March 2025 Theme Mix Tape (Side C)
A Few Things That Were Spared: February 2025 Theme Mix Tape (Side C) can be found on Spotify. Listen in-blog below for a more rich experience, or on Spotify for uninterrupted music. Please note below each song is a link to song lyrics for accessibility. Check out more details on how to best enjoy mix tapes.
Good day!
You’re listening to KMTJ-DB – Your Mix Tape Journey – Denver, Colorado.
I’m your host, DJ Ponyboy, welcoming you back! Thank you for joining me today. 🥰
This month’s tapes are themed around religious deconstruction. While the focus is on Christianity, many of the points made in the music we are enjoying can apply to any religious belief system.
We started our journey by questioning existing beliefs on Side A: I’ve Been Wondering If You’re Listening for Quite a While.
Last week we continued with Side B: Flying Saucers Inside Our Hollow Moon.
Thank you for joining me again for Side C: A Few Things That Were Spared.
Today’s mix tape is about rebuilding hope and happiness after the dark times.
Today we attempt to answer the question, “Now what? I’ve burned down the beliefs that no longer benefit me. What do I do now?”
First, you celebrate. That’s right, celebrate.
You survived the hard part, gurl!
Now comes the fun part – redecorating! 😅
There are so many great lyrics in our first track – as with all my music suggestions, I advise you pull up the lyrics (linked to below each song) and read along if you are able, as it provides so much more value than simply listening.
Without further ado, from the rock opera Tommy, English rock band The Who kicks us off with “I’m Free”.
The next important thing to remember is to let go of the need to have certainty about everything, and recognize how much you don’t know.
Be open to learning new things and not rushing to judgement. You didn’t lose your faith in a day and it won’t be rebuilt in a day.
Learn to just be.
Los Angeles-based duo Lowen & Navarro with “Learning to Fall” on KMTJ-DB – Denver, Colorado.
The next piece of rebuilding is finding or building a community of like-minded people. One of the biggest gaps felt by those leaving a faith tradition is the loss of community.
A great solution to this is Social Seahorse Connections, a blog that every week highlights one or more Golden Connections – easy steps you can take in your everyday life to connect with others, building and fostering community in your circle of influence.
It impossible to overstate how important it is to surround yourself with people who support you unabashedly.
Our next song talks a lot about love, and it’s important to remember there are many types of love; listen to my Esther Day Side A Mix Tape after this one for more on this, but suffice it to say love isn’t only for sex and romance – love is for everybody.
Easy Star All Stars is a reggae act best known for recreating famous albums from scratch, track by track – it’s really quite impressive. I highly recommend checking out all their albums, from Radiodread to Dub Side of the Moon to Ziggy Stardub to the album our next tune is from – Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band.
Easy Star All Stars and their reggae cover of the Beatles song “With a Little Help From My Friends”.
With a Little Help From My Friends Lyrics
I’m DJ Ponyboy. I have spoken elsewhere on this month’s theme mix tapes about what a gift it is to question your beliefs, and our next song gives us a great reason why.
Nashville artist Aron Wright reminds us, “You always build it better the second time around” right here on KMTJ-DB – Your Mix Tape Journey – Denver, Colorado.
Aron Wright with “Build It Better”; the song’s not about buildings.
Next, Kesha reminds us we do not need to go back to having a religion in order to keep on keeping on, and offers us, “a hymn for the hymnless, kids with no religion”.
Canadian rock band Rush with ‘Faithless”. I love how the protagonist says, “You can call me faithless”, and then proceeds to share all the things he does actually have faith in. I think this can remind us that everyone will have their own opinions on your beliefs and their validity, but ultimately, it is your life and none of their goddamn business.
Ziggy Marley shares that love is his religion, which actually fits quite well into the Christian pantheon … if god is love, then why not “worship” love instead of a pretend sky daddy?
I mean love is real and can be demonstrated to be real. 🤔”Love Is My Religion” on KMTJ-DB – Denver.
Unfortunately, in our world, culture, and society, it has become a “dirty” thing to say “I don’t know”; especially if you grew up in a strong faith tradition, it can feel necessary to have black-and-white certainty about everything.
But nothing could be further from the truth. There is actually very little we as humans know for sure, and that’s okay!
We heard from Iris DeMent on Side A of this mix tape, and here she is again with “Let the Mystery Be” on KMTJ-DB – Denver.
One way to get out of the rigid structures imposed upon our minds is to tap into your inner child and freely utilise your imagination.
John Lennon (also featured on Side B of this series) and “Imagine”.
Ultimately, you know so much more than you likely give yourself credit for. Even as a young child I had questions and concerns about the things I was taught. It can be difficult, but so important, to learn to listen to that still, small voice inside you telling you which way to go.
Kacey Musgraves reminding you to, “Follow Your Arrow”.
I hope you have enjoyed this month’s deconstruction journey. I hope you learned something, found some new music to love, and had a fantastic time.
Thank you for joining me today and every week to explore music together.
Make sure to come back next week for my one-year anniversary celebration, the March 2025 New Music Mix Tape – my 53rd mix tape since starting this journey in April 2024.
There will even be a special 20% off discount code you can utilize all month long to help celebrate!
You have been listening to KMTJ-DB – Your Mix Tape Journey – Denver, Colorado.
I’m your host, DJ Ponyboy, asking you to stay gold.