My kids loved watching SpongeBob SquarePants when they were growing up. Consequently, I watched a lot of SpongeBob, too. Later, I learned that plenty of parents refused to let their kids watch the absorbent main character with rectangular breeches. I guess they found him annoying, but my kids enjoyed the show, and I appreciated its quirky sense of humor.

I could particularly relate to one episode titled “Earworm,” in which SpongeBob develops an obsession with a song and plays it over and over again until it practically drives him insane.

I fixate on songs, too. Discovering a great new song is better than putting on my winter coat and finding twenty dollars in the pocket. It’s truly a gift.

This post is a little different from my typical subject matter and format. I’m simply going to share five songs I discovered this year that I put on repeat and listened to for days. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

“That Girl Could Sing”- Jackson Brown

This song is certainly not new, and I had heard it before, but for some reason I heard it in a different light while driving earlier this year. The thing I most love about this tune is the sharp, tin-edged guitar work. Its staccato style is razor-sharp and just growls against the smooth vocals.

My favorite lyric is:

“She coulda turned out to be almost anyone
Almost anyone
With the possible exception
Of who I wanted her to be.”

“If You Insist”- Jason Isbell

The song opens with a racing snare drum set against a meandering guitar and a haunting fiddle. It’s relaxing, and the lyrics are every bit as good as the instrumental work. My favorite line is:

I’m too tired to get excited and I’m too old to be ashamed.”

That one hit home.

If you like this song, I’d also recommend “Elephant” by Jason Isbell, another song I became obsessed with. He chronicles caring for and eventually saying goodbye to a friend dying of cancer. I won’t share the video because it contains some gritty adult language, but that’s also part of what makes the song so powerful.

The line that haunted me in “Elephant” was:

“Surrounded by family, I saw she was dying alone.”

“Right Back to It”- Waxahatchee

I discovered this song while hitting golf balls at the driving range on a blistering summer evening. It was the only good thing that happened that night as I left the range nearly dehydrated, with the same slice I arrived with. However, I left with a great new song in my pocket.

Waxahatchee is from Alabama, and her Southern-soaked voice accents this duet with MJ Lenderman, whose song “Wristwatch” I also seriously considered highlighting in this post.

The song prominently features a banjo, which gives it a slow, meandering feel. It doesn’t necessarily have a profound lyrical message; it’s just a really strong song overall. But my favorite line is:

Reticent on the off-chance, I’m blunter than a bullseye, beggin for peace of mind.”

I love this line because I’ve never heard anything quite like it. Blunter than a bullseye. I don’t know exactly why, but I kind of like it.

“No Vacancy”- Treaty Oak Revival

This is the title track from the album, and if you enjoy it, do yourself a favor and listen to the whole thing. It’s a banger.

It’s Outlaw Country at its finest, and you don’t have to Google the band to know they’re from Texas. The acoustic guitar, bluesy lead riffs, and Lone Star-soaked vocals are a dead giveaway. You can practically feel the Texas heat and the drought-stricken prairie coming through the music.

My favorite line:

“Got a bottle and a room and motel key. And a broken heart with no vacancy.”

“Bottle”- Remi Wolf

This one was a surprise for me, as I’d never heard of Remi Wolf until last week. “Bottle” is a poignant tune that chronicles Wolf’s struggle with substance abuse. I gathered as much from the lyrics, but the rawness of the song reinforced that impression.

This is the first song I’ve heard from the album, but I’m looking forward to exploring the rest of it.

I walked my dog tonight on a chilly, rainy evening. I’m not sure how many times in a row I listened to “Bottle,” but it was the perfect complement to a rain-soaked Sunday night.

“Circling the drain
Mercy morning rain
A penny in the parking lot
Pretend it’s lucky, but I know it’s not.”

A great song is a gift. It can relieve the pain of a bad day and accentuate the joy when things are going your way. For me, they allow me to slow down, reflect, and feel. I hope these songs are a gift for you as well.