My Gen X Playlist: Baby, I Love Your Way – Big Mountain

After graduation, I moved out and rented an apartment with friends. This probably was the best experience for growing up. Everything was new. I was a blank slate. I was 100% responsible for myself and it was a nice bridge to adulthood.

Probably the biggest challenge was managing my finances. How could I pay my bills and still have fun at the same time? The numbers didn’t pencil out and I ended up getting deeper into credit card debt. And when you are in debt, there are only two levers to pull to solve this equation: increase your income and decrease your expenses. This motivated me to buckle down and concentrate on my career and to spend responsibly. It took many years, but I eventually was able to put my credit card balances behind me.

What? Fast food isn’t a basic food group? While I miss fast food, I don’t miss the debilitating feeling afterwards, or the resulting weight gain. I also learned that I am a stress eater. Understanding this trigger was helpful to curb unhealthy eating. Living on my own also made me appreciate mom’s home cooked meals. There’s nothing like walking through the front door to the smell of mom’s cooking.

The last thing that comes to mind is getting used to getting things done myself. Finding insurance, car repairs, researching appliances, planning trips, changing jobs, moving. These are just to name a few, all without the help of the internet. Believe me, I’d have used it if I could, but it wasn’t invented yet. It’s uncomfortable at first, but you deal with it and you learn to just get shit done. There were advantages of not being coddled growing up. I’m not sure if that is a Gen X thing or not, but I certainly didn’t have helicopter parents hovering over me as a kid. On the contrary, they gave me the self-sufficient nudge in my early years and I’m forever thankful for it. I’d probably still figure things out sooner or later, but that early nudge definitely made it sooner, with less anxiety. Many thanks, mom and dad.

My friend from Hawaii described his swimming lesson as a kid. “They just threw me in the ocean and it forced me to figure it out.” That’s similar to my early years thrown into adulthood, trying to keep my head above water. But you learn and grow. It wasn’t always easy, but I loved it and wouldn’t change a thing.

This reminds me of the Gen X movie Reality Bites. This is Ben Stiller’s directorial debut starring Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke. It’s a movie about twenty somethings navigating life after graduation. Rolling Stone defines this time as:

Life after college – the time between graduation and finding a job that pays your rent without making you puke.

– Rollingstone

I bought the soundtrack after seeing the film. There’s a lot of good music on it, not all receiving a lot of airtime on the radio, but good nevertheless. Here’s one of the more popular ones. Big Mountain covers Peter Frampton’s Baby, I Love Your Way. Enjoy.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Ooh, baby, I love your way, everyday
Ooh, baby, I love your way, everyday

Shadows grow so long before my eyes
And they're moving across the page
Suddenly the day turns into night
Far away from the city
But don't, oh no, hesitate
'cause your love just won't wait...

Ooh, baby, I love your way, everyday
I wanna tell you I love your way, everyday
I wanna be with you night and day

The moon appears to shine and light the skies
With the help of some fireflies
I wonder how they have the power to shine, shine, shine
I can see them under the pine
But don't, oh no no hesitate, la dee daa
'cause your love just won't wait...

Ooh, baby, I love your way, everyday
I wanna tell you I love your way, everyday
I wanna be with you night and day

I can see the sunset in your eyes
Brown and grey, blue besides
Clouds are stalking islands in the sun
I wish I could buy one out of season
But don't, oh no no hesitate, la dee daa
'cause your love just won't wait...

Ooh, baby, I love your way, everyday
I wanna tell you I love your way, everyday
I wanna be with you night and day

Ooh, baby, I love your way
I wanna tell you I love your way
I wanna be with you night and day

Ooh, baby, I love your way
I wanna tell you I love your way
I wanna be with you night and day