playlist

Beat's recommended playlist for all of your musical needs.

Covers that are way better than the originals:
Let me lead by saying: I enjoy every song on this list— both the OGs and the covers. But I feel like there is a distinct psychological pressure to like the originals more.
By Sam Spinelliabout a year ago in Beat
2024 Soundtrack
Party Train by The GAP JANUARY 1, 2023, we awoke early to finish preparations for guests and our good luck New Year's Day meal for friends and family. "Party Train" by The Gap was blasting throughout the house; we danced around the kitchen while my husband prepared the meat, and we set out snacks. Guests were arriving impatient to eat his exceptional food. We had collard greens symbolizing greenbacks (folding paper money), black-eyed peas to bring wealth in coins, and lima beans and rice, our standard comfort foods for gatherings. He always makes chicken and sometimes his famous baby back ribs.
By Andrea Corwin about a year ago in Beat
No, I’m Not Gonna Stop. Runner-Up in The Soundtrack of Your Year Challenge.
For the first week at our new place the sound of the fountain around the bend echoing off our porch ceiling always made me think it was raining when I stepped outside. Rattling leaves, rumbling highway... so many new sounds to get accustomed to in a new place.
By Find FLOEabout a year ago in Beat
2024: The Music Of Its Moments. Runner-Up in The Soundtrack of Your Year Challenge.
I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs this year, just as I’m sure we all have, and I think one of the many beautiful, powerful things about music is its ability to help us navigate life’s highs and lows. Whether we're finding strength in a challenging moment or celebrating a happy occasion, music is there, enriching our experiences and providing a score to the movie that is our lives.
By Emily Albersabout a year ago in Beat
My Musical Journey of 2024. Content Warning.
In January, I listened to a lot of sea shanty style music or Irish jig music. I needed the upbeat tunes to help me stay present for my children as I was fighting an upward battle with feeling like I could never make it out of my life's circumstances whole.
By The Schizophrenic Momabout a year ago in Beat
Standing up . Runner-Up in The Soundtrack of Your Year Challenge. Top Story - January 2025.
Lemonade never tasted so good- photo by M. Dion The hotel lobby is busy. I slip through the bustling throng of guests to the bar. Raising my voice above the din, I ask my friend Pam for a simple lemonade. I've dreamt of this moment all year. I quickly add one additional request and hand her a glass I produce from my bag.
By Meagan Dionabout a year ago in Beat
Not Just a Soundtrack, But a Story
Like precious flowers, we bloom and blossom, only to shed and wither, but never to fade away entirely. Each cycle brings us back, renewed and ready to grow again. Along the way, we discover fragments we didn’t know existed, and somehow, they fit perfectly in the intricate puzzle of our being. Life can be messy and unpredictable, but the journey reveals not just who we are but who we are meant to become.
By Rini Mulani about a year ago in Beat
2024 Wrapped.
Damn. A main character soundtrack not to be heard as background noise as diverse as my spotify wrapped. Bringing many highs and lows. Many uppers and many downers. Taking me on a rollercoaster of feelings. Bringing me so much clarity and confusion. Yet also bringing me so many challenges and changes.
By M Fabout a year ago in Beat
THE SOUND TRACK OF MY YEAR
This past year I dived into being taught that true transformation begins with patience resilience and courage to take one small step forward, even when the path ahead feels uncertain.
By amaka Alameziemabout a year ago in Beat
Every Month Has A Mood
Do the first three months of the year feel like one week to everyone or is that just me? I always feel like January, February, March are actually just New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, and then oops, we're almost to Summer. This year felt no different, except that I was prepared for it to go by in a blink of an eye... and so was my Spotify. A playlist, or multitude of playlists, for the right weather, the obvious holidays, the songs that make us clean faster and the playlist for the perfect morning:
By Kamabout a year ago in Beat
2024
Welcome back to 2024; and the BEATS that made it so. (Warning: "There's going to be very little 2020s even ON this list, let alone 2024. As for "Upbeat" vibes from 2024, I haven't been living in very upbeat vibes since around Fall 2023).
By Kent Brindleyabout a year ago in Beat
Soundtrack to an Ordinary Day . Runner-Up in The Soundtrack of Your Year Challenge.
I hesitated outside the door of the dimly lit shop. There was a man behind the counter, sifting through a box. I wondered if he'd noticed me, but he seemed too engrossed with his task. If I walked away now, I could forget about this scheme and there'd be no harm done. But I'd be empty handed and I had to return home with something!
By D.K. Shepardabout a year ago in Beat