So, I got this idea last Tuesday while scrubbing dishes. My speaker was blasting some random playlist, and suddenly “Home” by Edward Sharpe came on. Felt like sunshine pouring right into my wrinkly dishwater hands. Got me thinking – how many great “Home” titled songs are out there? Grabbed my cracked phone, opened YouTube Music right there by the sink, and typed in “songs called home.” Boom! 500+ results. Well, crap.
Digging Through The Mess
Started playing everything that popped up. Skimmed through new stuff first – that Phillip Phillips track had foot-tapping energy. Searched deeper for classics too, found that America tune from 1972 with fuzzy guitar riffs. Took notes on a greasy pizza box:
- Write down each song title + artist
- One word rating: YES / MAYBE / HELL NO
- Heart rate check – did toes wiggle?
Forgot dinner. Wife yelled around 8PM about cold spaghetti. Oops.
The Great Purge
Next morning, that pizza box looked like a raccoon’s diary. Counted 87 MAYBEs. Listened to every single one twice. Made rules:
- No sad-sack ballads (looking at you, Michael Bublé)
- Must have actual “home” in title (kicked out “Sweet Caroline” – nice try)
- Mandatory humming potential
Trashed 53 tunes. Good riddance to that screaming metal “Home” song – felt like brain freeze.
Testing Phase
Ran finalists through real-life scenarios. Played while:
- Walking dumb chihuahua around block
- Folding laundry mountain
- Stuck in traffic near Walmart
Gabby Barrett’s country pop made laundry almost fun. That Joe Walsh guitar solo? Magic during honking madness. Added scribbles like “YES – road trip!” and “SHOWER SING ALONG” beside favorites.
The Final Cut
Top 20 winners landed in my notes app today. Personal highlights:
- Dierks Bentley – foot stompin’ bluegrass warmth
- LCD Soundsystem – weird electronic hug
- One Direction – sugary boyband nonsense (guilty pleasure)
- The Chicks – fiddle solo that tickles your ribs
Whole project took 4 days and 3 forgotten meals. Worth it? Hell yeah. Got myself a mega-playlist that fixes bad days now. Played the whole thing while fixing that leaky kitchen faucet this morning. Hummed along. Didn’t even cuss at the wrench.
