Two weeks of school are in the books, and for the editorial board that means it's time to buckle down and get down to business. Everyone knows that to channel our inner Mulan, Yao, Ling and Chien Po, we need a killer song to get us motivated and keep us going. Here are the songs the Editorial Board listens to when we need to trudge through late-night tiredness, de-stress from class or defeat the Huns.
Check out the full editorial board Spotify playlist at the end of this article.
"Let's get down to business," ASU.
Shelby Slade, editor-in-chief
When I’m feeling like an extra large failure in my late-night, early-morning or midday study sessions I always turn on Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.” It might be cliche and sappy of me, but when the song gets to be about 4 ½ minutes in, the world seems like an OK and slightly hopeful place for the remaining few notes of the song. Don’t believe me? Listen to the song three times in a row and, believe me, you’ll be belting out the lyrics, too.
Matt Layman, assistant sports editor
John Mayer’s live version of “Neon” is one of my favorites, and I can enjoy it in any mood. If school is stressing me out, there are lots of different songs or albums I’ll put on, and "Where the Light Is" is one of my all time favorite albums just in general. The complexity of the guitar on that whole album — but especially on that song — is so impressive.
Aimee Plante, news editor
I tend to commute home on musky, fluorescent-lit buses or my battered Schwinn at 1 a.m. These nights (or early mornings, depending on your optimism) typically follow a nine-hour study session of ink smudging and cold brew. When I finally get a chance to zone out and come down, I listen to a lot of Alex G. His minimalism earned him a slot as my top-played Spotify artist of 2015.
Ryan Santistevan, arts and entertainment editor
Whether I am driving or awake at two in the morning attempting to organize my life, Watsky’s “Moral of the story” will forever give me the encouragement to keep going. The moral is to work and do so until you can’t anymore. The fast beats make my heart flutter and my happiness level rise. I will always feel so accomplished after correctly remembering all the lyrics. I will work until my arms fall off, my abs get hard and my bones are all soft.
Ben Margiott, executive editor
Really any song that mentions a dirt road will do the trick, but more often than not, I find myself going straight to the King of Country. In a late-night study sesh when time is of the essence, I can’t waste a waking second skipping between albums for the perfect track and luckily with George Strait’s 2011 Best Of album, I don’t have to. And if his hit “Ocean Front Property” comes through (it almost always does), I’m reminded to make the best of my situation, even if that situation is transcribing an hour-long interview with an orthopedic surgeon at 3 a.m. when I have to wake up for work in four hours.
Megan Janetsky, assistant news editor
Family of the Year and, more specifically, their song “Make You Mine” came to me at a rough time in my life and it was one of the jams that got me through it. It’s one of those songs that you can belt out in the shower or dance to Breakfast Club-Molly Ringwald-style, but also listen to when you need to mellow down. You’ve probably heard of their hit song “Hero,” that was my first intro to the band; but once you start listening their music you can’t stop. Their whole self-titled album has indie-rock undertones, but excellent "shower belt-ability."
Logan Newman, sports editor
Little-known fact about me: I have slight road rage. I’m not an aggressive driver, it’s just that I don’t understand traffic and I get caught at almost every red light and everybody sucks at driving except for me (not actually, but you know this feeling).
After a long day of class in Phoenix, stuck in traffic at 5:30 pm when I’m hungry and just want to sit on my couch doing nothing for like five minutes, “Be Calm” is a ballad that just helps clear my mind a little. It starts soft, picks up, and by the end, I’m screaming my pent-up aggression out in a healthy manner.
Jojo Huckeba, photo editor
I tend to cycle through a number of what I call my “peace songs.” It’s not a set genre, these songs have varied from Jack Johnson’s “Banana Pancakes” to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”, but currently, my go-to is “Cherry Wine” by Hozier. Something about the instrumental intro instantly puts my mind at ease, lets me breathe a little deeper and then he starts to sing and it just gets better from there. I’m usually more of a lyric-oriented person, but the fact that these lyrics come across as sweet nothings puts me at ease.
Claire Cleveland, managing editor
I’m not really a “music person,” if you get what I mean. I enjoy listening to it and of course I have my favorites, but I don’t have go-to music that I use whenever I’m up or down or whatever. That being said, I decided to choose a Blink-182 song because it I stumbled upon it in my Spotify playlist and I got it stuck in my head — I’ve been singing it for three days straight.
Sydney Maki, copy chief
There are certain things I love in life: chai tea, cats, good novels and Ed Sheeran. From “Little Bird” to “Wake Me Up,” Sheeran’s debut album is the musical equivalent to a soft sweater and a warm hug, which is just what I need to power through those late nights. Next time you feel like coffee can’t do the trick, let Ed envelop you in pretty metaphors and acoustic guitar-filled wonderfulness — it’ll help, I swear.
Becca Petersen, assistant photo editor
If I’m being completely honest I go through “favorite songs” like water. I have this illness where I find a current favorite and play it over and over again until I’m sick of it. "The Sound" is a recent release of 1975 and one of my favorites that I haven’t quite exhausted yet because its upbeat sound makes long nights of studying a little easier.
Danica Barnett, social media editor
When I first heard Alexz Johnson in the movie "So Weird," I knew that I was going to be obsessed with her. I’ve had the chance to watch her music style change from her days in "Instant Star" to the bluesy sound that she has now. When her "Heart EP" was released in 2014, everything about it made me swoon over her vocals. She performed the EP at Crescent Ballroom during my first semester at ASU and I’ve been obsessed with this song ever since. Whether my day is fantastic or life is getting to me, “Nothin’ On Me” always makes me feel like I’m ready to take on the world.
Andrew Nicla, online editor
Sometimes when I stay up into the early morning hours studying or writing and the coffee pot is empty, there is one song I always play. Each time I feel as though I cannot possibly stay awake any longer, this tune never fails to give me my second-wind. The melody commands my body to work and to tread on against the beating current. Every listen is a new experience. Its narrator welcomes me, assuring me to never give me up, let me down, run around and desert me. "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley is my go-to song. Always.
Isabella Castillo, assistant arts and entertainment editor
On the darkest days, most find comfort in revisiting the soundtrack of their teen-angst years. In general, my emotional spectrum only ranges from mildly bummed to moderately upbeat, so it’s fitting that my sad, angsty song is about as mellow as I am. The National may be the dad-rock of the alt-music genre, but “Start a War” never fails to make everything seem OK in the gloomy and stressful moments of life.
Ben King, opinion editor
I listen to music the way I imagine most people listen to music that’s in a language other than their own: I appreciate the sound, but don’t pay lyrics much attention. On top of that, I listen exclusively to playlists that are already curated, so I rarely know the names of current artists or bands. But when handed the aux cord, I’m going to throw on “Two Weeks” by Grizzly Bear. “Two Weeks” is one of those songs that sticks with you. It has the most haunting intro I’ve heard. It’s like the friendly kid you see around campus, either you know “Two Weeks” on a first name basis or you recognize it the minute it says “Hello” — though you still don’t know their name.
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