It was an extremely difficult task, trying to narrow down all of my favorite songs into a concise, cohesive list of only 10. Music has been a consistent necessity in my life for as long as I can remember, meaning that I've heard quite a few incredible songs in my 18 years. I mean, do I chose the 10 songs I've loved for the longest amount of time? Do I filter in the ones with my favorite lyrics? The best beats, riffs, solos, melodies, chord progressions? What about my favorite sing-alongs or the best songs to drive to? There are just too many factors! I admittedly spent more time than I originally planned mulling over my index of albums and artists, rummaging through my dad's CD collection and our family's extensive vinyl library trying to come up with "Avery's Top 10 Favorite Songs of ALL TIME."

And honestly, that isn't even what this list turned out to be. No, this list is actually a collection of the top 10 songs that changed my life, or in other words, songs that act as personal milestones, stand out as monuments that have shaped me as a person and ultimately changed my outlook on music as a whole. These are very, very important songs and I encourage you to look them up and listen to each and every one as you read a little bit about my history with them and just why they are such powerful forces in my life.

1. "Dancing in the Dark" // Bruce Springsteen:

I first heard this song while riding in the backseat of my dad’s car when I was too young to even sing along. My dad’s favorite musical artist of ALL TIME is Bruce Springsteen and that’s just something anyone who’s close to him knows. This song reminds me more of my dad than any other song in the world because out of all the tracks on Bruce’s "Born in the USA" album, this was and IS my all-time favorite. Whenever I listen to it I am hit by a tidal wave of nostalgia; memories from my childhood, ranging from as young as I can possibly remember to very recently, fill my head and I have to take a minute to sit back and let myself feel whatever it is that needs to be felt. No matter what happens in life, where I go or what I do, I know that I can always put on “Dancing in the Dark” and automatically be taken back to simpler time and a gentler place.

“You can’t start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart, this gun’s for hire even if we’re just dancing in the dark.”

2. “Robbers” // The 1975:

The main reason why “Robbers” is such a special song to me is because it’s kind of a double-favorite. What I mean is that this is my favorite song from my favorite band. Other than that, this song has magic in it, I’m fully convinced. It’s one of The 1975’s more mellow tracks about a Bonnie and Clyde style relationship full of passion and the deepest kind of love you can experience, causing a rather tumultuous emotional effect. I remember the very first time I fell in love with this song: I was driving down a road that is typically really busy, but for some reason, it was dead quiet that night, not a car in sight. I remember thinking that it looked like I was driving straight into the sunset, my windows were all rolled down to allow the summer air to filter in. My phone was set on ‘shuffle’ and cranked up to max volume when “Robbers” came on. Everything at that moment was so cinematic and beautiful. I felt okay and safe and happy and for once in my life, it was just me, the road, and a perfect song.

“To find out that everything's gone wrong, wrong, wrong. Now everybody's dead, they're driving past my old school. He’s got his gun, he's got his suit on. She says, ‘babe, you look so cool, you look so cool, (x8).”

3. “Sylvia Plath” (Live At Carnegie Hall 11/15/2015) // Ryan Adams:

A more recent favorite of mine, “Sylvia Plath” holds a very special place in my heart. When I say that this is a very recent favorite of mine, I mean that if I were to have written this list exactly one year ago today it wouldn’t even be included here. I had no idea this song even existed until early October of 2015. I remember this so specifically because of the events surrounding it: I was in love, the kind of love that is nearly impossible to forget. I included this song on a mixtape I made for this person and we would listen to it in his car as we drove across the city. Even now when I hear the echo of the opening piano chords, I am transported to that passenger seat. This song taught me that even though there will be people in your life that will leave you, music stays. Music will always stay and we will always have something to hold onto when nothing else seems to be constant.

“I gotta get me a Sylvia Plath / And maybe she'd take me to France, or maybe to Spain and she'd ask me to dance in a mansion on the top of a hill.”

4. “Blown A Wish” // My Bloody Valentine:

My Bloody Valentine is such an obscure band that I absolutely LOVE. They were the first ones to really open the door to a completely new type of music that I didn’t really even know existed. I can give this band complete credit for opening my mind up to genres that I originally would’ve shut down immediately, calling the music “just stupid noise.” Personally, I think MBV is one of the most consistently brilliant bands and influential acts of all time. As any of their fans and they’re sure to tell you that their 1991 smash album "Loveless" is BY FAR their best work.

“Nothing left to do. Once in love, I'll be the death of you”

5. “You Go To My Head” // Billie Holiday:

When I was younger, I was afraid to like music. I was afraid that what I was into wouldn't be “cool” and it wouldn't be “good." So I didn’t like to talk about my favorite songs at all between the ages of 11 to 15. This time in my life was especially difficult, as I was struggling with a lot of depressive episodes and intense spouts of anxiety. But one rainy day I somehow ended up listening to this specific NPR podcast: "Love Songs You Love to Love." From Death Cab for Cutie to Mazzy Star and, eventually, Billie Holiday’s “You Go to My Head.” When I heard her begin to sing I remembered what it felt like to feel again. That song reminded me that there were still things that were beautiful. And I crawled out of my too-tight skin and I got out of my bed and that was the moment I started to feel whole again. That is a very big deal to a lost little 15-year-old girl.

“Like a summer with a thousand Julys, you intoxicate my soul with your eyes. Though I'm certain that this heart of mine hasn't a ghost of a chance in this crazy romance, you go to my head”

6. “All The Tired Horses” // Bob Dylan:

I was probably 14 years old when I first listened to Bob Dylan. I was sitting in my basement rummaging through my dad’s massive collection of CDs and cassettes. I really wanted to play something that I'd never heard before, something fresh. I finally just picked a random CD when my dad happened to walk by and noticed the case I held in my hand. He said something along the lines of "Listen to that first track. Really listen to it. They sing the same thing over and over again, but there’s something new and different every time." And so I sat there and listened to it. Really listened to it. And I got excited every time I heard a new instrument and felt goosebumps appear on my arms and legs. It was the first time that I ever truly listened to a piece of music.

“All the tired horses in the sun. How am I supposed to get any riding done?”

7. “Poison Oak” // Bright Eyes:

About two or three years ago I was told by one of my friends to go listen to the song “Poison Oak” off of Bright Eyes’s album "I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning." I was familiar with the album itself because I really liked another song on the record, “Lua." I never really took the time to listen to this track in its entirety simply because of how slow it starts out. I had never made it past the first 30 seconds before shutting it off, completely missing the intense, passionate breakdown at the end of the song. But this time around I decided to take my friend’s word for it and gave it another shot. And I am so, so glad that I did. “Poison Oak” is now pretty much one of my favorite songs of all time and I would’ve realized that earlier if I had just been patient and listened to the wonderful words/made it to the finale. Not only is it heartfelt and mournfully beautiful, it’s just an absolute masterpiece across the board. Everything about it is perfect, and there's so much passion behind his voice. It brings tears to my eyes each time I listen to it, honestly, it's worthy of everyone's attention. There's a debate over who this song is about, Conor Oberst's deceased brother or his cousin who committed suicide. Their death causes him to question life, sending him into a state of "paralysis" as he cries "I'm glad you got away, but I'm still stuck out here." Regardless of who the song is for, the lyrics are so ridiculously amazing that it makes you just want to scream them from rooftops, write them on the walls, get them tattooed across your chest and UGH! It's just a perfect song. So much love.

"Let the poets cry themselves to sleep. And all their tearful words can turn back into steam."

8. “Chicago” // Sufjan Stevens:

Part of the reason why this song is so important to me might be because I am currently getting ready to move out of the town I have called home for 18 years and into the great city of Chicago as I head off to college. The song itself isn’t so much about Chicago as it is the city Sufjan is leaving behind, and that’s something I am also having a really hard time swallowing right now. Chicago itself represents an idea, a feeling very much like that of New York City: freedom and escape. Sufjan Stevens is actually from Michigan too, which I find rather interesting. It makes this track resonate even deeper knowing that it comes from a place, quite literally, that I know all too well. Besides that, Sufjan is an absolute genius and the album this song is pulled from is, in my opinion, one of the best concept albums of all time. Worth a listen, really!

“If I was crying in the van with my friend it was for freedom from myself and from the land”

9. “Fast Car” // Tracy Chapman:

Okay, this is probably one of the most iconic songs of the mid to late ‘80s or, if you wanna give that a bit of a stretch, of all time. This acoustic ballad was a staple in my family growing up so I never really took to time to listen to it by choice since it seemed like it was always playing in our house. Whenever it came on the radio my mom would start to gush, “As a writer, I’m so surprised this isn’t, like, your favorite song. It’s beautiful poetry.” For a while I just brushed it off like “yeah, right, okay…” But then one day I was driving all by myself when I heard the familiar strumming of Chapman’s guitar and for the first time I just listened to the lyrics. And, to my surprise, my mother was right. There is an unyielding optimism and sadness that flows through this song. It IS poetry. She tries so desperately to overcome the obstacles she’s facing and even though things don’t end on a necessarily positive note, she can still find solace in driving away from her sorrows.

“City lights lay out before us, and your arm felt nice wrapped ’round my shoulder. And I had a feeling that I belonged. And I had a feeling I could be someone”

10. “Lying to You” // Keaton Henson:

Keaton is nothing short of a true poet. His lyrics are simply otherworldly in the most heartbreaking way. The song “Lying to You” comes from his second album "Birthdays," which displays a variety of songs with themes ranging from guilt and longing to despair and staying with somebody he doesn’t want to be with anymore, and contrasting that, being crushed by someone he loves, all sharing a similar melancholy tone. When I first hear the album it had been quite a while since I had listened to something so impactful yet so delicate, vulnerable and addictive. This song specifically touched me, though. I heard it for the first time right after a terrible break-up. I was hurt and alone and so, so sad. Then I heard this song. It brutally lyricises Keaton’s lack of feeling toward a lover. I loved it so much because it felt like my ex was singing to me through the stereo. It was a break-up that I never got answers to, so this song sort of served as the closure I desperately needed even though it was Keaton saying these words, not the boy I used to love.