27 Albums That Shaped the First 27 Years of My Life, #11: Hawk Nelson - Letters to the President

As I quickly approach my 27th birthday (an age, coincidentally, that many musicians met their own mortality), I have been thinking about the role that music has played in my life. I have not played an instrument for nearly sixteen years and have never been in a band, but I would still consider myself an audiophile. The 26000 songs on my hard drive would agree with me as well.

Because of all those things, I thought it would be as good a time as any to compile my list of the 27 albums that most shaped these first 27 years of my life. Starting Friday January 31, I will be posting one album from the list every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until we reach #1 just before my birthday.

Let me make one thing abundantly clear: I am not saying that these are the 27 greatest albums of all time. I am not so arrogant to believe that my personal opinion is the definitive voice on music. I like what I like. Hopefully you will be able to unearth some gems from my list. If not, that is alright. These songs and albums are important to me regardless of anyone’s opinions of them.

#11: Hawk Nelson – Letters to the President
Release Date: July 13, 2004
When I first heard the album: December 2004

Why I loved it then: By late 2004, Christian radio FINALLY started to get into the pop punk game, with bands like Relient K, Hawk Nelson, Everyday Sunday, FM Static, and Stellar Kart getting regular airplay. I couldn’t have been happier to find new bands to listen to. I first heard the title track of the album in 2004 and thought it was catchy, so I asked my mom for the album for Christmas. This song, along with two other albums that made the top ten of this list, served as the soundtrack to my senior year of high school. It had everything I was looking for at the time. Positive themes? Check. Pop punk? Check. The occasional song about a failed relationship? Check. Put it all together and you get one of my favorite albums ever.

Why I still love it now: The period of time when I first listened to this album is one of my favorite periods of my life. It was the last time in my life when I had no real stresses or responsibilities, and all my friends were around and available to hang out all the time. The lighthearted fun of this album meshed well with the lighthearted fun I was having in my life, and it is a welcome reminder of how awesome my life was. I cannot listen to this album without feeling like it’s senior year all over again, and really, that’s not a bad thing.

Lingering Lyric: “For the first time in my whole life/ I'm not afraid of feeling alive/ For the last time I'm falling behind/ And nothing out there will change my mind”
Top Tracks: California, Letters to the President, Someone Else Before, First Time, Late Show

Previous Entries
27. Avalon - In a Different Light
26. The Dangerous Summer - Golden Record
25. Just Surrender - If These Streets Could Talk
24. The Lumineers - The Lumineers
23. Relient K - Two Lefts Don't Make a Right... But Three Do
22. Better Luck Next Time - Third Time's a Charm
21. Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight
20. ZOEgirl - Life
19. My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
18. Anberlin - Blueprints for the Black Market
17. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
16. Rise Against - The Sufferer & the Witness
15. We the Kings - We the Kings
14. Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue
13. New Found Glory - Nothing Gold Can Stay
12. The Graduate - Anhedonia