The best albums and mixes tell a story.  They manage to formulate a theme and capture a mood. With graduation right around the corner, I’ve compiled a playlist that tells the story of my college career coming to an end.

 

1. “40 Oz. to Freedom” by Sublime

I bust this song out every year on the first day I can walk outside without a jacket. The reggae-fied rock track always means good things are coming. By the middle of April, the end of the semester is in sight, and on a beautiful, warm day after a long Syracuse winter, I can almost forget about the deadlines that still loom.

 

2. “With Every Light” by the Smashing Pumpkins

But then I remember those deadlines again. Cue panic attack. I’ve put this song on repeat at the end of every semester since I was 13 years old. The Smashing Pumpkins are my favorite band, so anything by them tends to calm me down. But this track in particular has always soothed my end-of-the-year anxiety. “It’s almost over, it’s almost over,” Billy Corgan assures me. “Throw the weight up off your shoulders now.” Oh, I’m trying.

 

3. “Marry the Night” by Lady Gaga

So after Corgan has talked me down off the cliff, Lady Gaga gives me that boost of confidence I need to get stuff done. “You know what?” I say to myself, “I am a warrior queen.” This is my favorite Gaga song because of all the tough times it’s gotten me through. Marrying the night means taking all the things you’re afraid of, all the things that stress you out, and owning them.

 

4. “21 and Invincible” by Something Corporate

This song is a perfect illustration of what it feels like to grow up. We’re going to make mistakes, our parents are going to tell us how to handle this insane transition into the real world and we will inevitably ignore them, as we have done for the past 20 years. Sometimes we just have to learn our own lessons.

 

5. “When I Grow Up” by Garbage

“When I grow up, I’ll be stable,” Shirley Manson sings, almost as if she’s trying to convince herself as much as everyone else. Right now, everything is up in the air. The pressure is on to get a job with a salary and benefits and that is horrifying. But this song reminds me that I’m not alone, and that maybe one day I’ll have my life in order.

 

6. “Adventure” by Be Your Own Pet

When the prospect of getting a job and moving out on my own isn’t sending me into the fetal position, it’s filling me with excitement. It’s easy to sweat the small stuff, but sometimes you have to remind yourself that life is an adventure. Your friends are going through the same thing and the real world is full of fun and opportunity. This silly, upbeat song reminds me that graduation is something to be excited about.

 

7. “Ten Thousand Hours” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

We may not all be moving on to a career in hip-hop, but “Ten Thousand Hours” can easily translate to any of our career goals. Maybe some of you who are graduating took the path of least resistance, but all my friends and I shared blood, sweat and tears to walk across that stage. Macklemore raps, “Nothing beautiful about it, no light at the tunnel for the people that put the passion before them being comfortable.”

 

8. “No Goodbyes” by The Subways

“Every single day will never feel the same, a single minute can’t be wasted.” Graduation is a celebration of your academic achievements, but it’s also a time to reflect on the people you met along the way. I love every single person in the Goldring Arts Journalism program, and I doubt all of us will ever be in the same room together again. I’m the kind of sentimental person who soaks up every second with her friends when the end of the relationship as we know it is near.

 

9. “But Not Tonight” by Depeche Mode

After walking across the stage, celebrating with my family and friends and saying my final goodbyes to the beautiful people I’ve met in Syracuse, I will go back to my apartment to pack up the last odds and ends. Then I’ll take a walk by myself with this song playing on repeat. “Makes me so aware, how good it is to live tonight. And I haven’t felt so alive in years. The moon is shining in the sky, reminding me of so many other nights, but they’re not like tonight.”

Correction: In the May 8 article, “Time to say goodbye: Senior compiles graduation playlist” the headline was misstated. The author was graduate student, not a senior. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

 

 

Published on May 8, 2014 at 1:00 am

Contact Jessica: jmcabe@syr.edu | @Jessica_Cabe