Last night I finished season two of HBO’s Euphoria. I had to put my breathing on manual, reminding myself to inhale and exhale, while I gripped my friend Savannah’s hand as hard as I physically could. While the scene on the screen was incredibly gut-wrenching, it was the suspenseful music that had me on the edge of my seat. Film is nothing without music, and it got me thinking, if my life were a movie, what would the soundtrack be?
So, without further ado, I present: Katie Billings – The Soundtrack. After much thought, the following songs made the top of my list. These are the ones that would play as my life flashed before your eyes, and would hopefully have you holding your best friend’s hand too.
ACT I
1. Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel
To start it off would have to be Solsbury Hill. My childhood was spent playing outside in the creek, "Wind was blowing, time stood still." My brother and I would join our neighborhood friends and roam the terrain, yard by yard, often coming across deer, snakes, owls, hawks – you name it. It was unplugged and it was perfect. Peter Gabriel captures this sense of imagination and exploration in his song, and every time I hear it, it brings me back.
2. Life is a Highway - Rascal Flatts
My best friend’s family beach house is three hours away, and we spent many summer days zipping down I-40 to make it down in time for the Friday Night Beach Concerts. This song reminds me of those drives and quintessential, windows down, summer days.
3. You Make My Dreams (Come True) - Daryll Hall & John Oates
As my friends and I aged, Chapel Hill became even more of a playground - the perfect backdrop for our story to unfold. Hall and Oates' song is the one I picture playing as the montage of our childhood years unfolds. Videos of us running through the halls of school, taking our first drives around town as 16-year-olds, hanging out with our new and exciting group of guy friends, and finishing with us as seniors in high school.
ACT II
4. Across The Room - ODESZA feat. Leon Bridges
With age came love, and lots of it. This song is a special one to me and is the perfect choice for that high school romance.
5. Goodnight - Lennon Stella
But with young love often comes heartbreak, and holding on far too long. Thank you, Lennon Stella, for capturing that experience in this one.
6. Miss You So Much - Miley Cyrus
As new chapters unfolded, many goodbyes were made. These goodbyes were made a thousand times easier by listening to my favorite song, Miss You So Much. Miley Cyrus reminded me not to "waste my time with wonder, in apprehension, or living life in fear," and that when I miss my people so much, to dig deep, because they are always, in a way, right here with me.
ACT III
7. Cold War - Cautious Clay
College came, and so did a global pandemic. Both of which taught me, in a million different ways, that time is precious, and to live true to you. As I learned how to let go of what is out of my control, this is the song that plays. It slows me down, places me in the moment, and reminds me of one of the biggest lessons I have learned these past four years, to speak like you mean it.
8. All That and More (Sailboat) - Rainbow Kitten Surprise
I came into UNC a shell of the person I am today. Four years at this school have molded me into the person I once dreamed of being. I am sure of myself. I know what I want. I have found love, adventure, knowledge, color, creativity, and experience. I chased all of those things down with arms wide open. I am captain of my own sailboat out at sea. All That and More by Rainbow Kitten Surprise captures this transformation and points me in the direction of my next endeavor, a plot that even I do not know the script for yet.
CREDITS
9. Bad Self Portraits - Lake Street Dive
Give this song a listen if you do not already know it. It makes you want to sing, dance, and make lemonade out of some particularly sour lemons. It leaves you feeling good and reminds you to never stop fueling your creativity, which is exactly how I would want my movie to end.
AND, scene.
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