As the second semester begins to pass and desire for summer grows, the chilly campus weather is starting to get old. I continuously find myself with headphones in on the way to class, listening to music fit for a rainy day in London in an attempt to romanticize the dreary Ithaca blues. Enjoy this playlist filled with songs that scream, and sometimes whisper, for a trip abroad.
- Blur: “Parklife”
I love this song. Yes, the frontman of this band formed Gorillaz, but this group maintains their own unique sound. A less angry sound, with less autotune.
2. Amy Winehouse: “Tears Dry on Their Own”
I know this is a well-known song, but it really is that good. Amy is an international treasure and her music always speaks to you when you least expect it.
3. The Clash: “London Calling”
I would like to say I listen to this song when I workout… if workout means walking to the laundry room in my Bala Bangles. This song has a quick tempo and a fun message.
4. The Beatles: “With a Little Help from My Friends”
A feel-good, do good anthem. A song to march, skip or, the more socially acceptable alternative, walk to.
5. Florence and the Machine: “South London Forever”
Florence and the Machine isn’t just for renaissance fairs and cult rituals. As a self prescribed member of the Florence Welch club myself, I find this song is a good intro to her music. It falls into a more mainstream vibe, while still radiating her usual eccentricity.
6. David Bowie: “Life on Mars?”
If you ever need a song to give you that kick out of bed in the morning, this is your song. “Life on Mars” is an anthem that appeals to coming-of-age teenagers and 45-year-old Cornell professors smoking a cigarette behind Goldwin Smith alike.
7. The Cure: “Boys Don’t Cry”
As Cornell midterm season has taught me, boys do cry. But this song is still a classic and the Cure have certainly cured my seasonal depression.
8. Elton John: “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”
A great song for walking up Cornell’s very own Yellow Brick Road, the slope. Great song for when you are feeling nostalgic.
9. Kids That Fly: “Sunday in London”
This song was made for Saturday mornings, despite the song’s title. Put some headphones in, cord headphones if you want the full experience, and actually enjoy Cornell… or the not-icy parts at least.
10. KT Tunstall: “Suddenly I see”
I know, I know… ever since The Devil Wears Prada featured this song in the soundtrack, this song has become a New York working girl anthem. However, KT Tunstall was in fact born in Edinburgh. Give it another listen and this time, when Tunstall says “this is where I want to be,” picture something other than the rat-infested NYC subway.
11. Robbie Williams: “Angels”
The response to the release of Better Man, the Robbie Williams biopic, has made me realize that not everyone knows Robbie Williams. Angels is a classic. The best way to listen to this song is while walking in a long coat, hands in pockets, wondering how you will have time to go out this week and still get all your work done.
https://open.spotify.com/playl...
Dani Mendell is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at dlm357@cornell.edu.
‘Solar Flare’ is a weekly playlist column where Sun contributors spotlight a slice of musical taste with the campus community. It runs every Monday.
