The Spotify Wrapped Tag!

Hello, hello, hello!

Look who it is. 😉

I have returned to my little corner of the internet, and it has been far too long since I’ve written for you dears. First of all, the mere conception that I could have continued posting fortnightly during my first semester of graduate school was . . . batty.

I’ve only just turned in two twenty-page papers and a thesis prospectus, and I’ve another wretched term paper to turn in on Wednesday.

So much has happened since my last post, and I may as well give a little announcement before diving in to today’s material.

I won a Watty Award! My Sherlock fanfiction novel, The Emotional Children, won a Watty Award for best fanfiction on Wattpad, and I am beyond thrilled. Please do go read it if you haven’t yet, as its garnered quite a readership online. I’m very proud of it, and I’ll be posting about my experience in a future post.

Nevertheless, after turning in over eighty pages of academic writing this semester, I’ve found a quiet evening to blog, if even so little. Thanks to my dear friend, Maribeth, I have the lovely Spotify wrapped tag to participate in!

Spotify wrapped was one of the highlights of last week, since music is such an enormous part of my life—nay, my daily existence hinges upon the music I listen to. Before I could even speak, my mother put headphones over her womb and played Mozart to my embryonic self. I’ve been playing the piano since I was six, and my fascination with Beethoven and Chopin has persisted through the ages.

All that to say, I adore music. And seeing my Spotify wrapped results was so much fun—especially during the bleak, ceaseless slog that is finals week. Thanks for the tag, Maribeth, and let’s get into it, shall we?

What was your #1 song of the year?

My top song of the year was “Overturn,” by French-Canadian neoclassical pianist Alexandra Stréliski, which I apparently listened to a very reasonable 213 times. “Overturn” has been one of my most beloved neoclassical pieces for a very long while, and the contemplative nature of this year brought its lovely tones back in full force. It’s so soft, steady, calm, and somehow . . . still tempestuous. Stréliski is one of my favorite neoclassical composers, and her album INSCAPE is gorgeous.

What were your other top songs of the year?

I’m quite proud of my other top songs this year:

• The main suite from A Hidden Life by James Newton Howard

• “Soy Yo” from mi favoritas, Bomba Estéreo (I quite seriously am the little girl from the music video)

• “Experience” from Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi (one of my musical idols, as I’ve aforementioned)

• “Marriage d’Amour” (also known as “Chopin’s Spring Waltz”) from French composer Paul de Senneville.

All of which I use to actively facilitate daydreams and dance sessions.

Which song will play as you defeat an ancient vengeful spirit?

“Immortals” from Fallout Boy. I am indeed a sucker for that song. 😛

Which song will play as you face-off against your rival dance crew?

*ehehe*

I’ll have to choose Rick Astley’s meme-inducing classic “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Because it really is one of the most important songs ever written.

The music video is really fun, too. Just don’t get rickrolled.

Which song will play as you proclaim your love in the rain?

I do intend to make it as romantic as possible.

*smiling*

Well, it has taken me a minute to decide, but I shall have to choose the choral piece “Ecce Novum” from Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo. Every time I listen to it I won’t pretend my mind doesn’t wander toward romantic fantasies. “Ecce novum” means “behold the newfound joy” in Latin. It’s quite a joyous, romantic song, sung by a choir and backed with a violin to support. It was technically composed as a Christmas carol, but I’ll probably listen to it all year.

How many minutes did you spend listening to Spotify?

53,446 minutes! That’s apparently more than 94% of other listeners in America, and I’m not too surprised at myself. In fact, I was rather proud. I listen to music mostly every day, every moment of the day, and even into the night when I’m getting ready for sleep and reading in bed.

What is your audio aura?

My top music moods were escapism and wistful. Honestly? Typical Emily.

What were your top podcasts?

My top podcast of the year was The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast. And for good reason. I really, really adore Jordan Peterson, the work he’s done, and the battles he’s faced. As an academic, he inspires me so much, and I really hope to meet him one day.

Additionally, my other top podcasts were Mark Stanley’s The Well Read Christian, alongside Nathan Clarkson and Joseph Holmes’s The Overthinkers. Both are fantastic podcasts!

How many genres did you listen to this year? 

My, my, I listened to sixty genres. Sixty. 60. I surprise myself, I truly do.

What are your top genres?

• Soundtrack
• Neoclassical
• Baroque (surely a lot of Vivaldi, Bach, and Handel)
• Classical Piano
• Bow Pop (i.e. Imagine Dragons, Fallout Boy, Coldplay, Lindsey Stirling)

I mean . . . of course Baroque had to be on there.

How many artists did you listen to, and who are your top 5 artists?

I listened to a whopping 1,063 different artists.

I was actually quite surprised when I saw that Alvaro Soler was my #1 artist this year. All the same, it makes a lot of sense. He’s easily one of my favorite singers of all time, and I had his new single “Magia” (which means “magic”) on repeat for a long time. I always have such a fun time listening to his music. And my Abuela loves him, so there’s that.

The other four artists that were in my top five were:

• Howard Shore
• The Piano Guys
• Alexandre Desplat
• Hans Zimmer

Howard Shore because of The Lord of the Rings score. And all the others are equally self-explanatory. Also, we need to talk about Hans Zimmer and his Dune score on this blog. We also need to just talk about Dune—both the books and the new film—because I have been swept away in a new story.

Ahh, yes. There’s me listening to “Ripples in the Sand” for like the umpteenth time.

Alas, I digress.

We have come to the end of the questions!

What did you think of my musical results for the year? Scandalous? Predictable? A bit of both. I certainly hope so. If you’re on Spotify, I certainly hope you’ll follow me—in which case I shall return the gesture in good faith. 😉

If you would like to take this brand-new tag of Maribeth’s, consider yourself tagged! And even if you don’t have Spotify, you can certainly use and adjust it for your own musical library. Here are Maribeth’s two small rules (isn’t she merciful?) plus the list of questions: 

THE RULES: 

1 – Link back to the original post on A Writer’s Tale

2 – Share this image at the top of your post:

THE QUESTIONS:

What was your #1 song of the year?

What were your other top songs of the year?

Which song will play as you defeat an ancient vengeful spirit?

Which song will play as you face-off against your rival dance crew?

Which song will play as you proclaim your love in the rain?

How many minutes did you spend listening to Spotify?

What is your audio aura?

What were your top podcasts?

How many genres did you listen to this year? 

What are your top genres?

How many artists did you listen to, and who are your top 5 artists?

Have FUN answering these glorious questions. And thanks for the tag, Maribeth! 😉

And that’s all for today, dearest friends. I look forward to seeing you in the next post, and if I’m not back before then, have a Happy Christmas!

Yours in love,

Emily