As the temperatures cool and the leaves start to change, fall is my favourite time of year on campus. After a long, quiet summer, it awakens with a palpable energy of curious minds unknowing of all that is yet to come from their time here. For returning students and especially those who are just starting their journey at UW, the transition into the fall semester can be daunting. To help welcome this new phase, here’s a compiled playlist of some of my favourite back to school songs.
“Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind
I was reintroduced to this song last year while walking through the annual club fair held in the SLC. As I took in all the many different clubs offered, this song was blasting and I felt like I was in the opening scenes of a university film. Ever since, every time I hear it I picture myself back there at the heart of UW, packed into a crowd of people eager to find their community.
“Growin’ Up” by Bruce Springsteen
Being a die hard Springsteen fan my whole life, his songs have carried me through every phase of my life and have always been a source of comfort. I could not help but include this nostalgic song that accounts the universal experience of claiming one’s identity and making your place in the world.
“3 Sisters” by Waxahatchee
Another nostalgic feeling song by one of my all-time favourite artists, starting slow and gradually building tension before an explosive chorus, this song feels like being gently woken up in my childhood home. For me, my favourite lyric, “It plays on my mind, how the time passing / Covers you like a friend” reflects on the beauty of growing older and longing to savour as much of life as possible.
“There She Goes” by the La’s
Every time I hear this song I feel like I am the main character in a coming-of-age film. There is something so nostalgic and comforting about it, I feel as though if fall was a song it would be this one. If you want to romanticise your walk through campus, I think this is the perfect background.
“Death of the Phone Call” by Whatever, Dad
This odd little French song about a swordfish losing their telephone is perhaps one of the softest, coziest tunes. It is perfect to add to a study playlist or to listen to when you want to feel like you are getting a warm hug from a loved one.
“I Wanna C U” by Blood Orange
Another one of my study playlist favourites, this song is simply beautiful and is especially lovely background music that helps keep me calm and focused even in the trenches of midterm season.
“Juna” by Clairo
So easeful and groovy, Juna is another song I love to listen to while studying and one of my favourite Clairo songs ever. With its airy vocals and reflective lyrics on a connection so intimate it feels instinctual, it simply invites the listener to be soothed.
“Hope You’re Happy” by Emeryld and EARTHGANG
If you need to mourn your situationship, this might be for you. This song reflects on relationships, personal growth, grief and the complexities of attempting to understand oneself. The struggle of finding happiness amid evolving circumstances and expectations are themes encapsulated in its lyrics, and of many of our experiences starting university.
“You’re Gonna Go Far” by Noah Kahan
I find this song perfectly encapsulates the bittersweet feeling of moving on into a new and unfamiliar part of life with all the fear and excitement that comes with it. It dwells on the hardships of leaving a beloved place or people while also celebrating what lies ahead.
“1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins
Another song that is just not the same when listened to at any other time of year, 1979 is one I have on repeat every fall. Nostalgic for the carefree innocence of childhood, when the future feels far off and wide open.
Access the back to school Spotify playlist here.
