I therefore decided to think about the 20 songs I would pick that would sum up key events and memories in my own life. Plus it seems relevant to talk about music the day after the Brit Awards.
It's quite a random list - definitely not what my 20 favourite songs would be - but here they are and the reasons why...
Reminds me of being in my Mum's car when I was little - we thought Mum's music was so boring compared to Dad's. I have a clear memory of this song being on when I was trying to figure out how much taller I needed to grow before my feet could touch the floor.
Reminds me of rocking out with my dad, brother, and sister in Dad's car. The fun car.
Middle of Nowhere was the first album I ever bought (or asked for). I was obsessed with Hanson and so was my sister and we listened to them ALL THE TIME and would always ask Mum and Dad to take their music off so we could play this album on repeat. I used to pretend I was going out with Zac, the youngest one. This is the first track on the album and I still get a buzz when I hear it.
This was the song I listened to when the first person I ever knew died. It was a school friend's mum and she had a car accident on the way back from dropping him at school. I used to sneak into one of the teacher's classrooms at prep school and listen to this song (I had it on tape cassette) and cry.
When I was 11 I went to school in France for a term, and the matrons sang this song in a talent show. I always loved it and thought it was amazing they could sing in French so I taught myself the lyrics and it inspired me to love French - I went on to study French at university 7 years later.
I was obsessed with this song when it came out. I used to have singing lessons and this would be the song I always wanted to sing. I would also watch MTV obsessively and record my favourite songs on video and with this song I would record it onto tape and pretend I had my own radio station and interview my parents about their businesses for the radio adverts.
This song was number one when I went to my very first party. My mum did my hair and I got to pick the clothes I wanted to wear (looking back I looked awful - I woe black flares and a vest top with a red dragon on). I didn't understand the meaning of the lyrics at all and then I watched her perform it a few years ago when she was supporting Simply Red and I burst into tears. My friend's laughed at me but the lyrics are so moving - we've all been in that place right?
When I was a teenager I went through quite a hard time and was in hospital for a while with a mystery illness. I also experimented with being a skater girl. I remember listening to this entire album on repeat whilst I was in hospital, but this was always my favourite song of theirs.
The song I fell in love to for the first time - he cheated on me, so it became the song I listened to on repeat in tears for several months. (I kept taking him back and he kept cheating on me).
This song reminds me of the very beginning stages of my relationship with the boy I fell in love with next. He saved me from my going back to my cheating ex, helped me through tough times at school, and we stayed together for six and a half years.
GCSE year summer with friends at school. It was such a hot summer term, and we didn't have to go to school because we were 'revising' for our exams. Our housemistress was having an affair with the PE teacher so was too busy focussing on that to care what we got up to so we always got drunk and had our boyfriends round in the house garden - which wouldn't normally be allowed.
This song reminds me of my first year of University at King's College London (I transferred after first year). It reminds me of my friend Amelia who is the best girlfriend I ever made and we lived next to each other in halls. Kelly Clarkson was a big hit for us too.
This song reminds me of my time at the University of Nottingham as it was always the last song they played in my favourite student club - a really cheesy nightclub called Ocean. My friend Jasmine and I went to live on a french island called La Réunion for a few months and whenever we had beach parties we'd put this track on the playlist and nobody else would understand as it clearly wasn't a party tune.
Still on of my favourite songs of all time. It reminds me of my first proper holiday away with my boyfriend of 6 and a half years. Because I was living in La Réunion he came out to the neighbouring island Mauritius. It was the most amazing place I've ever visited, and I remember feeling really grown up and really in love.
I was obsessed with Christophe Mae's voice and he was such a big star when I lived in Paris (straight after La Réunion). I loved my 8 months living in Paris - I was an au pair and also did a fashion internship for Folli Follie. Some of my favourite memories with friends happened in this city and I even celebrated my 21st birthday at the Moulin Rouge with my boyfriend and parents.
My favourite song of all time. Whenever I feel down I find this song levels me out and puts everything in perspective. I usually listen to it during break ups and so it has very strong memories associated with it.
My favourite holiday ever. I went to Gambia with a group of my girlfriends and one of their parents - we had a the best time and her parents rented us all a boat for the day and we all sang this really loudly. Ironically of course.
I was obsessed with Ellie Goulding from the very start of her career. I remember I went to go watch her at V Festival years ago and she was so overwhelmed people knew her songs. Her album, Lights, touched me so much that whilst she was performing I was laughing and crying hysterically at the same time like a FREAK. I was in love with my boyfriend at the time, who quite clearly didn't love me back (and later cheated on me), and this whole album was exactly how I felt at the time - this was my favourite song and it reminds me of being in his convertible with him driving through London during a very hot summer listening to this very loud.
I went to go and see Coldplay on their Mylo Xyloto Tour a few years ago with my sister and I don't know why but it was the best day of my life. We arrived at the Stadium of Light at Sunderland at 3pm and went straight to the front and waited for them to come on stage at 9pm. Neither of us were even huge Coldplay fans until after this concert. They blew me away, I fell in love with Chris Martin, and they gave everyone the flashing wristbands so when they turned them on it was the most incredible thing I had ever seen.
I had an epiphany whilst on holiday at the Yacht Week with an amazing group of friends. I had such an amazing holiday and we were all obsessed with this song - it sounds silly but it made my realise that my career had gone down totally the wrong track and I had lost sight of my career dreams. I quit my job as soon as I got back to do a TV presenting course and the rest is history.
I'd love to know if you have memories from any of the songs I picked, and also what your 20 songs would be?
Anyway, Michael Linford - thank you for sending me your book. I would recommend anyone to read this and you can buy it here.
If you have any book recommendations I'd love to hear them. Please leave your comments below :)
Until next time... x
