1. "Come On Eileen," Dexys Midnight Runners

What can I say? As soon as this comes on you're grabbing my hands and spinning me around with that beautiful smile on your face and that joyful laugh rising in your throat. You make me feel brave. We danced in front of everyone on that Bonfire Night with our cheeks flushed and our eyes reflecting the sparks that danced in the air. I felt invincible.  

 

2. "Candy," Robbie Williams

Remember this absolute bop? We would jump on your mum's bed when we were the only ones home and pretend to be old when, in reality, we should've been cherishing our innocence. When did spy games turn into makeup challenges? When did climbing trees turn into climbing your walls and inscribing our crushes behind your wardrobe?

 

3. "Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time," Panic! At The Disco  

This used to be our anthem. Between making sure you got to school on time and squeezing in segments of The Hunger Games, this made our journey to school seem like the coolest. We were way too big for our boots.  

 

4. "Comfortably Numb," Pink Floyd

Dad, this will always be your favourite song. Remember when I used to say I love it? I really don't—I just thought liking Pink Floyd was cool. You were always so proud of me for not liking pop music, and I loved the way your voice scratched over the lyrics as you bopped around in the car. Please do it more often, you seem to be losing that spirit.  

 

5. "House of Gold," Twenty One Pilots

I will always hate the emo music you try to get me to listen to. It makes me cringe whenever I listen to it, but with every strum of that awful ukulele I feel your hands holding me.  

 

6. "Viva La Vida," Coldplay

It's been a long time since I've liked Coldplay, but I remember the thrill of going to Wembley to see them live. The arc was lit up with all the colours and I wore my t-shirt proudly. After this song, everyone was chanting the tune long into the night. The cheers of the unified crowd carried me home on a throne of clouds.  

 

7. "The Fairytale of New York," The Pogues & Kirsty McColl

Christmas is always my favourite time of year, and nothing encapsulates the joy and escapism like the Christmas song. Sure, Christmas is different now—I understand the stress it brings and why you always seemed so eager to open the Bucks Fizz at 8 a.m., but you don't need to spend money to make me feel happy.  

 

8. "Requiem For a Soldier," From Band of Brothers

I was obsessed with this series for a year. I knew everything about the soldiers of the 101st Airborne and could trace the inscriptions of history. Those men seemed tangible to me, even if all I have of them is a few signatures and a few books. History is something I'll never fully understand, but I remember learning this theme on the piano and performing it. Someone cried and I got a standing ovation, and I felt proud to carry on the memory.  

 

9. "Writer In The Dark," Lorde

When I first heard this song I was struggling with who I wanted to be, but the title made me excited. Sure, the actual song has its own meanings but it helped me realise I wanted to write and change the world through my words.  

 

10. "Do I Wanna Know?" Arctic Monkeys

The amount of times I've had to listen to this song in the attempt to fuel me with confidence . . . the beat makes me feel like a badass and that sometimes faking it until you make it is the way to go.  

 

11. "Crack The Shutters," Snow Patrol

My brother and I would chant it on our way to a football match, dad tapping the tune on the steering wheel. I related to it when I lay awake at night, thinking of you and everything about you. It's sappy, it's pathetic, but love is more than a neurochemical con job.  

 

12. "I'm Going to Change the World," The Animals  

'There's one thing I've got to say.

There's got to be some changes made.

No more black or white.

No more left or right.

I'm gonna change the world, baby.

I'm gonna change the world, yeah!'