Farewell & thank you, Danaher
Y’all know how much music means to me. So I figured some of my favorite artists’ lyrics & music could capture my headspace as I look back in my time at Danaher, look back over the last 20 years and look ahead to an exciting, uncertain future. So here’s the Spotify playlist. I also wrote a few words about why each song made the cut.
Enjoy –KK
Unthought Known Pearl Jam album: Backspacer
An all-time Pearl Jam classic, this is one of my many hype songs. It brings me insane energy & fires up my soul for the potential we all have inside us. And I have always believed I am no one’s rival…thanks to this song. Chart my own course, do it any damn way I want…stay on solid footing, strong foundation of faith & family…and I’ll be no one’s rival. Then it’s all about what am I giving? Since my early years at Danaher I felt like I could chart my own course & paint on the canvas w/ whatever colors I wanted.
lyrics that speak to me: Dream the dreams of other men, you’ll be no one’s rival... A distant time, a distant place…so what you giving?
Given to Fly Pearl Jam album: Yield
Only time I’ve seen PJ in concert was at the Target Center in Minneapolis in ’98 for their Yield tour. That show cemented this song as one that became an anthem for me. It also should fire people up…we are all given to fly. Feel like it also has helped me think about lifting people up since we all have times & moments when we’re not feeling it, not flying. How can I help? What I can do so they get back to that unbelievable feeling of being that spot in the sky?
lyrics that speak to me: Sometimes you see a strange spot in the sky, a human being that was given to fly.
Shipping Up to Boston Dropkick Murphy’s album: The Warrior’s Code
This used to be the song that Jonathan Papelbon came out of the bullpen to & Fenway Park erupted every time…shout out Red Sox Nation. Then it won me $20 at a Danaher Leadership Conference when Larry Culp used it as his walk-up music & asked if anybody in the crowd knew who sang it. Easy money for a fellow Sox fan! Now it’s the music that wakes up ND Stadium…and bottom line this song brings me chills every damn time. Like all my worlds collide here. On your feet Notre Dame…here come the Irish!
lyrics that speak to me: none. yeah, let’s be honest, this song is really about the 60 second lead-in. I mean I know the guy lost his leg & that’s crazy…but it’s the sound not the words for me with this one.
Empire State of Mind Jay-Z, Alicia Keys album: The Blueprint 3
I hate the Yankees…but love New York City. Living in Brooklyn right out of college helped me get to know the city even if only for several months. Jay is a legend & I’ve always loved this track. Shout out to Maggie Demont…a legit Jay-Z fan & somebody who welcomed me adding this to the Drakes Island playlist years ago. As for what this song means to me, weirdly, at some point I projected onto this song that Danaher maybe was my ‘New York’…and if I could make it here, I could make it anywhere. So here’s to 20 years of living in the concrete jungle where dreams are made of! And just maybe there’s somebody from Danaher who listens to this playlist & hasn’t heard a Jay-Z song before…welcome to the bright lights!
lyrics that speak to me: New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of…There’s nothing you can’t do, Now you’re in New York.
Thank You Led Zeppelin album: II
I just feel gratitude flowing through this track. Zeppelin has been a constant since high school for me (shout out classmates Eric Page, Ned Greene) and I think about the sacrifices Erin made to give me the chance to go run around the world & do what I did at Danaher…and I hit play on this song. Thank you.
lyrics that speak to me: and so today, the world it smiles your hand in mine, we walk the miles. Thanks to you it will be done for you to me are the only one.
Her Mercy Glen Hansard album: Didn’t He Ramble
Man this guy is a treasure. Go watch the movie Once if you haven’t seen it in a while, you’ll thank me. This song for me has been about being ‘lost among the rubble’ when things weren’t going well, and staying humble when they were. And then it’s about having a damn church revival and blowing the roof off the joint when you get the chance. Because that’s what Glen & his buddies do when they play this song. ‘Feel her beauty flow right through you’…go see Glen live. I like to think I brought the same energy to Danaher he brings to the stage. Because all we control is attitude & effort.
lyrics that speak to me: And when you’re ready for her mercy, And you’re worthy, It will come
Room at the Top Tom Petty album: Echo
I never saw Tom Petty live, but this is one of my favorite tracks of his. And then Eddie Vedder put it on his setlist for his Feb. 3 show this year w/ his other band (The Earthlings) at the Beacon, and he & the band just brought it altogether for me. Feel like we need that bourbon, glass of wine, or ice cold beer to enjoy the best things life has to offer. Because the Lord knows we’re gonna have hard days. But we can find beauty in small moments & big ones…and when we do, damn it, we better get a room at the top of the world & we better not come down.
lyrics that speak to me: I got a room at the top of the world tonight, and I ain’t coming down.
Society Eddie Vedder album: Into the Wild Soundtrack
This song just challenges me. Great book (J. Krakauer), great movie & epic soundtrack. And while I don’t plan to check out of this world the way Chris McCandless did…I do think about what I can learn from him. Kind of a modern day challenge about materialism, about working on things that matter and not getting caught in the trappings of money or what other people think of you. And then this song reached next level status when I shared it with Sydney…we went deep on the meaning of the lyrics & the magic of Eddie Vedder. She tolerated me…and later told me it really changed how she thinks about music. Proud Dad moment.
lyrics that speak to me: There’s those thinking, more or less, less is more But if less is more, how you keeping score?
Nothingman Pearl Jam album: Vitalogy
I think one of my biggest motivators is my fear of being average. And this song puts it into words. What if we waste our talent & the gifts God gave us? For me, the ‘bolt of lightning’ in this song was Danaher…I got lucky finding it, and thought about leaving many times. But I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t let that bolt of lightning go…I had to ride it because there was so much that was magical about this place, and I knew I was finding ways not to be average while I was there. Now as I head out, I feel like I’m in a great place…I didn’t let my bolt of lightning go, it’s just time to go find another one.
lyrics that speak to me: Caught a bolt of lightning, cursed the day he let it go….he who forgets, will be destined to remember.
One Love / People Get Ready Bob Marley & the Wailers album: Legend
Let’s not overthink it – doesn’t every playlist need some Marley? Shout out to Uncle Harry as we played a bunch of reggae & drank Red Stripes together during our epic vacation to the British Virgin Islands back in 2019. I think this song serves as the bridge to the ‘love’ section of this set. And it reminds me we must never forget we owe everything to the Lord above.
lyrics that speak to me: Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel alright.
Seasons of Love Original Broadway Cast of Rent
Wow, Rent. Shout out to Sydney and all of our musical theater people…keep bringing your gifts to the stage! I don’t think I’m overstating it to say that this show changed my life…it changed how I think about people, what is possible on a stage and it spoke to Erin & me as we were engaged & about to be married. Saw it first in ’97, and have seen it 7 times since. It also reminds me to be present. This crazy adventure called life is fragile, and every day I wake up I think about having a great day because we never know how many more days (or minutes, or years) we have. Two more things…there is a high note in this song that is unlike any other note I have ever heard. And I think deep down, every town I listen to this song, I root for the woman to hit that note…but it’s recorded!? Of course she hits it. Years ago I realized I wanted to be able to hit the high note when given the opportunity. I can’t sing, by the way…so I use this song as inspiration to do everything I can to be ready to hit that note when my moment comes. Ok, last thing. Love. This song reminds me how important it is to LOVE.
lyrics that speak to me: How do you measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets in midnites in cups of coffee?…It’s time now to sing out, Though the story never ends; Lets celebrate remember a year in the life of friends!
We’re Going to be Friends The White Stripes album: White Blood Cells
I really admire Jack White for what he can do shredding on a guitar and how he can strip it all away, tone down the loud sound and sing this song. Friends play a huge part in my life, and I wouldn’t be where I am without them. All the places we’ve lived we’ve loved…because of the people we met along the way on our journey, who loved us when we lived there and continue to love us today. Too many to name (though you all should still be getting our Christmas cards! 😊 ) . And time with friends is some of our most treasured…dinners, shows, wine, bourbon, games…doesn’t matter. What matters is just being together, listening, sharing the moments & memories that bring joy & energy to our lives.
lyrics that speak to me: we don’t notice any time pass, we don’t notice anything.
Sweet Caroline Neil Diamond album: Neil Diamond
Recorded in 1969, this song makes the cut because it was one of the albums & songs that my brother and I listened to on vinyl as we were kids growing up. Plus this playlist was a little top-heavy with songs recorded after 2000 and needed a little texture. While I grew up going to Fenway, and this song is now an 8th inning tradition there - it only dates back to 1997, which is after the time when we moved away from Boston & I stopped going regularly to the Fens. So I loved this song before it became intertwined with my favorite team & favorite place in the world. But shout out to Mom & Dad, who have loved Neil Diamond longer than I’ve been alive & seen him in concert…I’m singing along to this one thankful for having amazing parents….’so good, so good, so good’.
lyrics that speak to me: Good times never seemed so good
You Will be Found Ben Platt album: Dear Evan Hansen Original Broadway Soundtrack
I first heard this song at a workshop where Sydney performed in Boulder. Loved it, but didn’t have any context. Then in March 2018, in response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting weeks earlier, the March for Our Lives happened & I went to a march in Phoenix, Arizona with Sydney & my parents. And a local high school from outside of Phoenix had a choir perform, and they sang this song. And it hit me so hard. I then listened to the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack on repeat for months before finally seeing the show late in 2019. It is a triumph for musical theater, and this song speaks to people everywhere who are lonely, outcast & lack hope. Yet it’s a call to be there for people, and for those struggling to know help is out there – in churches, communities, friends & colleagues. We have to ask for help when we need it, and we have to check on our friends & colleagues to be sure they’re ok. And they…we…you…will be found.
lyrics that speak to me: Even when the dark comes crashin’ through, When you need someone to carry you, When you’re broken on the ground, You will be found!
All Your Favorite Bands Dawes album: All Your Favorite Bands
Shout out to my brother, who has always had my back, always been there when I needed him, always been game for my adventures…and who is single-handedly responsible for my love of music. Full disclosure, Dawes is his favorite band, and I have only gotten into a few of their songs. But this song…man, it seems like it was written for him, and for me. Charlottesville reference? Come on. I had to include this one. I’m pretty sure there were days he thought he might be my chaperone for many of our adult years. And then one night when he was my chaperone (Richmond, Live concert, 1995) it didn’t go so well. But thankfully he forgave my antics, and has been there every step of the way. This one’s for you buddy. Thanks for everything. And may all our favorite bands stay together.
lyrics that speak to me: Hope your life without a chaperone is what you thought it’d be.
Rearviewmirror Pearl Jam album: Vs.
So in July 2012, after three crazy, stressful, unbelievably challenging years as the VP of HR for Danaher working for Larry Culp, I survived. I had crossed the finish line. I earned my ticket to a job at Hach. And then I headed back to DC a few weeks later for a meeting and went for a run one morning. And this song was on my playlist. And it was like it was written for me in that moment. I felt that day like I ran a 6 minute mile; I flew around the District. I had survived this insane HR gig & was able to put the most amazing & hardest development experience I had ever had in my rearview mirror. And with that sense of accomplishment, I could regroup, move to Colorado and dive into my next challenge. Now as I put Danaher in my rearview mirror, I’m ready to look ahead.
lyrics that speak to me: I guess it was the beatings, that made me wise. I’m not about to forgive things, or apologize…so much clearer, want you, want you, rearviewmirror.
Beloved Mumford & Sons album: Delta
This is a phenomenal track, and yet it’s a weird one for me in this playlist. I include it because I feel like if Danaher could choose one song to add to my list, this would be it. I feel so much gratitude, and have heard so many times how much people appreciated many things I did along the way – small things, big things, and moments that I shared with people literally all over the world. I read every email, and I genuinely appreciated the people who stopped, thanked me and let me know how something I had done positively impacted them. And I won’t ever get to see many of those people again, certainly not as colleagues. But weirdly, I feel like if my Danaher colleagues could say something to me at this moment, they would play this song. I’m so thankful for all of the moments I shared with these great people. And I know how much they appreciated my effort, my energy & my commitment to our success. And I am lucky to call many of them friends. I’m pretty sure many of them would be happy to know I heard them, I appreciated them, and as I leave, I feel I am beloved.
lyrics that speak to me: She says the Lord has a plan, and admits it’s pretty hard to understand… Before you leave, you must know you are beloved…and as you leave, I won’t hold you back, beloved.
Burn the House Down AJR album: The Click
This is a shout out to Maggie. I still remember when we took the roof off the Jeep on your graduation weekend, piled in & headed to Boulder. And this was the song we played. And this song reminds me how unstoppable you are when you have confidence. During COVID, when you were back home from ND living with us, you & MPS bought tickets to the livestream AJR concert which you watched in our basement. I remember coming down to watch a few songs & thinking “DAMN!” AJR is so innovative, so fun, so loud…such a welcome addition to this playlist & a song I’ll always turn up when it comes on the radio. Because we should all take the top off the Jeep every chance we get, turn up the radio & hopefully have something as fun as AJR bumping through the speakers. Gonna be plenty more of that for me this summer.
lyrics that speak to me: We gonna burn the whole house down
Lose Yourself Eminem album: 8 Mile
Unbelievable movie, and this song is the highlight. Marshall Mathers deserves so much credit for his 20+ years of hit-making. This song has been a staple on my running playlist since 2000, and you’ll also hear it at every tailgate we host. And while I love how this song is really about rising to the moment, seizing the opportunity…for me it’s also about how we can channel the fire from disappointments & flip the script. I haven’t faced what he faced growing up on 8 Mile…but I’ve had my share of mistakes, letdowns & failures. And I kept rhymin, & always felt like if I could dust myself off, keep working & channel my energy, I’d be ready to kick some ass the next time I had my shot. Crazy to think I’m old enough to see Eminem joining Dr. Dre & Snoop on this year’s Super Bowl half-time show in a kind of throwback hip-hop set. Time flies.
lyrics that speak to me: No more games, I’ma change what you call rage, Tear this motherfuckin’ roof off like two dogs caged, I was playin’ in the beginnin’, the mood all changed, I been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage, But I kept rhymin’ and stepped right in the next cypher
Invincible Eddie Vedder album: Earthling
So we saw Eddie & his band sing this on February 3rd 2022, at the Beacon in New York, the first night of their tour. Absolutely epic show. And the album didn’t drop until February 11th, so many of the songs from Earthling we’d never heard before. For me hearing this song that night…wow…I love how he’s speaking to all of us about how we should be clear to take off, to let the weight of these past few years flow away and how we can rise when we love. I also love how Eddie took so much risk on this album & on this tour (thank you Andrew Watt) at a time when he could’ve sat back & waited for the next Pearl Jam tour. As I flew home from the show and thought about what was next for me, I took some comfort knowing that while I was taking some risk, I feel invincible.
lyrics that speak to me: Invincible, when we love!...Now there’s smoke on the horizon, and the clouds are looking violent. There’s a future in need of a frame. Compass is spinning in my brain…The unbearable weight, let’s lift it up.
Starting Over Chris Stapleton album: Starting Over
Seriously, if there is one song that completely captures my headspace right now, this…is…it. “I ain’t got no kind of plan, but I’ve had all of this town I can stand…I got friends out on the coasts, we can jump in the water & see what floats.” While I’m in such a good place to step away, maybe because I’m not running toward something it feels like a bigger risk. Stapleton completely nails the feelings of thinking big & yet knowing there will be moments along the way of indecision, doubt, fear & anxiety. And yet he paints it all exactly the way I see it – that this is a journey worth taking, as long as I have the most important person in the world at my side as I do it…so Erin, here we go. “I can be your lucky penny, you can be my 4 leaf clover…starting over.”
lyrics that speak to me: Nobody wins afraid of losing, the hard roads are the ones worth choosing. Someday we’ll look back & smile, and know it was worth every mile.
I Lived One Republic
This band & Ryan Tedder have been our soundtrack since we moved to Colorado in 2012. We’ve seen them a few times, including two epic shows at Red Rocks. And it was at one of those shows in 2019 when this song brought me to tears. We had just dropped Maggie off at ND a few days earlier, and I heard this song & only thought about her journey heading to college. We want everything for our kids…and this song captures how this crazy ride we’re on will mix the highest highs & some really challenging lows. And yet we have to experience both. I close this setlist with this song because it grounds me, it captures what I hope for all of us…I hope we get to do it all, experience the highest highs, and shed tears in the tough moments we have to bounce back from. Only then we can raise our cup & can say ‘we did it all’.
lyrics that speak to me: I owned every second that this world can give, I saw so many places, the things that I did, with every broken bone, I swear I lived.