My Gen X Playlist: When We Were Young – Adele

Bloganuary writing prompt

Write about a few of your favorite family traditions.

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For birthdays or New Years, we always eat some type of noodle to signify long life. It can be any kind of noodle, preferably long and unbroken. Pasta, stir-fry, ramen. Any works fine. It doesn’t necessarily have to be at dinner, just as long as we have them at some point during the day. There’s a number of other traditions from my wife’s side we do for good luck or prosperity, but the noodle is the main one that comes to mind. I’m not the superstitious type, but hey, it can’t hurt.

Am I an Adele fan? Maybe not a huge fan, but you can’t deny her massive talent. I discovered When We Were Young while watching one of those TV talent shows. I later looked up the song online and learned it was an Adele song. I was sold by her performance.

Adele told the story behind the song during a SiriusXM interview. “It was based on us being older, and being at a party at this house, and seeing everyone that you’ve ever fallen out with, everyone that you’ve ever loved, everyone that you’ve never loved, and stuff like that, where you can’t find the time to be in each other lives,” she explained. “And you’re all thrown together at this party when you’re like 50, and it doesn’t matter and you have so much fun and you feel like you’re 15 again. So that’s the vibe of it really.”

– Songfacts

I smiled because this song is about when she is old at 50. Hey, that’s me a few years ago. But I get it. When you are in your twenties or thirties, 50 is old. Does it qualify as a long life at 50? Not yet. I’m going to go with the 50’s are the new 30’s. That makes me feel a whole lot better.

–

For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Everybody loves the things you do
From the way you talk to the way you move
Everybody here is watching you
'Cause you feel like home
You're like a dream come true

But if by chance you're here alone
Can I have a moment before I go?
'Cause I've been by myself all night long
Hoping you're someone I used to know

You look like a movie
You sound like a song
My God, this reminds me
Of when we were young

Let me photograph you in this light
In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized
We were sad of getting old
It made us restless
It was just like a movie
It was just like a song

I was so scared to face my fears
Nobody told me that you'd be here
And I swear you moved overseas
That's what you said, when you left me

You still look like a movie
You still sound like a song
My God, this reminds me
Of when we were young

Let me photograph you in this light
In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized
We were sad of getting old
It made us restless
It was just like a movie
It was just like a song

When we were young
When we were young
When we were young
When we were young

It's hard to admit that
Everything just takes me back
To when you were there
To when you were there
And a part of me keeps holding on
Just in case it hasn't gone
I guess I still care
Do you still care?

It was just like a movie
It was just like a song
My God, this reminds me
Of when we were young

When we were young
When we were young
When we were young
When we were young

Let me photograph you in this light
In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized
We were sad of getting old
It made us restless
Oh I'm so mad I'm getting old
It makes me reckless
It was just like a movie
It was just like a song
When we were young