Being a military brat is challenging and I'm sure that we can all agree that it has its ups and downs. But if we're going to live that type of life why not have a soundtrack to go with it?
No Roots - Alice Merton
I think that "No Roots" by Alice Merton is a song that perfectly encompasses the military kid experience. She hits all the main points: moving, the sense of "homelessness", and the "where are you from?" questions. Although she is not a military brat herself, she did move around a lot when she was a child because of her father's job as a mining consultant (which I didn't know was a thing?).
Home - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Even though "Home" is first and foremost a love song, it addresses finding a sense of home, which many military brats have trouble with. Home is an important societal concept that can help you feel accepted anywhere. However, for military kids, we often don't have that type of support for ourselves. Just remember, you move houses, not homes, and home is wherever I'm with you.
All I Want - Kodaline
I first listened to this song when my dad was deployed. It has now been ruined for me because every time I listen to it, I cry. Without fail. This song is about wanting someone back and wanting them to be with you, even when you know that it's not really possible.
Home - Chris Daughtry
Ok. If you listen to this song and you don't cry, then you are the same level of emotionless as people who don't cry when Mufasa died in Lion King (I guess that needs a spoiler alert, but you also kind of had it coming. There are like 5 Lion King movies). I first discovered this song when I was watching deployment homecoming videos (which we have all watched at some point... don't lie). It was the background music and I don't think I had ever cried so much in my entire life. This song is a reunion and a goodbye all at once.
Welcome Home - Radical Face
This is like the third song on this playlist that has the word "home" in the title (I'm not sorry) but that just goes to show how important the concept of a home really is. For a lot of people, home is where you are from. It's where your ancestors lived. Home is a place where you feel accepted and unafraid. For military kids, we have to make a home out of wherever we live, which is really hard sometimes. I think that the instrumentals give off a hopeful vibe, with the sound of wide chimes in the beginning that really give the song a homey feel at the beginning of the song. However, the lyrics do not quite capture the concept of home (except for when the song literally says, "welcome home.").
Gone, Gone, Gone - Phillip Phillips
Another sad/hope-filled song to listen to when the parent figure is deployed. This is a favorite of my mothers and she would listen to this whenever my dad was deployed. "Gone, Gone, Gone" has a nice and steady beat to it and a message that tells the listener that they will be there whenever they need help.
Uprooted - MattMix, Elena Ashburn, and Lola Gehman
And the last, but certainly not least, song on this playlist is Uprooted by our very own Elena Ashburn and Matthew Oh, the co-founders of Bloom! This song is full of symbolism about the military brat life and it is truly incredible.
If you have any songs that you think encompass the military brat life perfectly, go add them to the "Military BRAT Life" playlist on Spotify @leo. Happy listening!