From the nostalgia of traveling through Turkey to her favorite car-ride songs to blast on the radio, music finds its way into every part of Mrs. Ates’s life. Take a listen to our second rendition of Teacher Playlist, featuring Mrs. Ates, as she shares the melodies that shaped her childhood, the tracks that mean so much more beyond the lyrics, and the songs that make every moment worth savoring.
The Fate of Ophelia – Taylor Swift
“I mean, I’m a big Taylor Swift fan, so it kind of goes without saying. One thing I love about Taylor Swift is her storytelling. This song is my favorite on her new album because it combines the storytelling and the sound that’s so catchy and gets stuck in your head. And I just love it. It makes me kind of dance around.”
Northern Attitude – Noah Kahan
“I love everything he does, but this song just sounds so good. It just puts me in such a mood when I hear it in the car.”
Ends of the Earth – Lord Huron
“This song came out when I had just moved to Turkey right after college. I was in a new country that was unfamiliar to me. This song just feels like traveling to the ends of the earth. It gets me in a really adventurous attitude. Listening to it, I am back on a bus traveling through Turkey.”
Tiny Dancer – Elton John
“This is really nostalgic for me because my dad and I used to listen to this. I will just sing this song so loud in the car.”
Dancing Queen – ABBA
“Same thing, I used to listen to this as a kid growing up.”
Human – Brandi Carlile
“Brandi Carlile is probably my favorite artist right up there with Taylor Swift. She’s just so talented. Everything she has to say is so powerful. And this song is really beautiful for our current climate in the country. The messages of her music are always impactful so they affect me a lot.”
Mastermind – Taylor Swift
“I love that all of her songs own what traditionally would be seen as a negative behavior or stereotypes that society puts on women that are supposed to be negative. And she kind of flips it and makes it a thing that she’s proud of. A mastermind is seen as plotting and almost manipulative but it’s just so empowering to hear it like, hey, I own this.”
The Great War – Taylor Swift
“I mean, I’m a history teacher. So if you’re going to use the Great War as a metaphor for a romantic relationship, I’m here for it.”
Hits Different – Taylor Swift
“It just hits different. What can I say? She’s really good at a boppy song that is actually really depressing. I love the way she plays with a happy sound but the lyrics are sad and you don’t know how to feel.”
What It Sounds Like – HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
“This is all that’s being watched and listened to in my house with two little kids.”
Emmylou – First Aid Kit
“First aid Kit is a folk music duo of sisters. I listened to them a lot during college and Emmylou is a very sweet and happy sounding song.”
Royals – Lorde
“She just has a really cool sound and really interesting things to say, um, in her music. And so that I know that’s kind of an older Lorde song, but I just always love that song.”
Vienna – Billy Joel
“This is also more of a nostalgic song. My dad and I would sing this a lot in the car, so it’s always up there for me.”
Light On by Maggie Rogers
“One of my favorite songs. It just sounds really good.”
Creek is Beautiful! – Bluey, Helena Czajka
“Bluey is probably the greatest kids show ever made. They just have really good things to say about what it means to be a family and what parenthood is like. I think it’s more a show for the parents than the kids because they really capture the full range of emotions that parents go through and how hard but also beautiful it is.”
