Assignment 23 - Thomas Noll

https://open.spotify.com/user/potapids/playlist/1b1Mcqs3LacpwjSa1lzkEn?si=VIYB7IVLTEqr4AYauQz7RA

I titled my playlist "Optimistic Nihilism", this is the perfect set of songs to listen to when life resembles Detroit! About to take a huge test? Feeling worthless because all you do is eat, sleep, and do apush homework? Life sucks, but this playlist makes the most of it.

The first song is What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club. If we are going to be positive, we have to ease into it. The lyrics indicate a powerful stance against adversity, standing up against the opposition that is causing the nihilism.

The second song is Don't Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin. This song is somewhat ironic, telling the listener to be happy despite being evicted, poor, and lonely. Its placement offers it as a cheeky solution to the frustration expressed in the first song.

The third song is Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra. Here the blue skies are returning, but it is asked somewhat desperately "Where have you been?" Eventually night will come and the blue skies will once again hide away, this is a reminder to make the most of rare and temporary happiness.

The fourth song is Always Look On the Bright Side Of Life by Monty Python. This song is best understood in context, it originally appeared in Life Of Brian sung by a bunch of men who were crucified and about to die. This continues the theme of staring life's (and death's) adversity in the face and finding ironic optimism.

The final song is Mice On Venus by C418. Unlike the rest, this is instrumental, it could be considered the falling action of the playlist. The music eases in slowly and somberly, but gradually picks up. Happier keys struggle against the minor undertones, creating this sense of perseverance in a chaotic world. At the end the dust settles, and we are left in the darkness again.

EDIT:
I added For Now from Avenue Q. While it disrupts the careful ordering of the other songs, the theme fits perfectly. The adversities and struggles of life are ever present, but only death is permanent. It is a reminder that adversity is best faced with grinning acceptance.