Some of you may know that I worked at hmv at my local mall for almost a decade (2005-2014).  Seeing as it just recently closed, I decided to come up with a playlist of songs that remind me of my time working there.  I worked there during high school and all through university and it was honestly one of the best experiences of my life.  I met some of the best people there and learned a lot about people period – retail does that to you.  I thought that I would make a list of all the songs that make me think of my days at the music store; hearing them makes me think of all the wacky times I had there.  I feel like I matured as a person and truly grew up there.  I think back to who I was when I started working there, just some immature 16 year-old in Grade 11 and the person who I grew into when I left the store on my last day at age 25.  I remember it getting me through periods of teenage angst; it gave me so much confidence, yet gave me confusion too.  I grew into the person I am today at that store.  Over almost nine years of working there, it never went away, schools changed, friends changed, but hmv was always there every weekend.  It sounds cheesy, but sometimes I miss it.  It’s the job of my youth and it taught me so much.  Now that it’s closed, I am honestly really sad.  It’s weird seeing this HUGE part of your life just go away like that.  I remember ‘mourning’ it when I quit, and I feel like I am going through that again now that it’s no more.  I went into my hmv for the last time last week knowing full well that was it.  It felt really awful, but that’s life.  Things come and go.  It will always be there in my memories.

These songs are in no particular order, and also will probably make ZERO sense to anyone but me and a few friends.

1. Pala Tute (2010) by Gogol Bordello

2. Paranoid Android (1997) by Radiohead

3. Pavement Opposite (2011) feat. Nancy Fortune by Black Devil Disco Club

4. Toy Soldier (2007) by Britney Spears

5. SexyBack (2006) by Justin Timberlake

6. Living for the Weekend (2005) by Hard-Fi

7. Dear Mr. Supercomputer (2006) by Sufjan Stevens

8. Grace Kelly (2007) by Mika

9. I Don’t Feel Like Dancing (2006) by The Scissor Sisters

10. Devil’s Haircut (1996) by Beck

11. They Want EFX (1992) by Das EFX

12. Everything Will Be Alright (2004) by The Killers

13. Black Limousine (2007) by Dragonette

14. Nth Degree (2006) by Morningwood

15. Do You Want To (2005) by Franz Ferdinand

16.Feel Good Inc. (2005) by the Gorrilaz

17. Axel F (2005) by Crazy Frog

18. Crazy (2006) Gnarls Barkley

19. Ur So Gay (2008) by Katy Perry

20. 4 Minutes (2008) by Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake

21. Let It Go (2013) by Idina Menzel

22. The Suburbs (2010) by Arcade Fire

23. Oslo in the Summertime (2005) by Of Montreal

24. The Storm (2006) by Patrick Watson

25. Mary’s Boy Child / Oh My Lord (1981) by Boney M

26. Get Lucky (2013) by Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers

27. 4×4 (2013) by Miley Cyrus feat. Nelly

28. Bad Dancer (2013) by Yoko Ono

29. Hung Up (2005) by Madonna

30. Crazy For You (2013) – Hedley

So there it is.  There’s my playlist of songs that instantly bring me back to those “did you find everything you were looking for” days.  Sad day, but the memories are the furthest from sad.  🙂