Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

Who it's for

The record speaks directly to the fear of being behind: 'Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind.

Feelings it meets

• Envy
• Identity
• Mortality

What it is

A spoken-word record in which a calm narrator delivers an imagined commencement speech to the class of '99 over a choral version of 'Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)'. The text comes from Mary Schmich's 1997 Chicago Tribune column and mixes practical advice (floss, stretch, wear sunscreen) with reflections on aging, uncertainty and not wasting time on jealousy. It reached No. 1 in the UK in 1999.

Where to find it

All major streaming services.

Before you start

Heads up: Mild references to aging and death.

Age: All ages

Insist on yourself; never imitate.Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays: First Series, “Self-Reliance”