Here we are again: back at ASU. Some of us are here for our first time, exploring the campus and beginning a new journey. For some, this time of year may be exciting –getting away from home for the first time or pushing through your last few credits before graduating. For others, it might be a miserable time walking to challenging classes in the Arizona heat.
We are all different here at ASU. We are from different states, different backgrounds, different ages, with different goals in different majors. Luckily, there is something that bonds all ASU students together in one common way: music. Whether you are studying poolside, inside Hayden Library, or not studying at all, a playlist has been made just for you.
Each song has been meticulously chosen to grasp the central feeling of returning to college after a long summer. Being aware that the college experience is different from student to student, a few songs have been shuffled in to try and reflect yours.
The Beatles demand you to “get back to where you once belonged” for those returning to campus, while My Morning Jacket recalls moving away for the first time when they sing of a “new life to create.”
For those of us longing for summer’s return, Best Coast brings us back with “Summer Mood” as does The Strokes’ reggae-inspired “Machu Picchu.” Other songs released this past summer such as Bon Iver’s “Calgary,” the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie,” and Beirut’s “East Harlem” also bring back the summer nostalgia.
If college is a time for carefree fun and socializing with your closest friends, “Get Fly” by Atmosphere and “Flying Overseas” by Theophilus London will bring your body to a groove with their clever hip-hop beats. Some songs have been chosen solely for their melodies that will either calm you down or pump you up.
The days are getting shorter, and the long nights of studying are approaching. Here is the playlist that will help you through your first few weeks here at Arizona State. Let this be your “Freshman 15,” ASU. Here’s to a great fall semester, starting with your perfect back-to-school playlist.
1. Get Back - The Beatles
2. Campus - Vampire Weekend
3. Machu Picchu - The Strokes
4. East Harlem - Beirut
5. We’re Going To Be Friends - The White Stripes
6. Summer Mood - Best Coast
7. As Soon As I Wake Up - Macklemore
8. The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie - Red Hot Chili Peppers
9. Get Fly - Atmosphere
10. Steady, As She Goes - The Raconteurs
11. Movin Away - My Morning Jacket
12. Bedouin Dress - Fleet Foxes
13. Laredo - Band of Horses
14. Calgary - Bon Iver
15. Flying Overseas - Theophilus London
Reach the reporter at jocelyn.gee@asu.edu
