Song of the Day

if music be the food of love, sing on

[ladybugsongs]

April 8, 2026: "Wait For Me (Reprise)"

You can take the girl out of the theater but you can't take the theater kid out of the girl... I have yet to see Hadestown but I just got tickets to see it this summer and I've had the soundtrack on repeat all day in preparation. I've been a fan of Anaïs Mitchell since I was maybe eight years old ("Orion" is one of my favorite songs of all time) and I was thrilled when she came out with this musical. This song, especially in the context of the musical and the story of Orpheus and Eurydice as a whole, makes me want to scream (complimentary). My favorite part is the repeated "Wait for me, I'm coming" that happens a cappella in the last third of the song when the ensemble joins in before Eurydice has her solo moment. I'm so excited to finally see it live; it's going to be the perfect reward for surviving the academic HELL I'm in right now.

[ladybugsongs]

April 7, 2026: "favorite crime"

I am so excited for Olivia Rodrigo's upcoming third album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love (Side note: I love how fun album titles have been this year; first Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. and now this? Amazing.) but my first love will always be SOUR. It's been a long time since I've seen a debut album hit the music scene with such a bang and she did it again with her sophomore album, GUTS. I just adore her music and "favorite crime" has always been my favorite of her songs. The chorus is so painfully beautiful; "All the things I did just so I could call you mine. The things you did; well, I hope I was your favorite crime" could only have been written by a 17/18 year old girl. That's not intended to minimize her songwriting talent, either; I think a lot of the best, most profound music comes from girls in their late teens to early twenties (looking at you, All Too Well). I can't wait to hear how she's grown as a songwriter and musician since GUTS came out in 2023.

[ladybugsongs]

April 6, 2026: "Aurora"

Aurora by my favorite fictional band, Daisy Jones & The Six, might be the only album ever, actually. I remember vividly reading the book for the first time and then watching the TV show three times back-to-back-to-back the minute all of the episodes were out. The story is so important to me and honestly, I think if I had to choose ten records to take onto a deserted island, this one easily makes the list. And I think "Aurora" is the perfect song to open any album with, ever. "You found me in flames" and "You're my morning sun" are such simple lyrics but so beautiful. I also was so blown away by how well the songwriters for the show were able to make music that sounds like it came from the time period the show takes place in. Of course, I'll always mourn that we didn't get the original lyrics from "Regret Me" in the show, but I'm not mad about the version of that song that we did get, either. It's definitely time for a rewatch.

[ladybugsongs]

April 5, 2026: "BIRDS OF A FEATHER"

I'm embarrassed to admit that I had never really heard the lyrics to this song until the other day but now that I have, I absolutely cannot get enough of it. I am, at best, a casual Billie Eilish listener. To be honest, the last album of hers that I actually knew about before the release date was WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? I know her most recent release, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, was also really well received but I only knew this song in passing. I also took the title at face value as something relating to friendship because when I hear "Birds of a feather flock together" I usually just think of all of my friends. I know the song was intentionally left open-ended; I'm rather into ambiguity in music right now. I'm obsessed with the second verse too, especially when she sings, "I want you to see (hm) how you look to me (hm)." Truly, I just love that idea of wanting someone you care about to see themselves through your eyes.

[ladybugsongs]

April 4, 2026: "cardigan"

Wow, two Taylor Swift songs in a row... it's almost like I've had her on repeat for the past several days or something...

folklore is, for many people, a top three favorite if not absolute favorite album. I love it too, I just have other favorites and it's not the first album I gravitate towards. I also previously didn't love "cardigan" because it had never really clicked for me (and it was so overplayed) but I have since seen the light and I'm really jazzed about it right now. The third verse actually just smacked me upside the head. You know when you're listening to the lyrics but not really "hearing" them? Well, I'm definitely hearing them now. All of the repetition of "I knew you," especially next to the repeated "When you are young, they assume you know nothing" just does something to me, I don't know. Mortifying ordeal of being known, and all that. And honestly? I really hope someday we get blessed with a rock album with folklore/evermore-style storytelling.

[ladybugsongs]

April 3, 2026: "Long Live"

Bar none, this is my favorite Taylor Swift song. It is also my dad's favorite Taylor Swift song (shoutout to my best friend and the best dad ever; he introduced me to her music all the way back in 2006) and I miss my dad. I'm also noticing a pattern in my life: certain things show up when I'm going in the right direction and one of those things is dragons. Now, you may wonder where I'm going with this but I'm getting there, I promise. Back in November 2024, I was going through a rather horrendous time and to kind of snap myself out of it, I went and got a tattoo of two dragons in reference to the lyric "I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you," which, for me, has always been a reference to how my dad has been my greatest support system throughout my life. Looking even further back to fall 2023 when I lost my grandfather, what helped me get through it (as ridiculous as this sounds) was playing DragonVale. Are you seeing a pattern? Great. Anyway, I'm not going through a particularly rough time these days (quite the opposite, actually) but once again, dragons are popping up in my life, this time in my relationship. I think I'm just feeling sappy and grateful for all of the people I love in my life—hence why I've had "Long Live" on repeat for the past 2+ hours. I also just think that this song is a great example of how universal Swift's songwriting is; this song is, of course, a tribute to her fans, but for me, it's always been about my dad and now it's a little bit about my boyfriend, too.

[ladybugsongs]

April 2, 2026: "Maledetto Ti Amo"

I love Sarah Toscano, I think her music is so fun. Her first full-length release, 2025's MET GALA, is exactly what I expected given the singles she put out back in 2024. I especially love this song, which translates to "Dammit, I love you." The lyrics tell the story of a relationship that's on the rocks but that the singer wants to fix regardless of hers and her partner's differences. Toscano sings it with such beautiful emotion in her voice too; I love it when songs aren't just "sung" for the recording but actually performed, if that makes any sense. Anyway, it felt appropriate to make today's song an Italian song because I'm back in Italy (and about to see my paramour after a month apart, thank god). Happy beginning-of-Easter weekend to all those who celebrate!

[ladybugsongs]

April 1, 2026: "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home"

Wow, March went by so fast. I can't believe it's April; normally March goes by so slowly but February was bad enough so I'm not upset. Anyway, I finished watching Teen Wolf and to fill the void that left, I've decided to watch Hannah Montana to see what I missed out on as a child. I'm not coming to any new or revolutionary conclusions when I say this show is awesome; of course it is. I was just really unprepared for how much heart it has and how well-written Miley/Hannah is. I'm still on Season One and I'm waiting until it's chronologically relevant to watch the movie but oh my god, I love all of the music in this series so much. This song especially is so cute and such a beautiful reminder that you can always go home even if you feel like a completely different person than the one you were when you left. Hannah Montana, you will always be famous.

[ladybugsongs]

February 28, 2026: “Thinking ‘bout You”

Phew, last day of February—we made it, thank god. That goddamn groundhog seeing his shadow was a bad omen, I knew it. Anyway, one of the good things to come out of this otherwise diabolical month is this charming pop artist I’ve stumbled upon on TikTok: Stella Lefty. Her single from back in early January and today’s song, “Thinking ‘bout You,” has been all over my For You Page lately, so I decided to check her out and I’ve really liked what I’ve found. Her melodies are so unbelievably catchy—she’s writing with a knowledge of the craft that seems way beyond her (I believe) 19 years. “Thinking ‘bout You” is so much fun; it sounds like it’s full of pure joy, like it was written by someone absolutely head over heels in love, which I just adore about it. Unfortunately, I’m going to take the month of March off from this blog because I am extremely busy all of a sudden and don’t have the time I would like to devote to this. I might pop in from time to time to write about a song that I’m really excited about, but I need a little bit of a break. That being said, I wanted to end on a high note. As one of my close friends likes to say, “It’s not ‘goodbye,’ it’s just ‘see you later.’”

[ladybugsongs]

February 27, 2026: "Paris"

Happy ten years (and one day because I'm usually better with anniversaries but for some reason I did not realize what yesterday was) to the wonderful musical masterpiece that is I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it. Every day that passes without a new The 1975 song or record is longer than the last but I'm writing this from the airport in one of my favorite cities in the world on the way to see my favorite person in the world in another of my favorite cities so nothing is really that bad, is it? But I digress. I really do think Iliwys is one of the pop records ever. It's kind of the perfect sophomore album, in my opinion, and every song on it has such incredible layers that are so fun to parse through. I'll die on the hill that "The Sound" is my song but "Paris" has a really special place in my heart. Different 1975 songs find me when I need them and though I don't recall when this one did, I come back to it often. It's beautifully depressing and the perfect song for nihilists who like to people-watch. Naturally, it makes me reminisce on my time in Paris and how much I'd love to go there again.

[ladybugsongs]

February 26, 2026: "Bells & Whistles"

I wouldn't normally do two songs by the same artist two days in a row just because apparently I like to make my life hard but I heard a snippet of this song on TikTok and had to go check it out. I absolutely love how Megan Moroney's and Kacey Musgraves's voices sound together; it is stunning. The lyrics of this song really resonate with me too because I am extremely high maintenance and I definitely wouldn't be me without all of my "bells and whistles." I don't love music that compares women to each other but I am choosing to look at this song as a celebration of being yourself and maybe being a little bit more high maintenance because it makes you happy, rather than settling for a version of yourself that is more palatable to someone else. Anyway, Cloud 9 is great and if you like Megan Moroney, there's a lot to love about her latest record, including this beautiful collaboration with Kacey Musgraves (and an equally great one with Ed Sheeran).

[ladybugsongs]

February 25, 2026: "Girl in the Mirror"

Megan Moroney is exactly what the country music scene needs. Her lyrics are fun and her music is fresh and heartfelt, and the image she's created for herself is stunning. I don't always like music that has a "moral" to it because often it can come off as preachy, but I think her message in today's song is really poignant: you can't love someone at the expense of yourself. I haven't yet had a chance to listen to her latest album, Cloud 9, which released this past Friday, but I'm looking forward to finally having some time this weekend to check it out. I love music that comes from the heart and I feel that hers really does.

[ladybugsongs]

February 24, 2026: "Wide Awake"

A core memory of my elementary school years involves my favorite babysitter of all time picking me up from ballet class on the weekends and letting me play whatever music I wanted in her car on the drive home. Naturally, I gravitated towards all of the pop music (specifically that by female artists) that my brother would refuse to listen to when we were in the car together, including a lot of Katy Perry. Teenage Dream really is that album, and the music videos she made for it remain, to this day, some of my favorite music videos of all time. I loved the vibrant sets and costumes and how interesting the storylines usually were. The song itself, too, is fantastic. That bridge? Oh my god. I must say, I miss when Katy Perry made good music. I love this new generation of pop girls but part of me (...pun kind of intended) will always miss the 2010s pop girls.

[ladybugsongs]

February 23, 2026: "Monday Morning"

I thought this song was kind of appropriate for a Monday... Anyway, I really just love Lindsey Buckingham. Once I learned that this song was written for his and Stevie Nicks's eponymous album, Buckingham Nicks, which they released before they joined Fleetwood Mac, it made a lot of sense why I liked it so much. Sonically, this song reminds me of my favorite track off Buckingham Nicks, "Without a Leg to Stand On." I remember listening to this song day in and day out after a horrible breakup I went through during my senior year of high school and feeling so seen by the lyric, "But you know it's true: you know you only want me when I get over you." I will be a Stevie Nicks girl until I die, but at the end of the day I really am a child of divorce and Lindsay Buckingham has a special place in my heart too.

[ladybugsongs]

February 22, 2026: "Homewrecker"

To be totally honest, sombr kind of freaks me out simply because I don't think people should be allowed to be that tall. That being said, I quite like his new song. It's easy to listen to and catchy—neither of which are bad things. The infidelity music niche is also really popular and as terrible of a thing as infidelity is, sometimes we get really fun music out of it... Looking at you, "One Last Time" by Ariana Grande. I think the hook of "Homewrecker," the "I don't wanna talk down on your lover; I don't wanna be a home wrecker" of it all, is what makes this song actually quite good. It's an admission of guilt, sure, but it's also self aware; it's ultimately useless to write a song about liking someone who is with someone else and try to pursue something with them anyway if there isn't at least a little bit of acknowledgement that what's going on is wrong. We like art when it reflects the bad parts of ourselves too, not just the good ones. I'm starting to reevaluate my opinion of sombr; let's see what else he has to offer.

[ladybugsongs]

February 21, 2026: "Lucky"

Despite being sick as a dog, I have been in such a lovely mood all day—quite possibly because I've been listening to Britney Spears. I also made a new friend last night and I'm seeing my paramour next weekend, so things are looking up. I hope everyone else is having lovely day as well. Anyway, "Lucky" was my exposure to Spears at... I want to say five? I fell in love with this song—Spears's iconic voice, the glittery album cover of Oops!... I Did It Again, and, of course, the story in the song. I think the actually message was lost on me because all I wanted to be when I grew up was a pop star but now that I'm older, I feel like it kind of resonates (despite the fact that I am not a pop star, or a famous movie star like our girl Lucky). I love the line at the end of the second verse, "And the world keeps spinning, and she keeps on winning, but tell me, what happens when it stops?" It reminds me a little bit of what Sabrina Carpenter was hinting at in "Fifteen Minutes," about the fleeting nature of fame. God, I love Britney Spears.

[ladybugsongs]

February 20, 2026: "Heads Carolina, Tails California"

Another niche I really like in music is references to specific places—cities, states, you name it. I also really like it when music references California because, well, you can take the girl out of California... Anyway, I'm ashamed to admit I learned of this song through Cole Swindell's references to it in his 2022 song, "She Had Me At Heads Carolina," which is an alright contemporary country song (I don't really have a strong opinion on it, if I'm honest) but definitely not the 90s banger that Jo Dee Messina's song is. I think her song, written by Tim Nichols and Mark D. Sanders, is such a great entry into the larger catalogue of "Let's drop everything and move somewhere new to start over" songs. It kind of reminds me of "Want To" by Sugarland. I love country music that just feels warm, and this song definitely does.