Written by Daz Burns
I listened to 104,050 minutes (aka 72 days) of music this year, so here are some reflections and absolute tunes!
I have put a lot of pressure on myself for this blog team.
No idea why.
I have written so many for you before.
But it is the end of 2025 and it has been a tough one for so many people I love and care about, that it doesn’t feel right to do just any old blog.
I was going to tell you about my top ten learnings of the year…
But, yeah nah.
I was going to do some books reccies for ya summer reading on the beach…
But, ya know, yeah nah.
I was going to say, don’t wait to start “insert your new goal or mission here” until the first of January.
But, meh, yeah nah.
So what 🤷♀️… (enter random thought processing mode… a song playing on the speaker has sparked my thinking…)
Okay, buckle in…
Carly Pearce wrote a song, called ‘Dream Come True’… which is about all these dreams we have, lot’s of them in our lives that we try to make come true… like buying a house with four bedrooms… but being alone and only using one… and the fact that we spend our lives chasing these dreams to be happy. These lyrics also pair beautifully to Dan + Shay’s ‘Bigger Houses’ waiata so go listen to that too… we have the dreams, but just being present and not trying to keep up with anyone else or push push for more… happiness “don’t live in bigger houses”! Having these conversations with people you share your life with, about goals, about what we are working so hard for and about what is ‘enough’ I think is so important.
Shannon Noll (runner up of Australian Idol many moons ago) released a song this year called ‘What Ya Made Of’… which is of a similar vein… you’ve got a dream, and you wanna live it, but only “when all the pieces fall into place” and the timing is just right… basically though, there is no ‘right time‘ to wait for, and the time to live your life, whatever that life is, is right now. And Blusher backs this up with their song ‘Last Man Standing’ which helped shift my mindset this year from effectively ‘waiting for my turn’ to standing up to the Negative Nelly that lives rent free in my mind through my actions saying “I’m on the bench, coach, put me in” I want to be part of the game, not a spectator as the days roll by. Dare yourself to move, I did!
Demi Lovato has released some seriously ‘is she talking to me?!’ music this year, and her song ‘Sorry To Myself’ is worth a mention… she says, I could look around and blame a whole lot of people for where I am, or what is happening, I can keep bull shitting myself that it is outside of my control or too hard… but she is fessing up to herself for lying to herself in the mirror and she is sorry for telling herself to toughen up in moments, when that wasn’t the answer. (To recommend another poignant song from 2025 Demi, listen to “Anyone.” It is heartbreaking, raw and a good song to sing at the top of your lungs when you’re on your own and need to help an emotion move or be felt).
Now, my Luke Combs choice isn’t a 2025 release, but ‘Incase I Ain’t Around’ must be mentioned… he talks about how he might not be around for his children one day, and he is prepping them to navigate the highs and lows of life, so that in some way, he is still there for them in those moments… It highlights the importance for me of ensuring that you tell people ALL THE TIME that you love them… that you are proud of them… that they have ‘got this’ and supporting them to build resilience and skills for themselves along the way with what they encounter.
Chris Stapleton and Mirandad Lambert released a great song this year called “A Song to Sing” with the vibe that the ups and downs, the in-betweens, the ebbs and flows, all of the turbulence along the way … that together, we can make magic happen in the middle as we ride it together. And that combining our strengths (I imagine Captain Planet here as I write this), we are unique, no one else can do what we do, how we do it. But we will find our own way through it (it is a bop too!).
Now I LOVE taking photos, I am 100% the person who always says “we need a photo!” And I don’t think these lyrics will alter that, however, Ed Sheeran’s song called ‘Camera’ is absolutely gorgeous and focused on being present and giving yourself fully to moments and I can certainly become more intentional with paying true attention in beautiful moments with all my senses… especially when it comes to time with my family… “I don’t need a camera to capture this moment, I’ll remember how you look tonight for all my life, when everything is black and white, your colour’s exploding, there’s somethin’ in the way you shine.”
Now following on from Ed, Anne Wilson wrote “‘Til the Road Runs Out” and there is a line that really strikes me… “I wanna front porch swing next to Daddy a while, like I got no better place to be. I wanna study every line of my Mumma’s smile, for as long as she’s here with me.” … Being present, am I right?! Soaking it up, making those small seemingly insignificant moments matter, being all there, listening with your whole body because “this world spins fast and time ain’t free.. We’re all just livin’ on borrowed time” (-Road Boyyz).
And again, to further piggy back off Ed’s inspo (and because I am pretty positive that Luke Combs and his lyrical geniusness will be my number one artist of 2025), his song Dear Today is a letter from Tomorrow, asking Today to do better, be better, take better care of itself, so that Tomorrow gets a chance to live, “Dear Today, Tomorrow here…. stop taking me for granted, like I’ll always be around, ‘cause even as you read this boy, that clock is tickling down. And remember every second I got’s borrowed, so I hope you think of me today, sincerely, Tomorrow”. I take this reminder to really place value in each day, not to wish for the end of the year or the “next thing” to be happening and not to push myself or strive for the big goals and wins, but to genuinely value my time with people I care about AND with myself, to do TODAY what I need to do for TOMORROW ME to roll into my 80’s as a functional old lady who can still have a boogie without breaking a hip or bike ride with my Grandchildren (If my children decide to have them). 😉
We lost some beautiful humans in our whānau and in our friends in 2025. Two particularly were devastatingly young, with families they left far too soon. There is an unimaginable journey forward for their families as they navigate each moment in each day without them. There is no timeline for grief ”the pain is always there, the way it should be. It’s the only way to perpetuate a love we don’t want to give up” (Sigmund Freud).
There is a Broadway Show called ‘Redwood’ that features a song called Still, sung by Zachary Noah Piser and Idina Menzel that just might help them a little… “you think there’s nothing left, but there’s a lot, trust me. I know it’s not the life you planned. The life you dreamed it began. But this is what is. And what is, is all you’ve got… you still have the time, you still have the breath… but everybody dies, so while you’re still alive, live… I stay alive in your memory, in a photograph, I’m in all you see… live big and full and deep. And when you cry, let yourself weep. And when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you’re mad, go ahead and yell..”
Now, I am a 40 year old Swiftie in my ‘glittering prime’, so I absolutely can not not mention a Taylor Swift waiata and honestly, for me and SO MANY of my friends this year in 2025 these are the lyrics we have had to start reckoning with as they are the things we have said to ourselves too many times over too many years “I’m a real tough kid, I can handle my shit, they said ‘babe you gotta fake it til you make it’ and I did… I was grinning like I’m winning, I was hitting my mark, cause I can do it with a broken heart.”
Honestly, the most amazing moments this year have come from truly honest conversations with some of my closest friends, about our struggles, about things that are weighing on us, about things we have never said before or shown before, saying things like “I’m just barely climbin’ this hill” (Another Man’s Tears – Jac Ross). I am so proud we are in our fuck off forties and starting to really get authentic in the way we share our lives and with the knowledge that their problems aren’t for us to solve for them, we just need to listen and ride along side as they figure it all out.
To those friends, here are a few lyrics:
- “I’m lucky to have someone to lean on, when the weeds get high” – Reba McEntire, Lainey Wilson and Miranda Lambert (Trailblazer).
- “Sometimes the days come in waves and life gets heavy on you. End of your rope and nobody’s noticin’ what you’re going through. But I do and I see the heart underneath, still beating strong. You think you’re alone, but you ain’t alone. Cause here’s something you can count on. When you can’t hold on longer. When the wind gets cold and blows right through your armour. Feels like the walls are falling and crashing on ya. I gotcha.” – Cooper Alan
- “She paints on a smile, she takes on the day, she’s roses and sunshine, she’s always ‘I’m fine’ and ‘I’ll be okay’. She’s livin’ the dream, at least from a distance. And you’d never know cause she don’t let it show, that she’s broke beyond fixin’. She’s just like you. She’s just like me. And strangers on the street. Bandaids on bullet holes. Propped up on adderall. Tired of losing sleep. Good on the outside, but coming unwound. Everyone’s fighting battles, that you don’t know nothin’ about.” – Madison Hughes
- “Look at these photographs, they’re messing with my head. I compare myself with the younger version of me instead… I get knocked down. Then I feel sorry for myself. I know some days that I feel old. I know I’m not old…” – The Dreggs
- “Don’t let nobody clip your wings… Tune out the doubters and all the closed minders… gettin’ back up, that’s the only back up plan you need.” – Bailey Zimmersman and Luke Combs
So I guess what this accidentally turned into was a reflection of my 2025 through lyrics… which is pretty fucking cool to be honest and pretty authentic to me and my quintessentially weird self that puts thought into what Spotify might think my top artists were for 2025 in the wrap of the year haha. ❤️
Special mentions on clever 2025 lyrics that tickled my fancy:
- “It’s a bad day to be a lady and a damn good day to be a bitch.” – Taylor Austin Dye
- “Your nonsense makes sense to me, you’re speaking my language. When life gets hectic, you’re all that I need.” – The 502s
- “Give me a reason, give me a sign, ‘cause I’m down and out of my mind, is there someone out there to throw me down a lifeline?” – Alex Warren (again, he has dropped a few pearls this year)
- “A little messed up, but we’re all alright” – Kenny Chesney
- “In my life, there’s a space, that nothing else could replace.‘ – Hunter Hayes (Absolute banger)
- “It’s a long game, and they’re gonna tell you it’s not.” – Elton John and Brandi Carlile
- “Have you ever felt like nobody was there? Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere? Have you ever felt like you could disappear? Like you could fall, and no one would hear?” – Ben Platt and Lin-Manuel Miranda
- “My Mum always says that storms never stay.” – Carly Pearce
- “Yesterday’s pass, tomorrow’s don’t last, and right now goes too soon.” – Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley
- “The words I most regret are the ones I never meant to leave unsaid.” – Charlie Gillespie
- “People keep trying to tell me how to live and I’m just over here, runnin’ out of fucks to give.” – Zac Brown Band
- “That’s just the women I am, my Mother’s child, my Sister’s wild, my Granny’s Sunday morning folded hands, my Best Friend’s heart, yeah every part of who they are is part of who I am.” – Hannah Ellis and Martina McBride
- “Well, I ain’t a bitch till you make me one. Push my buttons, I go off like a shot gun.” – Alaura Lynne
- “Grandpa tell me ‘bout the good old days… Was a promise really something people kept, not just something that they’d say and then forget?” – Dave Fenley
And extra special mentions of songs you should listen to from start to finish for their lyrics and heart:
- Human – Brandi Carlile
- “Cut yourself a little more slack…We’re only human, I don’t need to see how it ends, to tell you that we’ll never be here again…”
- And honestly The Joke by Brandi too is OUTSTANDING “let ‘em laugh while they can, let ‘em spin, let ‘em scatter in the wind, I have been to the movies, I’ve seen how it ends, and the jokes on them.”
- All I Ask – Adele
- “I will leave my heart at the door, I won’t say a word, they’ve all been said before…”
- Anyone – Demi Lovato (as mentioned above)
- “Cause no one hears me anymore, a hundred million stories and a hundred million songs, I feel stupid when I sing, nobody’s listening to me, nobody’s listening…”
- Fight Another Day – James Morrison
- “I know sometimes you feel like you can’t see the sun, and all the clouds follow you. Don’t be so hard on yourself, ‘cause better times will come. You’re strong enough to make it through…”
- She used to be Mine – Jessie Mueller
- “It’s not simple to say, that most days, I don’t recognise me… I still remember that girl, she’s imperfect, but she tries. She is good, but she lies. She is hard on herself. She is broken and won’t ask for help. She is messy, but she’s kind…”
- Still Don’t Care – Meghan Trainor
- “Say I’m too confident, yeah, it’s probably true. Oh, let me take a moment, think it over. Does it touch me at all? Nope! I still don’t care. Let me check again, nope, I still don’t care. I can’t find a single f*** anywhere…”
- Everytime You Go Away – Cynthia Erivo
- “If we can solve any problem, then why do we lose so many tears?” (beautifully covered for the late John Candy documentary!)
- Momma’s Song – Benson Boone
- “Take me down your old street. Tell me your memories of when you were young and when you fell in love. Drive me through the country, tell me your story, and you can play all of your favourite songs. ‘Cause I’m gonna need this, when I’m holding pictures of you and that’s all that I’ve got left…”
- Honestly listen to Mr Electric Blue too from Benson, on full volume… it is a vibe!
- Fuck Off (FIDLAR Alt Mix or orignal version) – Greenday
- “Fuck off, fuck off, just F-U-C-K-O-F-F, fuck off!” (I mean, again, rev it up on full volume when you’re ‘having a day’ and it’ll help!)
- Rocket – Robbie Williams
- “What a time to be alive. What you do with your big fat life? Are you gonna let it blow your mind?” (again, aggressively spin the dial to loud and dance it out! Listen to the lyrics too, they’re good).
- God Went Crazy – Teddy Swims
- “There’s a light in your eyes, every colour in the sky don’t come close to…I swear that God went crazy when he painted you.” (And, while you’re at it, queue all the rest of Teddy Swims tunes… you won’t regret it!)
- Still Bad – Lizzo
- “Let’s turn this pain into some champagne, baby, like cheers, bitch, it’s been a day…” (Blast those speakers and bring the sass!)
- While you’re at it, crack into Love In Real Life too!
- Baggage – Kelsea Ballerini
- “Clear out a drawer, clear out a shelf, I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else. Everything that’s heavy, I check it at the door, kind of feel like I don’t need it anymore…” (I LOVE driving in my car and singing along to this tune).
- What Are You Listening To? – Chris Stapleton
- “Trying to figure out how a good thing goes bad” (My fave song to sing with my children at the moment… our off key harmonies are epic!).
- The Journey – H.E.R
- “All the times you thought you’d never make it through. Felt just like the world just turned its back on you. Didn’t stop you…” (It builds and is beautiful!)
- Cut! – Maren Morris and Julia Michaels
- “I’m such a pro, put a hell of a show on. As soon as I close that door shut. I’m screaming ‘CUT!’ I need a moment to just let my tears fall where they want. Honestly, FUCK! I’ve held it in long enough, I gave it all that I got…”(Belting this song out at the top my lungs, is an honour, a privilege and an absolute release some days!)
- Nosedive – Post Malone and Lainey Wilson
- “Every thorn has it’s rose. Sometimes you’re drivin’, sometimes you’re stallin’, sometimes you’re flyin’, sometimes you’re fallin’, but there’s still beauty in the nosedive…”
PS. If you haven’t already worked out my coding, the underlines are the song titles for you to search up and blast. 🙂
PPS. Not everyone is a stage show girl like me, but my final two recommendations are Defying Gravity and For Good from Wicked! Cynthia and Ariana absolutely nailed the brief! ❤️
PPS. I wonder if Emily will go through this and count just how many songs I quoted hehe?! 😅
PPPS. I know I have eclectic taste. But going back to proof read this … I have even surprised myself! 🤷♀️… but you’re welcome.
