Once upon a time, in a distant land known as Chestnut Hill, Mass., there lived a girl named Kate Kissel. Her days were spent immersed in the worlds of books and words, and she read and wrote to her heart’s content.
Every story arc follows a protagonist through a journey of highs and lows, conflicts and resolutions. Today, Kate is the main character, and her story unfolds through her 10 favorite songs. Much like any great narrative, this playlist takes unexpected twists and turns.
Here’s what you should know: Kate is an English major, a feature writer, and a devoted book lover. Naturally, her playlist reflects the same passion for storytelling, brimming with songs that weave their own tales.
The first needle drop was no surprise. Kate is a known lover of rom-coms and calls her mom several times a day, so “Slipping Through My Fingers” from Mamma Mia was an apt choice. It’s a love letter between a mother and daughter that reminisces on fond memories and laments how their relationship has changed with time. I can picture Kate hitting “play” on the plane back to Boston after spending time with family at home.
A love for the next song, “Don’t Take The Money” by Bleachers, is one of many things Kate and I share including a residence hall and coffee order. The original version is a poppy, synth-laden dance track that I knew she loved. Her choice of this stripped-down version, however, was surprising.
In this “Unplugged” version, the simple piano melody anchors the lyrics, unveiling their desperation and sadness. The song is an extended metaphor of love as currency, asking a partner not to steal the “money” they’ve earned together. I imagine Kate appreciates this song for its use of rhetorical devices.
“I pray for everything we lost, buy back the secrets / Your hand forever’s all I want / Don’t take the money,” lead singer Jack Antonoff sings.
“Tolerate it” is one of Taylor Swift’s best, with cutting lyrics from a resentful partner who feels underappreciated. Refusing to accept that Kate has such vengeful energy in her own heart, I choose to instead hold that Kate likes this song for the journalistic references in its bridge.
“Now I’m begging for footnotes in the story of your life / Drawing hearts in the byline,” Swift sings. As Kate piles up her own bylines in the mag section, I imagine these lyrics resonate.
Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son” is a musical conversation between, you guessed it, a father and son. With each verse, the perspective switches and the refrain takes on a different meaning. The song is marked with mourning, as its titular father tries to understand why his son must take on a different life.
“Now there’s a way / And I know that I have to go away,” Stevens sings.
The next song “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor describes a different kind of grief, that of the death of a friend. The message is similar, though. Both acoustic songs express real-life problems but their creative lyricisms apply to any unexpected change in life. I picture Kate turning to either of these songs in times of hardship.
“Fast Car” is a vignette of a woman trying to lift herself out of poverty and domestic issues, using a “fast car” as her key to escape her situation. The storytelling and memorable guitar riff jump out of the song, just like in Kate’s other favorites, but its simple refrains are what hit the hardest.
“I had a feeling that I belonged / I had a feeling I could be someone,” Chapman sings.
Out of all the wistful tunes about parents, Kate chose for this playlist, “Even Though I’m Leaving” by Luke Combs is close to my heart as a country fan. The catchy pop-country hook is just upbeat enough to buoy the heartbreaking plot of a son traveling through life with, then losing, his father.
“Even though I’m leaving, I’m not goin’ nowhere,” Combs sings.
The two bright spots within this playlist’s gloom were “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson and “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys. I can picture Kate blasting these iconic pump-up songs while driving through her picturesque hometown of Skaneateles, N.Y.
And though Kate is not much of a singer, she’s attempted to reach the high notes in these power ballads more than once. Kate, if you’re reading this, leave the singing to the professionals for the sake of your fellow editors.
“The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” by The Script is a fitting conclusion for this journey into Kate’s psyche. It tells the story of a man who plants himself at an old rendezvous spot of an ex-girlfriend, hoping to see her again. Like the song’s protagonist, Kate seems to cling to the past and lament over it internally.
But instead of “camping in [her] sleeping bag” like lead singer Danny O’Donoghue sings in the song, Kate chooses to carry on. So as Kate moves through her life, she keeps heartache within the confines of her AirPods and lets the narratives of her favorite songs speak for her.
And she lives happily ever after.
