Welcome to the 2026 edition of Songs of Our Year!
This OTL tradition required each staffer to write a short essay celebrating a song that has mattered to them during this school year. This song didn’t have to be “the best” in their mind, just a track with meaning and playlist traction. Writers didn’t review these songs. Instead, they wrote about why they’re good and why they matter, whether on a personal level or for artistic quality or both. Enjoy the mini-essays and the accompanying playlists. We’ve compiled the tracks for both Apple, Spotify, and Tidal. The Spotify playlist is below, but click the links or scroll down to the very end for Tidal (the advisor’s platform of choice).
The Dark Side of the Moon
Pink Floyd
1973
“Breathe” was around for decades before I was born, but I didn’t discover it until recent years. The acoustics feel angelic and therapeutic. It was added to my playlist instantly. If I was taking a pretty drive, it was playing. If I was getting ready for school, it was playing. If I was on aux with friends, it was playing. Something about it was comforting to me.
The opening seconds feature ominous screaming before the beat drops and it feels like you’re transported to a magical, heaven-like place. It makes me take in what’s around me and enter a state of calmness. The rest of the first half of “Breathe” is purely music, no lyrics, and in my opinion, is the best part of the song. All a song needs is a good instrumental and I’m hooked.
However, the tone is soon shifted in the beginning verse. The music plays slower and the voice sings deeply. Then, the octave gets higher, the music plays faster, and the voice sounds anxious. This verse essentially tells you to work hard, and when one thing is done, move onto the next. But instead of sounding friendly, it sounds harsh, as it begins with, “Run, rabbit, run,” and ends with, “Balanced on the biggest wave, you race towards an early grave.”
The change in emotion and tone leaves a feeling of confusion because of the screaming and “rabbit” verse paired with angelic, calming music. It seems as though there is anxiety and chaos hidden under a mask. This eerie feeling is reflected in the album, which is inspired by the mental decline of Syd Barrett, a band member, caused by the overuse of psychedelic drugs. This also correlates with Pink Floyd’s music in general, which is curated for people to listen to when using drugs. “Speak To Me,” the song before “Breathe,” sounds creepy and what I imagine to be an evil, freak surgery. The transition between the two songs is seamless, which explains the screaming in the beginning.
Although the meaning behind the song may be unsettling, it takes me to a warm sunny day, driving through the green, tree-filled mountains. “Breathe” is meant to be played when you’re breaking down, and maybe getting high, but I find it pairs well with a long, pretty drive, allowing me to think about anything in life, positive or negative. It’s the kind of song you can zone out to a view with. I imagine being with my friends, and simply enjoying each other’s presence.
-Cherise Castagne
“Crying is Only Manly if Splinters Come Out”
POW! Right in the Kisser!
Hail the Sun
2010
The first thing you’ll notice while listening to this song is the garage-band style of mixing, with lots of overlapping voices and raw, low-fidelity sounds. Compared to Hail the Sun’s newer drops, it’s a lot rougher around the edges; even so, it has found its spot on my music downloads.
I feel as if the mixing and structure open up the interpretation of the song, letting it fit any mood. I’ve listened to this song while falling asleep, working out, and doing homework, something I’m not sure is common for songs.
As we’re approaching our final weeks of high school, I’ve done a lot of reflection, both inward and onward. There’s been more pressure on us to have our shit figured out in terms of schooling and jobs, but the path I’m on isn’t clear; I’m not sure where I’m going or who I’ll become. Surprisingly, though, I feel as if the pressure helped on a different front.
I’ve struggled with mental health my whole life, but recently, I’ve spent more time addressing longstanding issues within, and though we’re at a time in our lives where we have to lock in, all I can think of is the way I think and why I make the choices I do. This is why, though I like the composition as a whole, I’ve found the lyrics to be what makes it stand out. It’s a bonus if you’re listening to it on stereo audio, as audio often bounces between both ears.
The song as a whole kind of eases towards a feeling of being misread, with the chorus, “If you would (just shut) your mouth / Every now and again / I guarantee your eyes would open wide,” initially coming to mind. The interpretation of these lines generally changes each listen, but often I relate it to the frustration of not being my best self and just disregarding the reasoning.
He screams, “Now is never-ending,” likely referring to that feeling of being stuck in the same cycle over and over, one which I’m familiar with. Making mental progress only for it to come crashing down and leave me feeling even worse than before. In a few months, that feeling might stem from school, starting all over again, only this time with the chance of being stranded at some unknown place.
As the song comes to an end, a quick guitar solo interrupts them shouting, “I’m the way I’d hate to be,” which isn’t the picture-perfect idea of self-love, but instead encapsulates a feeling of self-acceptance, only to be followed by faded repetitions of the previous line, sending the listener off gently. High school is said to be a time of self-discovery and acceptance, and whether or not the school itself is what helped me come to terms with my flaws, the trope turned out to be true.
-Marcellino Marino
A Few Small Repairs
Shawn Colvin
1996
During my six-month period of driving with my parents for my license, I had to have control over the music because, otherwise, my mom would talk the whole car-ride. My mom is a strict lover of oldies, while I lean towards modern music more. Miraculously, I found “Sunny Came Home” on my sister’s playlist, and stole it for mine.
The opening begins with a guitar that sounds like the beginning of a folktale, with Colvin’s voice announcing that “Sunny came home to her favorite room.” This is the beginning of a haunting story of Sunny feeling the pressure of her life, and wanting to burn everything down. She begins creating a list of the people who wronged her. “Days go by, I don’t know why I’m walking on a wire, I close my eyes and fly out of my mind into the fire,” she sings, addressing the pressures of life and wanting to leave the people and places she knows behind. Then she decides this is the time, and for children to get their things while she grabs her matches. She burns down her past, and in the album cover, the fire blazes in the background. When I found out about the story of this piece, I found myself listening to it more to hear the story unfold.
Sometimes as a senior in high school, you just want to move on from the past and create a new place for yourself. When I discovered Shawn Colvin as a junior, it was my go-to song to play with my mom. Now, it’s about building an environment in college and leaving high school behind.
Now don’t get me wrong: high school is a great time period of life. Independence with no bills! But I cannot deny the indescribable feeling of wanting to leave the nest.
At the end of the song, Sunny is “out there on her own, and she’s all right.” This highlights her independence, but more than ever, the last verse strikes such a chord with me. The line “Sunny came home” returns at the end of the song. While she goes back home at the beginning of the song to her house, by the end, she has returned to herself. That’s my favorite part!
-Alexa Grisez
“Rebel Girl”
Moxie (Music from the Netflix Film)
The Linda Lindas
2021
The first time I heard The Linda Lindas, they were the live band playing at a party in the movie “Moxie.” As the main characters, girls in their senior year of high school, rebel against their school’s overt sexist practices, a group of middle schoolers are screaming into mics and jumping up and down with their
guitars. I was in middle school myself at the time, and it was my first experience with girls not only being allowed, but being encouraged to be angry with their world. It was my first experience with girl rockers, and thus my gateway drug to the philosophies of Riot Grrrl.
The song “Riot Girl” was originally sung by the band Bikini Kill, with the queen of the Riot Grrrl movement, Kathleen Hannah, as its front woman. There’s something about the voices of angry women being reflected in the voices of angry girls. The same dark beat pulses like a heart as the same words are screamed, but in higher pitched voices that come from bodies that look like my own. “Moxie” and its playlist of female rockers got me excited to be angry, to make change, it made me realize rebellion could be made as art, as music, as friendships and camaraderie. The world of Riot Grrrl brought me to a world where fighting against sexism wasn’t about cutely loving my body but about breaking the noses of anyone who told me I shouldn’t.
Now, when I watch the movie, I’m not the age of The Linda Lindas, but the age of the main characters. Now, I’ve gone to protests, I’ve made my angry art and listened to my angry music, I’ve had bible verses spit in my face for loving women and I’ve yelled “fuck Trump” with a group of teen girls at my back.
When I listen to “Rebel Girl,” whether its cover from The Linda Lindas, or the original by Bikini Kill, the energy it brings excites me. I want to do more. “When she talks, I hear the revolution/In her hips, there’s revolution / when she walks, the revolution’s coming/in her kiss, I taste the revolution.” Revolution is jumping up and down in my grandparent’s living room screaming this song at the top of my lungs with my little cousin, it’s about the confidence this song elicits in us, the fact that she and I can find each other, as riot sisters found each other before. It’s about all the times that she and I choose to stand and raise our voices.
-Paloma Judd
Forward
First Day Back
2025
In the scummy bathroom of a sushi restaurant, only made tolerable by a single Febreeze plug in, a melody blasted through the vents. I had just finished my shift and was seeking escape in the restroom. I had broken my first plate in my 8 months as a waitress and it caused an almost immediate descent into tears. Everything seemed to be building up lately, all the frustration in my body just dripped out of my eyes.
When my shift ended all I could think about was the mountain of work I had to do, and it was already 10 p.m. I remember sitting in silence for a moment, just trying to breathe a bit. I needed to rechannel my focus somehow, so I turned my music all the way up. I had added a lot of music into my playlist the night before, some random, then I would listen to it while getting ready in the morning. I hadn’t heard “Paint,” by First Day Back though.
It opens with soft guitar strums and light, open cymbal taps. Then, the violin comes in. The mewl of the instrument sounds so completely compatible with the singer’s voice. The tune sounds like vast fields to me, folky almost. This is complimented by the emotion in the vocals; whiny but grounded and controlled. All of the lyrics are drawn out, sounding like they come from a place of desperation. I love things with a sweet exterior, and a darker layer hiding underneath. In the first minute, you feel that cheerful music is all there is. Then, the strums get more intense, and so does the singer.
Initially, I paid no mind to the lyrics, only listening. There’s only 13 bars; it’s not lyrically cluttered. It’s more like concise poetry. I’ve probably heard this song a hundred times over now. The lyrics say, “True presence can be achieved through escape.”
At first, I envisioned it being about someone who’s struggling with their life. They believe that the only way to be present within the minds of those around them, is to abandon everything. People don’t appreciate things until they’re gone.
Another interpretation is that “true presence” can only exist once you’ve escaped the minutiae. Being truly present does not lie within bypassing your own humanity, telling yourself that your pain is not important, or avoiding reality. It is the opposite, running toward authenticity and accepting yourself. “Escaping” the idea that you must compartmentalize all your issues to be at peace.
Only then can you be in the moment, clearheaded enough to think about what you need to change in order to grow. At the end of the day, the meaning is whatever you need it to be. That’s how art serves the viewer.
I love this song a lot. This band only has one album but I have hopes that they will produce much more. The entire album just feels like hope to me. It feels like abandoning what no longer serves you, and the bittersweet goodbyes that come with moving forward.
-Ruby Renzi
“Mystical Magical”
American Heart
Benson Boone
2025
During 2025, if you hadn’t heard this song on Tiktok, you were on the wrong side of the app. At the start of my summer, I joined an outdoors program called LINC with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Standing for “Linking Individuals to their Natural Communities,” LINC helped me do just that with teens from all around the Bay Area. On the first day, everyone was awkward and quiet. The icebreakers staff prepared didn’t seem to work, and I was scared of having yet another summer without stepping out of my comfort zone. We had just finished wrapping up our day and we were all on the same car ride home when the song “Mystical Magical” by Benson Boone started to play.
Almost immediately, everyone recognized the song and began to laugh. No one took the song seriously, nor did we take serious the way Boone ridiculously sang the chorus, where he compared “moonbeam ice cream” to “taking off your blue jeans.” It was the first time that day that everyone let go of that anxious breath we didn’t know we were holding on to. It became our staple song (and inside joke) to listen to no matter where we were going.
Whether it was on a days long camping trip in the forests of Yosemite, or on a simple walk through the Presidio, the upbeat and chaotic melody of “Mystical Magical” could always be heard. During this program I learned so much more than just how to appreciate the outdoors; I learned how advocacy for such spaces is key in a fast paced world. I was luckily enough to experience it all alongside an amazing group of people who I wouldn’t trade for the world. This program went by so fast it felt as if blinking once could have caused me to miss it, but this song perfectly encapsulates all the jokes, laughs, and new friendships I made that summer. Whenever this song plays, it reminds me of how “mystical” and “magical” it all truly was. It was the soundtrack to an unforgettable, life long memory I will always cherish and never forget.
-Abisha Rodriguez Gutierrez
“Cánh Hoa Héo Tàn”
Mochii & ACV
2024
From my vague childhood memories in Vietnam, I remember waking up to Vietnamese remix music playing in the living room. Along with lullabies, I grew up listening to remix music. At almost every family function, event, or party, it’s common for people to play remix tracks in the background to hype up guests and lift the spirits.
Vietnamese remix music is especially unique because artists often transform sad, sentimental ballads into high-energy club tracks. Vinahouse, a popular style of electronic dance music, is known for its punchy basslines, fast tempo, and frequent remixes of pop songs. When I first heard “Cánh Hoa Héo Tàn” (Withered Petals) on TikTok, it immediately caught my attention with its fast beats and catchy lyrics. Although it’s a song about a woman being abandoned by her lover and how their love turns cold over time, it doesn’t make me feel emotional; rather, the beats make me feel hyped.
When I finally listened to the original version after a year of hearing the remix on my ForYou page, I was shocked. The original was calm, slow, and deeply sentimental, completely different from the high-energy remix I was used to.
There is something ironic about turning sad music into something people dance to in clubs. Remix culture takes emotional songs from past generations, music my parents may have listened to, and reinvents them into energetic tracks that the new generation can enjoy.
This song feels even more nostalgic to me because I heard it everywhere during my trip to Vietnam in February. My friends who traveled with me experienced the kind of music young Vietnamese people listen to today. Now, whenever I hear it, it reminds me of the adventurous nights roaming the streets of Vietnam with my friends, hearing remix music blasted alongside the sidewalk. They got a window into my world, while I feel at home.
-Han Le
“Dani California”
Stadium Arcadium
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2006
I think about 90% of the time that I have listened to this song, the windows have been rolled all the way down. It instantly takes me back to dirt roads, sitting in the back of my dad’s 4Runner. A myriad of smells appear in my brain: the cool ocean breeze, the fresh smell of evergreens, or the crisp mountain air.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers got their start in Los Angeles, California, and frequently mention the state in their songs, including this one. Their discography, along with my memories of this song, captures the state as a whole.
Even though I view this particular song as a “summer jam,” the lyrics don’t really say the same. It has an upbeat, fun style, contrasted with lyrics that follow a girl born in the South who journeys across the country, living fast and dangerously. She spends much of her short life living it up in California until her eventual death in a town in the Midwest.
It is ironic how this song brings such fond memories for me, while the lyrics are about the tragic life of a girl who dies young. I can see the dunes on the coast of Oregon, Donner Pass in the summer, and Half Dome with every stroke of the guitar. All this is rushing through my brain while the lyrics are mourning the death of this mythical chick.
The song doesn’t just bring anecdotes from a distant past, but also from recent times. After I got my license and began going on my own road trips, I continued the sort of tradition of listening to the song. Now, I make new memories while blasting it in my car’s old speakers, whether it’s just driving to Stinson, going up the Trinity Alps on a backpacking trip, or snowboarding at Squaw in the Spring.
To me, this song is a California road trip in the summer, and no one can change my mind.
-Jameson Fondnazio
Enema of the State
Blink-182
1999
When people think of Blink-182, they usually think of immature lyrics, teenage humor, and the whiny voice of lead singer Tom DeLonge. But, under the facade of this, lie many underlying issues with the members. These issues often come to light in their songwriting, and one of the first cases of this is seen in “Adam’s Song.”
This song was written by bassist Mark Hoppus while stuck on long tours for the band’s previous albums. It describes a person who is depressed and reminiscing on the past, with lyrics such as, “Days when I still felt alive,” and “I never thought I’d die alone.” Thanks to the slow undertone, it takes a very different path than the other songs on the album.
However, the reason it’s such an interesting song to me is the interlude and final chorus. The first two verses and choruses are in the past tense, but the last one is in the future. It reminds the listener that the future will be better, going from “16 just held such better days” to “tomorrow holds such better days.”
During the COVID pandemic, while I was locked at home, I also reminisced about better times in the past, and how things were not going great recently. That’s when I stumbled upon this song, thanks to my dad playing another hit from this album, “All the Small Things.” The song helped me to push through the difficult times, and believe that things would get better.
It is also the song that convinced me to buy a bass. The interlude between the second and third chorus was a completely new sound to me (though not uncommon or special) and it gave me a reason to purchase and learn the bass, which I have continued to play to this day. Ind now know many more Blink songs.
Whenever I hit a roadblock, such as college apps, work being annoying, or any other struggles, this song reminds me that not everything is doom and gloom, and that, as Mark sings, tomorrow does, in fact, hold such better days.
-Max Gatewood
“III. Telegraph Ave. (“Oakland” by Lloyd)“
Because the Internet
Childish Gambino
2013
As someone who listens to music on a daily basis, there truly are a variety of songs I could have chosen to write about. One reason that led me to “Telegraph Ave” was how unforgettable the song is to me. I can’t quite pinpoint the first time I heard it, but since then the song seemed to stand out to me because of how smoothly it blends emotions and storytelling. It wasn’t just something you listened to, it felt as if you were experiencing it.
The part that always stands out to me is the beginning of the song where it opens with Lloyd’s vocals before shifting into Childish Gambino. The beginning feels almost distant, like something that plays in the background of a memory, highlighting the nostalgic, R&B influenced feeling. The song starts off with Lloyd singing “Oakland”, the fictional song within Gambino’s world. In this world, he is heading from Los Angeles up to Oakland, to rekindle a relationship with a girl who takes on a very different lifestyle, hence why one of the lyrics in Lloyd’s song says, “But everything you do is so Oakland”. Childish Gambino then comes in by singing the first hook of the song, making it more personal to his character, almost as if we’d stepped right into his thoughts through his drive.
To me, that shift is part of why the song feels so real and is one of the main reasons it first caught my attention. It reminds me of late nights where I end up overthinking situations, going over conversations in my head and trying to figure out what someone meant. Such as a couple of months ago, I had a conversation with a friend– who I ended up having a falling out with– about college. They had mentioned a university from their state, telling me that we should apply and see how things worked out, if I were to be accepted. I thought, why not give it a try? Later with the falling out, it made me realize that there are moments where everything feels perfect, and then suddenly it doesn’t feel as certain anymore. A line that captures that exact feeling was, “The only one I know is you, so the f*** I’m supposed to do in Oakland?” The song itself also captures that exact feeling without trying to explain it too directly, making it more relatable to oneself.
I don’t think it’s the type of song that demands so much attention. “Telegraph Ave” stays with me in more of a quieter way, even ending up as my number top song on Spotify for the past three years now. It’s always been the one song I find myself going back to, and somehow not managing to make it seem overplayed or boring as most songs in my playlist end up. I like to think it’s because the feeling that it captures doesn’t ever really go away. It just stays the same, waiting for me to give it a listen again.
-Nayeli Barahona
¨Doo Wop (That Thing)¨
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
1998
“Ex-Factor” by Lauryn Hill was playing one random day when I was around six years old watching my older sister do her make-up. Growing up, I’d always hear it over and over again, everywhere, but I never really listened to what it said. Once I hit a certain age I heard it again, and I listened to it. Like, I really listened to it. I genuinely felt the lyrics. Then I decided to listen to more of her music.
I found “Doo Wop” and I immediately loved it. The slow beginning as she tries to get the listener to really listen and then the beat drops as she says “yea yea,” to me? A chef’s kiss. The combination of her harmonies with a cool hip-hop beat that makes you just want to just bop your heart to the beat. Though, the beat wasn’t really what spoke to me. The lyrics did.
When Lauryn says, “Don’t be a hard rock when you really are a gem, Baby girl, respect is just a minimum, N- f- up and you’re still defending ’em,” I’m always reminded that she’s right and I need to stand up. Like, what am I doing? I know better. But then she also says she’s been through the same predicament so I don’t feel judged. It’s like getting constructive criticism but being reminded that I’m not the only one that’s made stupid decision over a boy.
As a teenage girl barely starting to get out more and…talking to boys more, some of the lyrics really have made me think of some personal situations I’ve been through. As of right now, the concept of “love” seems like such a joke to me. People are in online relationships, getting in relationships because of materialistic things they like, and, well, only acting like they like each other for “that thing.¨ I feel like with my generation that kind of relationship is really the most, if not the only, kind of relationship I’ll see. It’s rare to see a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. The old-school kind of relationship most women yearn for is nowhere to be found recently.
She doesn’t only remind women of self-respect but also explains a man’s side while in that specific situation. Women can understand that men also go through stupid things because of their egos, self-involved choices, and their toxic masculinity. Honestly, it makes me feel better because sometimes I want to get “revenge.” But what for? They get consequences made by their own choices. But it also informs them why women hate men. And since 1998, not much has changed.
-Melody Garay Sanchez
“Mary Jane’s Last Dance”
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
1976
Where were you in May 2025? I was most likely drowning in school work and stressing over college plans while day-dreaming of summer. In the midst of this chaos, a steady stream of music blares through my Sonos speaker like a tsunami alarm. In this mix is Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York, Sublime, and much more. I remember the song instantly catching a groove, the guitar intro and the constant end rhymes; it sounded like a summer anthem.
This song slowly became my go-to tune as it truly reminded me of the sun’s warmth. The Marin Country Fair had a Tom Petty tribute band and my mom and I ran over, dancing our hearts away. I was the youngest in the crowd, but I proudly sang every word, not knowing the full meaning. One lyric that always hits is, “I feel summer creepin’ in and I’m tired of this town again.” It perfectly encapsulates the feeling of the first sunny day and anticipating summer adventures. I sing it as a motivation to explore and adventure far beyond the borders of San Rafael.
The summer after graduating high school is also full of sad goodbyes, but also memorable moments. As a senior myself, I’m dreading the moment I have to say goodbye and travel to college across the country. But I seem to forget all the opportunities I have to make a lasting summer. I want to always be on the move as in, “you never slowed down, you never grow old.” To me this means the spirit of youth, we have energy and confidence, and that is something that everyone should remember.
Throughout the song there are beautiful rhymes at the end of each phase which creates a steady and catchy groove. One example is: “there’s pigeons down on Market Square, she’s standin’ in her underwear.” Personally, these make it easier to feel the downbeats of the song and predict where the song is moving. The guitar is the main feature of the song, but the harmonica makes it unique. The harmonica is inserted at the beginning and end of the chorus, separating the lyrics, but also adding an instrumental solo.
Although this song isn’t on everyday, whenever I hear it, it transports me to 2025 adventures. Songs are never just songs, they are capsules of memories, good and bad. “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” embraces the summer feeling and the urge to explore.
-Mischa Wells
In Utero
Nirvana
1993
As a lyric-oriented listener of music, I find “Dumb” by Nirvana particularly well-written and meaningful. Perhaps, it’s the irony in the repetitive verse: “I think I’m dumb or maybe just happy” or the monotony in Kurt Cobain’s raspy voice despite the optimistic chord chorus, that make me appreciative of it.
I interpret “Dumb” as an embodiment of the phrase: “ignorance is bliss.” While some individuals can walk through life without double guessing that they aren’t viewing the world in a simplistic manner, I can’t. “I’m not like them, but I can pretend,” this lyric that follows the acoustic intro of the guitar, relates to me especially. I don’t understand everything that happens in the world but I can act as if I do. People can feel like an imposter in their own lives, not believing they belong where they are. In their heads, they sometimes doubt themselves. I find myself relating to these truths at times.
I stumbled upon this hidden gem while casually scrolling through Nirvana’s discography on Spotify on a late Tuesday in December. Nirvana is the poster child for the deep rock and roll movement of the 1990s. They altered the trajectory of mainstream rock and roll music from what it previously was; the unserious, party “hair metal.” Cobain, the lead singer of the band, was an artist in the truest sense of the word from his raw storytelling to the aesthetics of Nirvana’s albums. Like “Dumb,” Nirvana’s songs often reflect on feelings of angst, loneliness, and being an outsider. For this reason, their songs remain timeless in today’s modern landscape while other songs seem to falter as trends change.
-Visha Vance
“Sabanas Blancas”
Frenia
La Santa Grifa
2023
La Santa Grifa is a musical group that consists of Yusak la Santa Grifa, Reghos Santa Grifa, and Waza. The origin of the group is Tampico, Mexico and the typical genre of their music is Hip-Hop. The title of the song I chose is “Sabanas Blancas,” which translates to “White Sheets,” setting the stage for a song filled with vivid imagery and deep emotion. The lyrics paint a picture of longing and desire, with the protagonist reminiscing about intimate moments shared with a past lover. Lines like “Son varias las noches que paso pensando si te volveré a ver” (I spend many nights wondering if I will see you again) highlight the depth of this yearning. The mention of “sabanas blancas” (white sheets) evokes intimate memories that linger long after the relationship has ended. The group formed back in 2013, with their first song ever being “Abrazando Al Peligro,” which was released on March 29, 2014. Their initial breakthrough song was “Seguiré Fumando.”
This song has connected to me personally when I was going through a breakup, I honestly balled my eyes out while singing this song. I was going through a breakup of a relationship that lasted over 2 years, it was a very hard time for me and I had nothing else to put my mind onto. Finding this song allowed me to release all the hatred I had built up inside me, and allowed me to distress the lyrics. The intro of the song was soothing to my ears along with the beat of it. Some lyrics like “Me tienes a tus pies, ¿que no ves que tal vez tú eres mi castigo?” (You have me at your feet—can’t you see that perhaps you are my punishment?), really took me back to the bad moments I had in that relationship yet I still stayed with that person.
After a while, whenever I heard the song, I didn’t get reminded of that relationship but of the loneliness I had felt while in the relationship rather than out of it. Now, the lyrics to me are stronger and truly hypnotize my ears and make me feel like I am no longer that person who allowed for such degrading of myself for someone who wasn’t worth it.
“Al final, sabemos que cada quien se irá por su propio camino.”
(In the end, we know that everyone will go their own way.)
-Jasmin Santos
![Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles – 2 x Vinyl (Gatefold, LP, Album), 2010 [r2347545] | Discogs](https://i.discogs.com/Egr4lrAnZaM-w_Ka4qPLY1Pzltjz_PiPRC-DdHMw-1Q/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:597/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTIzNDc1/NDUtMTcwODM5NDA5/Mi0zMzI1LmpwZWc.jpeg)
“Suffocation”
Crystal Castles (II)
Crystal Castles
2009
The song Suffocation by Crystal Castles is about reflecting from the choices we make, for example, wasting your time when you are young and regretting not enjoying time while you have it, therefore, feeling “suffocated” with the guilt. The singer sings: “I’m wasting my days as I’ve wasted my nights and I’ve wasted my youth.” Which connects to me, because of past regret about spending my summers indoors instead of enjoying time with others. I should have been creating memories.
I came across the song around mid-June in the summer of 2022. I was listening to random songs until I came across the band. I listened to a few of their songs and realized how much I enjoyed their songs. I mainly enjoyed listening to the instrumentals. Something about the way the song’s beats and almost distorted music in the instrumental makes my brain feel good, almost a wave of tranquility.
I enjoy this type of synth-pop music. I usually listen to this song when I’m doing classwork or homework. I don’t really pay attention to the lyrics because most of the time you can’t really understand what the singer is saying due to the mix distorting the vocals. You have to search up the lyrics. Once I did, I was able to connect to more than just the sound. I also listen to other artists that make similar types of music, such as Pastel Ghost. Both Crystal Castles and Pastel Ghost have good instrumentals in their songs and sometimes soft vocals.
The repetition in instrumentals and lyrics allows the song to blend into the background, making it a perfect song to use while doing classwork. Other songs made by Crystal Castles that are a good example of that are “Vietnam” and “Intimate”. But songs with slower beats such as “Ssuffocation” makes it a better option.
-Yanelli Salinas Salinas
Dummy
Portishead
1994
The first time I heard “Roads” by Portishead, it didn’t really feel like a typical song. It felt more like a mood or a late-night thought you can’t shake or stop thinking about. It’s really slow and simple, like stepping into someone else’s quiet and heavy thoughts. But that’s what makes it stand out, to me personally because it doesn’t try to impress you and the emptiness in the song makes it more powerful.
What makes “Roads” so special is how stripped-down it is. The tempo is slow, almost dragging and the instrumentation is minimal. Soft synths, subtle beats and a kind of echoing emptiness around everything. One of the best parts of the song is Beth Gibbon’s voice. It sounds emotional and fragile but controlled, like she’s holding something back. That tension pulls you in. It makes the song feel super personal, even though the lyrics are pretty simple. Lines about “roads” and searching for something to feel relatable, like trying to figure out where you’re going in life but feeling stuck or alone, especially as a senior in high school.
Musically, the song fits into the trip-hop style that Portishead helped define in the 90s, moody, atmospheric, blending hip-hop beats with haunting melodies. The repetition in the chord progression creates this hypnotic feeling, almost like you’re looping through the same thoughts over and over. But that feeling is intentional, it mirrors the theme of being stuck mentally or emotionally and it’s also not meant to hype you up. It’s more for when you’re alone and thinking.
What makes “Roads” special to me is how real it feels. It doesn’t try to give you answers or make everything okay. It just sits with you in that uncertain feeling. That’s something a lot of music doesn’t do, and it’s why this song sticks with me, and will forever stay stuck in my head.
-Franshely Gonzalez
“Can I Kick It?”
Can I Kick It? (Single)
A Tribe Called Quest
1990
The sound of the first beat (which ironically was taken from Lou Reed’s famous song “Walk on the Wild Side,” another one of my favorites), and I’m in the way back of the car, my Starbucks matcha and cheese danish in the cupholder next to me, as my dad drives.
For me, this song isn’t about the lyrics, it’s strictly about the vibes, the beat, the aura it brings to my ears. An upbeat mingle of tunes, the call-and-response chorus of “Can I kick it?/Yes you can,” and that trade-mark intro. It has absolutely nothing to do with cheerleading, but it has absolutely everything to do with what has been my journey through this sport in the past four years of high school.
There’s a sweet tenderness to the memories I have attached to these four minutes and twelve seconds. I’d listen to it at least twice during the car ride and at least once when we’d actually reach the competition destination. The “kick it” phrase emphasizes a relaxed, inviting tone and the idea of the song is to essentially spread positive vibes. Though I didn’t really understand this was the true meaning until now, these aspects are exactly how the song made me feel.
When negativity and nervousness filled my mind on comp day, this song was my cure to calmness.
I don’t remember how when, why, or how it got added to my pre-comp playlist,
but I can remember the last time I listened to it, well not the last time I listened to it, but, yes, the last time I really listened to it. The last time was at Nationals, getting ready to perform for the last time. Closing the hotel room door behind, walking down the hallway to the elevator, I carried the weight that this would be the last time this song would serve the purpose it’s provided for the last four years.
-Viv Reyes
Flora Maniia
Temachii
2023
I was scrolling through TikTok looking for a new song to play when I came across a video of Temachii asking people to listen to her song. After that, I started playing the song every time I would travel, whether to Mexico, Oregon, Washington, or back to California. The chorus lyrics, also the song title, “may you never forget me,” resonated with me. As someone who is often forgetting faces and is slowly being forgotten by people who haven’t seen me in a long time, I often think of how different my life would’ve been if I had stayed in Mexico. The haunting yet sweet melody perfectly captures how I feel each time I leave to go to another place.
TikTok ended up playing the main role for the traction of “May You Never Forget Me,” a song from the album Flora Maniia (2023). The track is influenced by artists like The Marias and Cocteau Twins, hoping to create a sense of nostalgia and a moody atmosphere.The beat is characterized as dream-pop which is designed to create an ethereal and emotionally nostalgic atmosphere. The dreamy sounds induce almost a “floating” sensation for listeners due to its soft yet deep tone, allowing for the moment to be intimate. The lyric “when I saw you, I knew you were mine” shows an instant connection between the singer and their person, while a line like “if you leave I’ll kill you” shows love being turned into obsession and something more dangerous. Lastly, the most repeated phrase “may you never forget me” shows a fear of abandonment and a reminder that we are all humans who crave connection. A mix between the soft vocals and long pauses allows me to fully emerge in the memories I made along the way and reminds me that while moving means losing some people, it also means meeting new people and living new experiences, by the end it all feels like a new chance at life.
-Briza Amador
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
1975
Throughout senior year, “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac has been a repeat on my playlist, whenever I feel uncertain about the future or nostalgic for the past. Stevie Nicks, one of the three primary vocalists of the group, delivers a raw, vulnerable vocal style, enhancing the song’s reflective, emotional nature. The vulnerability mirrors my own, as I transition from childhood to adulthood, facing the “landslide” of change.
During a trip to Aspen, Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains, Nicks wrote the song in only five minutes while contemplating the future of her career and personal life. That sense of uncertainty is present in the song, carried by its soft, acoustic guitar-driven instrumental. I discovered this song through playlists and often listen to it late at night, usually after the stress of college applications and the longing for memories. As I listen, time feels like it slows down, and everything becomes still, allowing me to sit with the song’s melancholic and contemplative tone.
As Nicks grows older, she reflects on the changes in her life, asking, “Can I handle the seasons of my life?” She stays truthful and sincere as she questions whether she can face the hardships that change may bring. But Nicks eventually accepts the concept of change, recognizing that it’s a necessary part of life. I think that’s why the song stands out to me, because it doesn’t try to resolve anything, but simply allows it to be.
As I leave the familiarity of high school behind, I realize that I don’t need to have it all figured out. I worry about making the “right” choices for college or my future, but listening to the song reminds me that growth doesn’t have to be perfect. It reminds me of how far I’ve come and gives me hope that I can face the future, even if it’s uncertain. Even though this moment feels fleeting, I’m beginning to understand that uncertainty is an inevitable part of growing up.
-Ashlyn Ochoa
“Bonafide Love”
Buju Banton & Wayne Wonder
1999
Growing up surrounded by Spanish music and old-school hip-hop, I thought I knew what music was–until I heard reggae at age seven. It transformed our small apartment into a different world, lifting my spirit. While I grew to love icons like Bob Marley, it was Buju Banton’s “Bonafide Love” that changed everything. Gargamel’s masterful blend of love and loyalty–perfectly matched with Wayne Wonder’s soulful hook–forced my body to move and my heart to listen.
Buju Banton is famously known as “Gargamel,” a nickname given by friends in childhood due to his mischievous nature, referencing the villain who chases the Smurfs. Despite initially disliking the moniker, Banton embraced it as a core part of his persona, and a representation of his role in the music industry.
This song speaks of enduring, unconditional love, where a man treasures his partner’s genuine nature above material possessions. By recalling times when he had “only one arrow shirt,” he highlights that the song is about growing together from poverty, rather than finding love only after achieving success.
“You may not be a movie star…But I love you in every way,” he sings. These lyrics still resonate with me as the purest form of devotion. I’m totally drawn to this masterpiece because it highlights the beauty of loving someone for who they are rather than what they own, reminding me that true personality is “greater than ruby, greater than pearl.”
This duet with Wayne Wonder contrasts Buju’s rough, commanding deejay style and Wayne Wonder’s smooth, soulful vocals, creating a perfect blend of hardcore dancehall energy with a sweet lovers rock feel.
Whether you’re in a relationship or not, this song brings hope in a cruel world, reminding you that loyal people are still out there, hidden away like precious gems. It just takes time and patience for the right soul to appear and change your life for the better.
-Natalie Jazmin Molina
“Social Cues”
Social Cues
Cage The Elephant
2019
I was 10 years old, sitting in the back of the truck my dad had left behind. My mom was driving, with my sister next to her since she was the oldest out of the two of us. I was dirty from playing in the sand at China Camp, which used to be my family’s go-to spot back when it was fun to visit. We would always have the radio tuned to 100.7 or 98.7 while I stared out my little window onto the ocean. An infectious, retro-sounding guitar and the snare of the drum pulled me away from that trance. The catchy melody intertwined with the emotional vocals solidified “Social Cues” into my childhood alongside other artists like Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” Bruno Mars’s “Locked out of Heaven,” and Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.”
The song “Social Cues” by Cage The Elephant came out in 2019 on the album Social Cues (not to get confused with the song). The album came out as a way for Matt Shultz to cope with the end of his marriage and the challenges that come with the end of a relationship. “I don’t know if it is right to live this, yeah, I’ll be in the back room. Tell me when it’s over, don’t know if I can play this part much longer.” The lyrics dive into Matt’s need to run and hide from the pressure of keeping up his up-and-coming rock star status, but he struggles to keep it up due to his own depleting mental health. The upbeat melody does a good job at distracting the listener from the meaning of the song, leading fans to brush off his pain and telling him, “Man, at least you’re on the radio.”
Buying fireworks in Chinatown and running to the beach to shoot into the sky or at each other around a bonfire that took way too long to build, only to roast hotdog-covered marshmallows. Maybe it’s my mind reverting to when I was a kid, but during my re-listen of the song, I couldn’t help but find a correlation between the weekends filled with stupid side quests and the melody of “Social Cues.” It all brings me back to that feeling of not having a care in the world, back when the only thing on my mind was how far the ocean stretched.
-Brian Castillo-Rubio
“I Remember Everything”
I Remember Everything
Zach Bryan
2023
Zach Bryan became most popular during my freshman year, 2022-ish, when he released his now wildly famous album American Heartbreak. Holding 34 tracks, each part of the album became a theme song for a different moment in my life as I entered high school and drifted away from everything that came before.
Following this album, his songs became a constant cycling of sounds playing in the background of my life. One track, “I Remember Everything”, came out soon after the American Heartbreak, and stuck with me most. Like many country songs, the lyrics are sung calmly, but while still telling stories about the loss of love, and the drinking to forget it. These are two things I have not related to, but that didn’t matter and it didn’t change the importance to me.
I find it most interesting that a song about such sadness can make me feel so at ease. I think that I can attribute this effect to the era of my life in which this song was most present, not to the song itself. The comfort in this song isn’t about the unrelatable-to-me lyrics or the melody as much as it is about what it reminds me of- a time where I floated in between adolescence and adulthood. This song’s importance to me is about the importance of the time that I associate it with. A time when this song was played during late nights, exciting firsts, and new adventures.
I love this song because I can be transported 4 years back. I can play this song and, for 3 minutes and 47 seconds, I can be a freshman in high school sneaking out to meet friends at the park. I can remember again and again everything that I knew when this song was circling my life as a single-song soundtrack, down to the smell of the cafe I went to once, to my mom’s wedding, to an arm around me on the couch. Three minutes and 47 seconds gives me time back and lets me remember everything, and I love most that I have so many things to remember.
-Giselle Grul
“All They Wanted”
Ferric Oxide
Panchiko
2020
The song “All They Wanted” by the forgotten band called Panchiko, introduced to me by a close friend, is by far my favorite song I’ve listened to. As someone with a very musical name, I’ve always been expected to be good at making music or to know everything there is to know, but this is far from the truth. Though I don’t have much musical talent, I’d say I do have a good ear when it comes to enjoying and really listening to music. When it comes to this song, my brain gets taken over, plagued almost by the hypnotic melody. The audio sounds almost like the talk box effect around halfway through the song, which bellows in and out. My friend introduced this artist to me, as they had an interesting backstory to their first album.
Panchiko is an English indie band whose 2000 EP, D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L, was recorded in high school and failed to gain any attention, and disappeared. In 2016, a thrifted, heavily distorted “rotted” CD of the EP was found, causing an uproar along with an internet hunt for the creators, leading to their discovery in 2020 when they got a DM asking about the CD. The genre that many people refer to when it comes to Panchikos’ music is called “Shoegaze” because when playing the songs, you have to always look at your shoes on the guitar pedals to create those twisted sounds.
The song D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L was a masterpiece in itself. Once I found out the artists were still making music, I found my favorite song of theirs, “All They Wanted”. The song’s lyrics say the obvious, “It’s all she’s ever wanted, to feel like she wanted. And it’s all she’s ever needed, to feel like she’s needed.”The rhythm of the song distracts the listener from the realistically haunting lyrics. I think it’s a very relatable song for many when it comes to loneliness, so it feels almost comforting and beautiful to hear an upbeat, trippy distortion of sorrow.
-Lyric Henry
311
Chaos
2001
The first time that I heard “Amber” was on my way out to the beach in San Diego with my older cousin. I was 16 and had just started listening to more reggae type music. It never was my type of music. It was my cousin though that got me into it. The smooth meditative rhythms and the easy going vibe of the music makes reggae so different.
It wasn’t the lyrics that got me hooked to begin with, but they soon did start to resonate with me. It was the guitar intro that got me, the slow picking which turns into the main strum pattern. As a little kid I would play the guitar with my dad, and we’d learn little riffs together or song pieces. When I got back from San Diego, I picked up the guitar and started teaching myself how to play the song.
The whole song is so light and laid back, it all starts to feel like summer. I think that this was part of the reason I chose this song, the fact that the weather right now is just starting to sound like this song, if that makes sense. Every time I’m at the beach or river, Amber just takes over the speakers for me. And each time I pick up the guitar, I usually start with Amber. You could kind of think of the song as a river to be honest, slow and steady – the constant rhythm in the background, with some curves in it – the upbeat tempo that picks the whole song up during the chorus.
The song talks about love, but it took me a while to understand what it was really talking about. It is really about fighting for love and a relationship as well as perseverance. Once I understood the lyrics, the rhythm started to feel like the lyrics, smooth and persistent.
The song really resonates though with me, because of the memories that I have with it. It was that summer day out in San Diego with my cousin, roof down and windows down, volume on max.
-Ryder Ishikawa
“Kaleidoscope”
Maye
2023
Whenever I need a sense of relaxation, I always find myself listening to “Kaleidoscope” by Maye. During high school, I always sought out things that would help me feel more relaxed about the pressure of life. That’s when I discovered Maye in the earlier months of sophomore year. Maye is a Venezuelan-born American whose songs are mostly pop music, but she sometimes does a bit of indie. I loved how all her songs have that kind of beat where you just feel at ease and feel separated from the things going on around you. The mix of her soft vocals and the echoing of the words makes you feel very calm. She first starts with only a guitar, but then transitions to more dreamlike beats that make you feel soothing and uplifting. The type of tune you can listen to for peace and relaxation.
“Soy mi propio sol, cuando no hay calor, Me pintó en color” (I am my own sun, when there is no heat, I paint myself in color) was the first lyrics that really stood out for me. She sings about how she gets tangled up in fear and is unable to find herself, which I could relate to at times. In my sophomore year, I was very scared of what the rest of my high school years were going to be like. But as a senior, I no longer have that fear, but rather face the pressure of not knowing what I want to do after I graduate from high school. But when this song randomly played in my playlist, I started to realize how I shouldn’t be afraid of the things that might happen, but instead explore and bring my own color to myself.
I will continue to value this song and reflect on how I relied on this song to navigate through the hardest parts of my life with a sense of calm I wasn’t able to find anywhere else.
-Amy Mata
“Pursuit of Happiness”
NightMare
Kid Cudi, MGMT, Ratatat
2009
I was born in Truckee California, I grew up in the snow and have always loved it. I used to spend every second out in it, always playing around. It wasn’t till I was around 2 that my parents took me to the mountain where I would learn how to ski. (Later switching to snowboarding which I think it better). From that first lift ever going up I knew that I never wanted to stop. But since moving to Marin I haven’t been able to see the snow as much as I used to which has been hard. When I do go up, I love to snowboard with friends and family and have every sense. I always enjoy listening to music, whether it is driving up to Tahoe or when I am on the mountain. It always seems to clear my head and help me get away from this Marin Bubble life and school.
This song, “Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi, MGMT, and Ratatat, really brings me to such a calm and happy place every time I listen to it. I really like to connect with the lyrics and rhythm of the song as I make crisp turns down the mountain in the powder, as it sprinkles up into my face. It brings me back to the first time I listened to it while going up the chair lift at Squaw Mountain many years ago. It always seems to lift my vibes and get me ready for the good times waiting to come. It always has a way to bring me back to that first time going to the mountains and learning how to ski.
-Colby Jackson
“Rush” (feat. PinkPantheress & Hyunjin of Stray Kids)
Something to Give Each Other
Troy Sivan
2023
While it’s not my favorite song of all time, it is definitely my most-played song of the 2025-2026 school year, with over 12 repeats in a single day. Hooking you with a classy, masculine voice and a swoosh of ad-libs, this song catches your attention easily. This remix isn’t just a normal remix. It brings in fans from all over the world. With singers known for different genres of music, like PinkPatheress, who plays UK garage. And the most famous, Hyujin, a K-pop singer known for being in the boy group Stray Kids.
When I first heard the original song “Rush,” part of the single release Something to Give Each Other, it instantly clicked with me and easily became one of my favorite songs by Troye Sivan. After discovering there will be a remix, featuring other artists I enjoy listening to. I bet you can just imagine the grin on my face, knowing I get to hear a remixed version of this song.
Without a doubt, this song managed to climb the charts, including the Billboard Hot 100, and was even Grammy-nominated twice for best pop dance recording and best music video. Whether it’s listening to this song and working out, or doing homework in the library, this song boosts me with adrenaline and confidence, knowing it will always remain in my playlist.
-Michael Reyes
