Matt just turned 49, and instead of doing a normal birthday playlist, we turned it into a rule: only songs from the years he hit perfect-square ages. That one idea creates a timeline you can actually hear, jumping from 1978 to 1981 to 1986, then into 1993, 2002, and 2013, with two tracks per year and a lot of life packed in between.

We talk through why each pick makes the cut and what it carries with it. Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler” becomes a family story about risk, immigration, and gratitude. The Who’s “Who Are You” turns into a birthday question that never stops being useful, while Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” bring the pure classic rock adrenaline. Later, Paul Simon and Van Halen hit the sweet spot of memory and ambition, then Tony! Toni! Tone! and Prince add sharp lessons about money, attention, and the weirdly perfect connections you only notice looking backward.

The mix gets heavier and more honest too. We get into Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising” and its 9/11-era weight, and Matt shares the personal story behind Eminem’s “Without Me” and how a song can show up at the exact moment you need it. We close with Macklemore’s “Can’t Hold Us” tied to a daughter’s dance solo, and Fun.’s “Carry On” as a message for anyone in a long season of parenting, grief, or rebuilding.

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/matt-2026-birthday-mix/pl.u-MzBDtNqbr8

1. The Gambler - Kenny Rogers

2. Who Are You? - The Who

3. Tom Sawyer - Rush

4. Don't Stop Believin' - Journey

5. You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon

6. Dreams - Van Halen

7. If I Had No Loot - Toni! Tony! Tone!

8. 7 - Prince & The New Power Generation

9. The Rising - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

10. Without Me - Eminem

11. Can't Hold Us - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

12. Carry On - fun

Go to My.SuperAwesomeMix.com and start using our new app on any device - mobile or laptop.  Copy and paste a link to your playlist then turn it into an old school mixtape in minutes!  

Support the show

Visit us at https://www.superawesomemix.com to learn more about our app, our merchandise, our cards, and more!