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My Gen X Playlist: Locked Out – Crowded House

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I was reading a post from Just Rojie about a quarter life crisis and it got me thinking. Have I ever experienced one? Thinking back, the root of any of my life crisis only existed because I allowed work to dominate my life.

I remember once having an epiphany moment. I was sitting in my office at midnight, the only person on my entire floor and thinking this wasn’t sustainable. I realized the firm I worked for didn’t have my best interest at heart. The people, yes. The company, certainly not. Yet here I was, one of many late nights, choosing work over my own life. Shouldn’t I be married by now? What about kids? Most of the time I was either stressed, exhausted, hung over or numb. This pace wasn’t good for my physical or mental health. Not a great way to live.

Finding balance is pretty difficult. On one hand, you’re pursuing a career, professional satisfaction, advancement and a more comfortable life. On the other hand, it’s easy for your well being to unnoticeably get pushed aside. Sometimes when you’re in the forest you really can’t see beyond the trees. And it’s probably even more difficult for the younger generation because their peers post every single movement on social media. It feels like they’ve juiced up their feeds a bit for the wider audience. I don’t really blame them, though. It’s the environment they find themselves in. Thank god I didn’t grow up in this era. It’s difficult enough making shit work without having that extra layer of social media pressure and competition.

Back to my original question. Have I ever had a quarter life crisis? Honestly, it’s difficult to carve out any specific time in my life to pin that label on the donkey. It’s easier to conclude adulting is simply difficult, period. Should I just call it an entire life crisis? I know I’m being overly dramatic when I say this because I’m fortunate to have a life with a healthy balance of ups and downs. But some days, boy. You can’t convince me otherwise.

I asked AI to jog my memory of “Gen X quarter life crisis movies” and it gave me Reality Bites. I remember liking this movie when it came out, but loving the soundtrack even more. I pulled the CD from my collection and listened to it the other day while working. There are a number of great songs to choose from. Crowded House’s Locked Out seemed to call my name. I didn’t find much backstory online. That’s OK. It’s just a good tune and I’ll settle for that.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

I've been locked out, I've been locked in
But I always seem to come back again
When you're in that room, oh what do you do?
I know that I will have you in the end

And the clouds they are crying on you
And the birds are offering up their tunes
In a shack as remote as a mansion
You escape into a place where nothing moves

And I've been locked out, and I know we're through
But I can't begin to face up to the truth
I wait so long for the walls to crack
But I know that I will one day have you back

And the hills are as soft as a pillow
And they cast a shadow on my bed
And the view when I look through my window
Is an altarpiece I'm praying to for the living and the dead

The twin valleys shines in the morning sun
I send a message out to my only one

Yet I've been locked out, and I know we're through
But I can't begin to face up to the truth
And I wait so long for the walls to crack
But I know that I will one day have you back,
Yes, I will

And I work, bees in the honey
Every night, I circle like the moon
And it's an act of simple devotion
But it can take forever when you've got something to prove

I've been locked out
And I've been locked out
And I've been locked out

17 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: Locked Out – Crowded House”

  1. Great song choice. And maybe your problem at midnight was being locked IN! Your path sure resonates with me. When I burned out in one role with my final employer, they reorganized, elevated that job and created four managerial positions under it. No wonder I was always on.

    I wouldn’t want to be trying to rise up in the workforce today with the threat of AI and the expectations of social media. Next, it’ll be one-eighth life crises.

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    1. Locked IN! That’s a good one. And yes, I definitely felt that way. I just needed the will to stop allowing myself being trapped.

      Yikes… doing the job of five. I always said that the reward for hard work is more work, to the point of imbalance. I’m glad that’s in your rear view mirror and you are enjoying retirement. Hey, probably the weather is getting nice for your cycling. Hope you are enjoying those rides!

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      1. You’re right about hard work being rewarded with more. That was certainly my experience in both the private and public sectors, and now I love not working.

        Thanks, you’d be right in assuming the weather here would be good for cycling as normally it would. But we’ve have an uncommonly cold spring so far and slow melt, until this past weekend when rain did away with most of the snow, except in areas where it’s shaded most of the daylight hours. My bike is tuned up and ready to go, probably this week or next.

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  2. What a cast in that movie! Somehow I think missed seeing it. It came out in 94 and I got married in 93—maybe I was slightly too old for that particular iteration of GenX. Winona is 54 now…

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  4. I was really into that film at some point. For some of us it was a powerful vibe shift!

    Yesterday, I was listing the things we need to follow up on and my son looked at me with his eyes wide, anticipating exhaustion. “That’s adulting for you!” was my reply. 🙂

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    1. I just read your post and hope you are able to enjoy your retirement. After years of work, I’d say you deserve time to yourself, guilt free. But as you mentioned in your post, maybe there is a difference how men and women approach it and at the end of the day, you have the freedom and the right to feel and do what’s best for you. That three day getaway sounded nice, though. Not a bad idea to sprinkle them in to refresh.

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  6. I think retirement for everyone is different and quite often isn’t as easy to adapt to as maybe people think. I have to remind myself sometimes that I worked incredibly hard to be able to be where I am now.
    Thank you for reading. I’ve subscribed to your blog because I find your posts interesting and different with the music references attached.

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    1. I took a sabbatical and had a taste of retirement. I enjoyed the time off and am looking forward to it.

      Yes… you worked incredibly hard. You deserve a little bit of R&R and pursuing your interests.

      Thanks for stopping by and reading. I’ve been swamped with work recently and have on my list to visit your blog. Looking forward to it!

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