright pop shutdown, the stylish brush-off, the final curtain….

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  • We Can Be Heroes, Just for One Day: Stranger Things in 13 Songs
    Playlists

    We Can Be Heroes, Just for One Day: Stranger Things in 13 Songs

    January 4, 2026July 28, 2026 Reading Time: 5 minutes

    The Stranger Things finale landed on New Year’s Eve 2025, closing a story that began on July 15, 2016, and captivating viewers of all ages with a decade of bikes,…

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  • Pack the Good and Leave the Rest: 13 Songs for a Comeback
    Playlists

    Pack the Good and Leave the Rest: 13 Songs for a Comeback

    January 2, 2026March 9, 2026 Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Sometimes, a comeback isn’t loud. Sometimes, it doesn’t announce itself or arrive on schedule. Sometimes, it comes after time has passed … after things have shifted, stretched, or quietly fallen…

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  • Beautiful, The Mess We Are: 54 Songs to Comfort a Troubled Heart
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    Beautiful, The Mess We Are: 54 Songs to Comfort a Troubled Heart

    July 15, 2023January 10, 2026 Reading Time: 17 minutes

    I almost didn’t post this. Oh, who am I kidding? I almost didn’t even write this post. I’m not really sure why, but this one was a hard one to…

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  • You Might Feel a Shaft of Light Make Its Way Across Your Face: 16 Songs Perfect for Celebrating an Achievement
    Playlists

    You Might Feel a Shaft of Light Make Its Way Across Your Face: 16 Songs Perfect for Celebrating an Achievement

    May 27, 2023January 10, 2026 Reading Time: 15 minutes

    So, yeah, the title probably gives it away. I buried the lede, as they say. Unrelated but fun fact: As I post this article, it occurs to me that I’m…

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  • You Can Blow Out My Candle, But You'll Never Put Out My Fire: 42 Songs About Persevering to Achieve Your Goals
    Playlists

    You Can Blow Out My Candle, But You'll Never Put Out My Fire: 42 Songs About Persevering to Achieve Your Goals

    May 20, 2023January 10, 2026 Reading Time: 5 minutes

    With all due respect to Britney Spears, oops! I did it again. I left you hanging. In my very first post, I said I wanted to try to write one…

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  • Have I the Courage to Change?: 14 Songs to Inspire You to Set Goals
    Playlists

    Have I the Courage to Change?: 14 Songs to Inspire You to Set Goals

    May 6, 2023February 3, 2026 Reading Time: 12 minutes

    A few weeks ago, I did a crazy thing. No, I’m not talking about clicking “Publish” on the first Songbird Soundtrack post, although I’m sure some would call that crazy,…

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  • Soundtrack 1, The Bonus Tracks
    Playlists

    Soundtrack 1, The Bonus Tracks

    April 22, 2023January 10, 2026 Reading Time: 1 minute

    Find all the songs I mentioned or alluded to in Soundtrack 1 in this playlist.

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  • Ain't It Crazy What a Song Can Do?: Soundtrack 1, Side B
    Playlists

    Ain't It Crazy What a Song Can Do?: Soundtrack 1, Side B

    April 22, 2023January 10, 2026 Reading Time: 28 minutes

    Welcome to the B-side. Well, I’ve already been unable to achieve my goal of writing a post a week. That’s actually only partially true, as I’ve been working on this…

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  • Let the Music Play!: Soundtrack 1, Side A
    Playlists

    Let the Music Play!: Soundtrack 1, Side A

    April 8, 2023January 10, 2026 Reading Time: 17 minutes

    So here I am … one week later, and the Songbird Soundtracks — the playlists I’ve been building — officially begin. An admission: I’ve been working on the first playlist…

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  • Put Your Records On: Welcome to the Songbird Soundtrack
    Playlists

    Put Your Records On: Welcome to the Songbird Soundtrack

    April 1, 2023January 17, 2026 Reading Time: 16 minutes

    Here I am, “putting my records on,” as the song says. But why? Why a Soundtrack? Like many of my stories, this is not a short one. (Yes, I’m painfully…

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