The Jenkins Family Top 25 of 2022
JenkFam made the best of our 2022 as we continue to navigate the new normal. We continue to split time between Gaithersburg and Cambridge, enjoying each in their own ways. We kept our tradition of taking maybe-longer-than-they-need-to-be road trips, driving to Missouri in June to celebrate Angie and Evan’s wedding, with stops at the Arch in St. Louis, the Omaha Zoo, and Fallingwater.
[Aside: If you need tips for how to survive a near-cross country drive with your mother-in-law, plan stops at bourbon distilleries, liquor stores in Kentucky, and breweries. Love you, Linda!]
Of course, the ultimate outcome of that trip was our first family-wide bout with Covid. We avoided it for long enough but it did ruin our plans for the 4th of July. The rest of the summer was great, going to our first concert as a family since 2019 (Fleet Foxes, obv) and spending time in the water with the Tomey’s both in Cambridge and The OC. Amy, Neil, and Cheryl ran a 10k across the Bay Bridge in November and we took a White Thanksgiving trip to Montana to hang with Jessica and Taylor.
[Aside: Surviving a series of flights with your mother-in-law is tougher since you can’t randomly stop for drinks or procuring future drinks. Drinking on the plane may help. Love you, Linda!]
Then we capped off the year with crippling bouts of flu! Yay respiratory viruses! If only I knew someone working on those that could keep us safe and healthy…
Etta continued at The Barnesville School for Arts and Sciences this year. “Exalted High Saint of 3rd Grade Teachers” Mrs. Gekas will forever be in our hearts for the wonderful job she did with Etta. Etta will remember Mrs. Gekas, Explorer Woods, and her Sally Ride project for a long time. Etta had her first taste of team sports with basketball and continues to enjoy 4th grade, Girl Scouts, summer camps, finding friends everywhere she looks, and, of course, television.
Noah continues to do well, living his own adult life. He’s got a great job that sounds like it fits him perfectly and he’s living a great life with Hannah. Noah continues to make us proud. Now if only he would see his Gammie more…
Amy continues to work herself to the bone while doing a great job at everything she does — her job, her family, her church, her friends, her Girl Scout troop. Amazingly, she’s closing out the year working two jobs, one of which is helping to stand up a new federal agency. [Only low stress jobs here, folks.] She spends her free time painting and repainting her nails, meticulously choosing colors from one of three giant fingernail polish holders. It’s good to see her develop an obsessive hobby that nearly approximates one of mine. I knew you could do it, honey!
Speaking of hobbies, Neil wisely chose to wait until the 4th phase of the pandemic to get a sourdough starter and learn to make bread. The baking goes well with 2022’s new suite of obsessions, including rudimentary cocktail-making, perfecting pork BBQ on the smoker, and rediscovering Magic: The Gathering. He continues to build the skills he’ll need for Aporkalypse Now!, the combination barbeque-bakery-bourbon bar-brewery-coffee roastery-board game cafe-live music venue opening in Cambridge in 2042.
Maybelle continues to be the best knucklehead around, helping us to maintain at least 3 miles of walking a day, getting her sniffies in at all times, and regularly reminding us that it’s 7:00am or 5:30pm. Good girl.
And with that, please enjoy our gift to you: The Jenkins Family Top 25 songs of 2022. Curated from Spotify playlists, TV shows, music blogs, and whatever Etta is listening to on her iPad; argued over around dinner tables and car rides for approximately four weeks; presented here with love and joy to you. These are the songs that slapped the hardest in 2022. We hope they bring you a small amount of the happiness they brought us. Happy Holidays!
Here’s the link to the YouTube list.
Here’s the link to the Spotify list.
Intro: “Succession (Main Title Theme)” by Nicholas Britell
We quickly caught up on Succession this winter. Whenever you think your family is awkward, the Roys have you beat.
25. “Days Like These” by Low
24. “The Smoke” by The Smile
After 17 years of doing these lists, a Thom Yorke project finally squeaks through. It was only a matter of time, folks. Now onto #23, aka, where Amy will start playing the list when she listens to it in the future.
23. “03 Bonnie & Clyde” by Jay-Z and Beyonce
Why? Blame an Airbnb ad from this summer that played whenever Amy and Etta watched Golden Girls reruns on Hulu this summer. I heard it from the other room, remembered this song, and added it to a list. I later played it in the car with Etta, and she says “oh this is that song from the ad with the old people. I like it.” Kismet.
Look for me
Young, B, cruisin’ down the Westside Highway
Doin’ what we like to do, our way
Eyes behind shades
THIS NECKLACE THE REASON ALL OF MY DATES BEEN BLIND DATES
[Emphasis added to remind you to shout this line along with Jay and embarrass your wife and daughter whenever possible.]
22. “Love Me More” by Mitski
21. “In Need of Repair” by Band of Horses
20. “Simulation Swarm” by Big Thief
Big Thief is my favorite hippie commune alt country indie rock jam band that dresses like this with a female lead singer.
19. “Nobody But Me” by The Knocks ft. Cold War Kids
18. “Out of Time” by The Weeknd
17. “Late Night Talking” by Harry Styles
16. “Resentment (New Feelings Version)” by Madi Diaz ft. Waxahatchee
15. “Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven (Jubilee Version)” by Tyler Childers
For some reason, I’m now a sucker for songs about the fate of our dogs and seeing them in the afterlife. Weird. I don’t even hunt.
If I can’t take my hounds to Heaven, if I can’t hunt on God’s land
I’d rather load my dog box up and go to Hell with all my friends
14. “Do Ya Wanna Taste It” by Wigwam
Iconic. Fun show, great song, and yes we tried to replicate the dance scene with Maybelle making an appearance as Eagly.
13. “Please” by Jesse Ware
12. “About Damn Time” by Lizzo
11. “Happiness (Dance Floor Edit)” by The 1975
10. “Hurricane” by Plains (Waxahatchee, Jess Williamson)
9. “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” by Kate Bush
Yeah, I watched Stranger Things this year. Why?
8. “When It Comes to You” by Sturgill Simpson
I don’t know who John Anderson is, but I’ll honor his memory if Sturgill sings his songs. Sturgill has now been on the list every year since 2017 with one exception.
7. “Way of the Triune God (Jubilee Version)” by Tyler Childers
6. “Angelica” by Wet Leg
I don’t know what I’m even doing here
I was told that there would be free beer
5. “Abilene” by Plains (Waxahatchee, Jess Williamson)
Waxahatchee has had quite the JenkFam run with 5 songs appearing on lists between 2020 and 2022.
4. “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift
My 2020–2021 Indie Rock Queen decided to go back to the masses this year, so now I have to share her with them.
3. “BREAK MY SOUL” by Beyonce
It’s hard to separate out songs on this incredible album since they just blend into each other so naturally. The run from COZY to VIRGO’S GROOVE is incredible, but this is our highlight.
After listening to the explicit version when it first dropped, I hoped a decent clean version would come out so Etta could enjoy it with us. We didn’t have to wait too long and I avoided having to explain to Etta why Queen B was in the mood to f*ck something up.
2. “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” by Harry Styles
I never thought I’d like Harry Styles. Then I listened to his music. Dammit. Now I think just about everyone in the family has a crush on the guy.
- “The Lightning I & II” by Arcade Fire
It was clear this song would be on top of our list the weekend it came out. I can’t remember a clearer top song of the year from the outset.
Outro: “Niamos! (Morlana Club Mix)” by Nicholas Britell
Andor: The Wire- or Breaking Bad-level storytelling but told in my favorite intellectual property universe. It’s the best Star Wars storytelling since Empire. There. I said it.
And thanks to Nicholas Britell for scoring the heck out of some awesome shows this year. This was the perfect music for Space Miami.
