While I unfortunately did not get the tall gene from my dad, I did get his impeccable music taste. Whether it was the obligated music electives throughout my schooling or just hereditary luck, I know way more 80s new wave rock than I’m willing to admit. Though it’s not Father’s Day or his birthday, this DeJamz is a collective of songs my dad passed onto me that I still love to this day.

Lullaby by The Cure

I remember connecting my half-broken wired headphones into my CD walkman as a kid and listening to The Cure’s greatest Hits on over and over again. There were so many songs to pick for this specific band but I had to go with Lullaby as it was the first one I added to my library when I finally got Spotify as a teenager. The Cure is a rock band and not technically considered “new wave” but it’s my DeJamz so I can do what I want.

Blue Monday by New Order

You will undoubtedly be seeing a trend of English Rock bands on this playlist but New Order is in its own category entirely. They can also be described as electronic dance music — much to the dismay of many elitist music critics. This song is named after the third Monday of January, also known as the saddest day of the year. None of that really matters as long as you can clap at the right time during this song.

Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode

The lush synth bed combined with a haunting melody is one of the reasons ‘Enjoy the Silence’ is Depeche Mode’s most widely known song and for good reason. This was one of my dad’s favorites and I’m sure I heard this song more times than any kidz bop album in the early 2000s. While it’s regaining popularity with the younger crowd there is a sense of pride that comes with  being able to name the band when it randomly comes on in the bar.

Desperate But Not Serious by Adam Ant

I can’t decide if the intro of a brass band is the reason I put this song on here or just the memory of my dad strumming his thumbs to the beat while driving me back from band practice. Either way, this upbeat classic deserves a spot on this playlist. Perhaps I should have defined this DeJamz as an English band theme, but maybe my dad just had a thing for the U.K.

Always on My Mind – Pet Shop Boys

Technically this should be a tribute to my mom as I am told she was the one that showed my father Pet Shop Boys. I will never discredit that woman (or I’ll never hear the end of it) but this is the song my dad picked as “our song”. Cheesy I know but it was the 80s so I can’t blame them.