“You Gotta Be” by Des’ree was sent to me, I believe, as a gift. The wise and inspiring single about being your best and giving your all no matter the situation began hitting the UK and US charts in 1994. Two years later, I would find the song as a lonely teen feeling quite displaced after a cross-country move. There I was, 16 years old and very unsure of myself. When I bought Des’ree’s album, I Ain’t Movin’, the top ten hit spoke to me and eased my fears. The song starts off with: “Listen as your day unfolds / Challenge what the future holds / Try and keep your head up to the sky…” I felt like she was talking to me, giving me encouragement that, although I was the new kid in a new school in the middle of nowhere, I was going to be okay. Even now, almost 20 years later, I still consider this song one of my anthems for life. As the chorus goes, it reminds me to be bold, wiser, hard, cool, and calm. And even if all else fails, “Love will save the day.”

-J. Jones