This Mixtape sits in that space between where you came from and where life has taken you, full of memories, change, and longing for home. Songs like “Old Friends” by Ben Rector and “Rivers and Roads” by The Head And The Heart reflect on growing up and holding onto the people who shaped you, while “Fast Car” and “Clocks” capture that pull between escape and comfort.
At the center is my song, “Homesick,” written from the tension of chasing a dream while missing the people I love most. It’s about time passing, love deepening, and the quiet ache of being away from home. I’m excited to be touring later this year and releasing more music, and this playlist feels like a piece of that journey I get to share. – Phillip Phillips
“Old Friends” – Ben Rector
I love how this song connects the dots of those friends you grew up with and where you are as you’re older with them. Things change. Life goes on. But the memories and things you shared growing up with someone you’ll always remember. I love the lyric, “But I’ve never seen their parents’ back porch…” Such a real thing.
“Clocks” – Coldplay
Timeless song. You feel as though you need to be somewhere that gives you comfort if things start to feel uneasy or too much.
“Home” – Phillip Phillips
It’s me. Take it as you will and have your own meaning!
“Fast Car” – Tracy Chapman
Such an emotional song about needing to get out of the place that feels like it’s suffocating you. Sometimes the places we come from can feel that way.
“Rivers and Roads” – The Head And The Heart
For me it’s feels like time passing. Longing for the little moments that made life feel slow. I have kids now and it hits that much harder. To go the distance to see the ones you love just one more time.
“To Build a Home” – The Cinematic Orchestra, Patrick Wilson
I cry every time I listen to this song. So pure and raw. “Emotional” is an understatement for this one. It’s hard to listen to sometimes for me.
“Homesick” – Phillip Phillips
This is my newest song. I love it so much. I travel a lot and I get to do something I love, but I also have to sacrifice, spending time away from the people I love more than anything. I wrote this while my son was napping. Knowing that I was going to leave for another trip soon. I love playing music, but I love to be home to change the dirty diapers and take the trash out. Playing in the mud. I hope you love it as much as I do.
“Danny’s Song” – Loggins & Messina
Love over money. Always the goal. I love this classic song. Makes me think about being with my wife before getting married and having kids. How special those times are when you’re building a foundation in a relationship.
“The Book of Love” – The Magnetic Fields
I didn’t hear this song until later in life and it hit me like a train. Gets me emotional every time. Saying that love is boring and long. Which it really can be at times, and that’s okay. Loving someone is difficult. And for me, this song speaks to all relationships. Not just a husband or wife. I have flashbacks of my life when listening to this song.
“Livers and Onions” – Aaron Espe
My good friend wrote this song and when I first heard it, it made me think of growing up and being with my uncle Joey and my dad and thinking about my relationships as a kid with my cousins and family. Such a great song.
“Father and Son” – Yusuf / Cat Stevens
This song is just everything. I can only dream to write a song half as good as this. Makes me cry. Makes me think of being a father to my son and my relationship with my father.
Photo Credit: Sean O’Halloran
