Artists We’ve Grown Up With

Across the musicto community, we span different ages and generations, so the artists that shaped our lives can be completely different. And that’s what makes this playlist so interesting.

We asked our curators to share the artists they’ve grown up with and why their music still means so much to them. It’s amazing to see who had such an impact on everyone’s lives, and even better to hear all those different stories come together in one playlist. Here’s what they had to say.

Jon Writes:

Down South by Paul McCartney

It’s not for me to say whether I’ve ever grown up or if it’s still an ongoing process, but for the purpose of this playlist I’m going to define the “artists I’ve grown up with” as those who were around when I was at school and are still making music today. And so it has to begin and end with Paul McCartney because – like so many people – The Beatles were one of my earliest pop music influences. In retrospect it hadn’t been long since they’d split, but they already felt like part of rock and pop history to my infant perspective. When I was very young I of course loved the red album and couldn’t really understand the blue album, but growing up being what it is, that opinion had completed flipped within a few years. McCartney’s most recent and perhaps most personal record, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, harks back to his youth, and seems an appropriate choice for a nostalgia-based playlist like this one.

High by The Cure

At their most idiosyncratic, The Cure were too radical for me to appreciate when I was a kid, but even then they were capable of making irresistibly catchy pop tunes like ’10:15 Saturday Night’ or ‘Fire in Cairo’. As I got older I grew to appreciate their more complex and sophisticated music, from ‘A Forest’ on their superb second LP, Seventeen Seconds, to ‘The Hanging Garden’ from Pornography and Disintegration’s ‘Lullaby’ and all in between. For this playlist I’ve chosen one of Robert Smith’s most accessible tunes. The stand-out from 1992’s Wish album was ‘Friday I’m In Love’ which is of course a classic, but this comparatively overlooked track from that album is equally romantic and playful.

Mystery Date by The Wedding Present

I fell in love with this Leeds-based band in 1987 and when I could finally afford a CD player, their debut George Best was one of my first acquisitions on the futuristic new format, purchased in my lunch break from my job working in a shop in Cambridge. I’ve seen them live many times over the years, most recently this summer, and they never fail to please, although the line-up is a moveable feast with the only constant being singer/songwriter David Gedge. This version of ‘Mystery Date’, originally from the 2012 album Valentina, is my favourite, recorded live in session for Marc Riley’s BBC Radio show and released in 2022. Both poignant and joyful, it’s a romance novel in miniature, an emotional rollercoaster from quietly thoughtful to explosively passionate.

The Descent by Bob Mould

Bob Mould came to my notice as a founding member of Hüsker Dü in the 80s along with the late lamented Grant Hart before going on to form Sugar in the early 90s. And although the latter have recently reunited, he has largely worked as a solo artists ever since, releasing 14 studio albums under his own name. Always loud, always rousing and provocative, Mould has never lost his edge. The meaning to his lyrics is rarely straightforward to decode, but ‘The Descent’ is a song of regret, re-evaluation and confession, which seems fitting for a playlist that harks backwards, not forwards.

Unbearable by The Wonder Stuff

A masterpiece of writer Miles Hunt’s wickedly acid tongue, this is the perfect song with which to exorcise an unwanted friend or lover. “I didn’t like you very much when I met you,” sings Milo, jauntily. “And now I like you even less”. I could have picked almost anything from their debut The Eight-Legged Groove Machine in 1988, packed with catchy tunes with witty lyrics, pounding drums and dirty riffs. Their more recent output hasn’t hit the same heights as their heyday, but they remain supremely entertaining as a live band and I never tire of singing along.

Jenna writes:

Moments by One Direction

I will always have a place in my heart for One Direction. I remember the first time I heard “That’s What Makes You Beautiful,” and when I first saw them live, they were my everything. It’s not just a boy band phase. They’ve been putting out new things separately, and it’s been an incredible journey watching them grow up with me. I still know every lyric to this day.

The A Team by Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran is another artist that comes to mind, specifically when I first heard “The A Team.” I’m still an avid listener today, and I think he’s one of the strongest singer-songwriters out there.

How To Save A Life by The Fray

I also think about the Disney artists who had such an influence on me during that time, like Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers. There have been so many different genres across my life, from artists like The Fray” and “Train” to the beginnings of alt with “My Chemical Romance”. I remember when “How to Save a Life” was such a pivotal moment in music when it came out.

It’s really crazy to look back and see the wide range of artists who have influenced my life. And that’s what makes this playlist so special. We all grew up with different music, but these are the artists who became part of our stories. It’s amazing to see who had such an impact on their lives, and even better to hear all those different stories come together in one playlist.

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Track Listing:

• I’m In Love With My Car – Queen
• Just The Way You Are – Billy Joel
• Boys Don’t Cry – The Cure
• Touch Too Much – AC/DC
• Thanksgiving – George Winston
• Marlene On The Wall – Suzanne Vega
• The Killing Moon – Echo & the Bunnymen
• Love for Sale – Talking Heads
• Unbearable – The Wonder Stuff
• A Little Respect – Erasure
• One – U2
• High – The Cure
• The King of Wishful Thinking – Go West
• High and Dry – Radiohead
• Driftwood – Travis
• Welcome to the Black Parade – My Chemical Romance
• You Found Me – The Fray
• Liquor Store Blues – Bruno Mars
• Not Afraid – Eminem
• The A Team – Ed Sheeran
• Moments – One Direction
• The Descent – Bob Mould
• Here’s to Never Growing Up – Avril Lavigne
• Mystery Date – The Wedding Present
• Down South – Paul McCartney

Playlist Image from Unsplash by Rainer Ridao.