As the end of this academic year approaches, with graduation right around the corner for us seniors, we are inevitably going to be filled with emotions. Excitement, sadness, fear and maybe even a sense of accomplishment will dictate our last few days at UB.
And with the end comes music. We have all heard the clich?(c)d graduation songs every May. But it isn't until we are in a position for those songs to hold any sort of significance or meaning that we can actually appreciate them.
I have compiled a list of the aforementioned clich?(c)d songs mixed with a couple others that could make the final weeks easier (or sadder).
Third Eye Blind - "Graduate"
We've all been there - reaching our boiling point, wanting it all to be over, screaming to the academic gods, "Can I just graduate already?" In this song, Third Eye Blind captures the frustration of being so close to our educational end, but still having to put in the hard work to get there. Screaming, "Can I graduate?" over and over to this track might be the release you were seeking.
Matchbox Twenty - "How Far We've Come"
Reminiscing is a large part of the weeks leading up to graduation. We may feel like our lives as we know them are ending as we enter the professional world, but it is important to see "How Far We've Come." Matchbox Twenty might not have been talking about graduation per se, but it still applies.
Green Day - "Good Riddance"
"Good Riddance" during graduation is the clich?(c) of all clich?(c)s. And to be honest, every time I heard this song in a commencement setting, I'd almost start to get nauseous. But now that I'm there, if someone makes a slideshow featuring me and my friends set to this Green Day classic, tears will be shed. Lots of tears.
Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten
"Drench yourself in words unspoken / Live your life with arms wide open / Today is where your book begins / The rest is still unwritten." Enough said.
Vitamin C - "Graduation Song (Friends Forever)"
I've always hated this song, but any graduation playlist isn't complete without this 2000 classic. And considering graduation is closing in, it has grown on me. A little.
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Semisonic - "Closing Time"
Most college careers could be summed up in two words: relationships and alcohol. "Closing Time" handles a little bit of both. Though the lyrics may literally mean the bar is closing and it's time to leave, if we dig deeper it suggests the end of something and the start of something else. "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." Excuse me while I cry.
Foo Fighters - "Times Like These"
Cherishing the moments becomes increasingly significant as the semester rolls by. The time we have in college with our friends is important to hold onto. "It's times like these you learn to live again / It's times like these you give and give again / It's times like these you learn to love again / It's times like these time and time again." But now that those times are coming to an end, it's even more important to hold onto them.
My Chemical Romance - "Sing"
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The futureis an interesting thing. I am excited for it, but I am also scared s***less thinking about it. My Chemical Romance's "Sing" addresses the future and how to make your mark on the world. "Boy, you've got to see what tomorrow brings / Sing it out / Girl, you've got to be what tomorrow needs." Take notes.
Rembrandts - "I'll Be There For You"
The theme song from Friends sums up the close friendships you make during your college career. I mean, you might not have the cookie-cutter post-college life like Chandler and Phoebe, but promising to stay close to your friends after college is something we all are going to go through.
Eve 6 - "Here's to the Night"
That realization that the last four years (or more) are over now may be slow, or it might hit you like a brick wall. But that moment inevitably comes, and you can either sulk in the memories or cherish them as you reminisce. "Here's to the nights we felt alive / Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry / Here's to goodbye / Tomorrow's gonna come too soon."
Rascal Flatts - "My Wish"
The lyrics say it all: "My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to / Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small / You never need to carry more than you can hold / And while you're out there getting where you're getting to / I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too / Yeah, this, is my wish."
Simple Minds - "Don't You (Forget About Me)"
Everyone and their mother remembers this classic from the hit '80s classic The Breakfast Club. I, for one, am going to hold my fist in the air like I just got a kiss and diamond earring from Molly Ringwald at least once on graduation day. And to my friends, please "Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't you forget about me."
The Script - "Live Like We're Dying"
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While some might be heading into our post-undergraduate academic career, others are heading into a full-time job. So the next few weeks - after finals, of course (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) - are going to be party central. This summer might be the last time to actually do the things you've always wanted to do without a career getting in the way. This Script song reminds us to seize this time and to "Live Like We're Dying." Though The Script wrote and released the song, it didn't get popular in America until Chris Allen covered it in 2009.
Kanye West - "Good Life"
Any playlist - no matter the theme - is incomplete without a Kanye song. Bottom line. Though this song really doesn't have any direct correlation with Commencement Week, it does appear on Kanye's album entitled Graduation. Plus, you'll be living the "Good Life" when you cross that stage and finally graduate.
email: arts@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Album covers courtesy of Island Records, The Avalanches, Warner Bros. Records, 88rising Records, Smithsonian Folkway Recordings and Numero Group
