When I was in preschool, my school hosted seasonal performances for each homeroom. In the spring of 2014, our class danced to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. I don’t think I knew what nostalgia was yet, but that was the first time I felt it. The soft strum of the ukulele and gentle tones of his voice feels very comforting to me. I remember standing in a disorganized “line” of tiny classmates, swaying very off-beat and not fully understanding the lyrics. Even now, when I hear that opening chord, I’m teleported back to a room with a colorful block rug and construction paper decorations.
I grew up in a townhouse near West Rogers Park in Chicago, and one of my clearest memories from that home— before we moved — is my dad playing guitar in the living room. I was six years old when he first played The Sundays’ cover of “Wild Horses” for me and my older brother. I would dance as he sang. The song felt hazy, like late afternoon light coming through blinds. To this day, it’s one of my favorite songs to return to. It reminds me that my love for music started at home.
High school already feels distant to me, even though I am a first year. “White Ferrari” was my top Spotify Wrapped song for two years in a row. This song is like a soundtrack to late-night drives, friendships and all of my high school years. Something about this song feels very raw to me. I love the lyric “Sweet 16 / how was I supposed to know anything?” It captures that feeling of being young and overwhelmed, of making choices without understanding their weight. Whenever I hear it, I’m reminded of how uncertain and intense everything felt back then, and how real it all still is to me.
“Godspeed,” though, feels very different. It’s an ode to loving people, including myself. As I’ve grown older and learned different lessons, I’ve realized that loving myself is not automatic, and it’s something I’ve had to learn to do. Blond has been my favorite album of all time for a few years now, and I don’t think that’s going to ever change.
One word — summer. My favorite season. “Smoke Two Joints” reminds me of the summers before my friends and I got our licenses. Living in the city, we relied on trains and buses and crappy public transportation to haul us around. “Smoke Two Joints” and honestly any Sublime song reminds me of sweat and sand and Lake Michigan. The smell of sunscreen and fruit. Another very critical part of my summers in Chicago is the “ledge,” a stretch of concrete steps that overlook the skyline. My friends and I would jump into the cold, refreshing water to cool off, then lay out and tan afterward, letting the sun dry our hair. It’s such a simple activity, but it holds so much of who I was then. That phase of my life is one I’ll always remember so, so fondly.
My music taste is deeply shaped by my dad. In middle school, he introduced me to A Tribe Called Quest. The first song I loved was “Can I Kick It?” but “Electric Relaxation” is the one that stayed. To me, the beat and rhythm take me back to car rides with my parents in middle school. I’d turn the volume up a little too loud and just sit there, letting the music fill the car.
Even though my first time going to Lollapalooza was in 2024, it quickly became one of my favorite times of the year. Last summer, I saw JPEGMAFIA with one of my friends, Georgia, and this song stuck with me long after the set ended. The air was thick and humid, and thousands of people were crowded around the stage. I was sitting on the grass, criss-cross, just taking it all in and enjoying the music.
A heavy hit for nostalgia. “Closing Time” was one of the songs my best friends and I would drive down Lakeshore Drive to. For those of you reading this who have no clue what Lakeshore Drive is, it’s an expressway in Chicago that has a beautiful view of the skyline. In high school, I promised myself that I would never attend a school in the Midwest. Ironically enough, Iowa is one of the most Midwest states ever. Fortunately, through this year at Grinnell, I’ve realized that stepping outside of my comfort zone was one of the best things I could’ve done for myself.
This is a song that really stands out to me. I remember discovering it while watching my favorite Christmas movie, Let It Snow. It’s not exactly a cinematic masterpiece, but there’s this one scene where the two love interests play the song together on a piano. That moment stuck with me. It also happens to be my favorite love song of all time. The trumpets, the drums, everything about it just feels so alive. The poetic lyrics are probably my favorite part, as they say things I didn’t know how to put into words. Being able to love someone the way this song describes feels like one of the most beautiful things in the world.
Apart from this list, I’m always looking for new songs to fall into. Lately, I’ve been listening to “E. Coli” (feat. Earl Sweatshirt) by The Alchemist, “Waves” by Kanye West, “New Romance” by Beach House, and “Thinking of You” by Katy Perry. They’re all so different from each other, but that’s kind of the point. I love how all of my songs come together to depict my own sense of self.
