The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/category/arts/solar-flares/)
The countdown is on. Adrenaline courses through your veins as we barrel toward the final stretch, and yes, finals. You probably curated a detailed playlist for your Thanksgiving break commutes, but now a new one is needed as the grind resumes. Something has to stop the days from blurring together as you guzzle Celsius and grapple with the reality of 4:30 p.m. sunsets. Just a few more weeks, and you’ll be free — at least from the grips of seasonal depression (for now).
Halloween is this week so it is time to get in the spooky spirit! With exams and work piling up, I know I’m feeling pretty terrified. Here are a few songs to get you through this petrifying time and help you let loose this Halloweekend:
Michael Jackson: “Thriller”
I have to start with the most iconic Halloween song of all time. Even 41 years later, this song is still an undeniable bop. Trap Remix Guys: “Harry Potter (Trap Remix)”
I solemnly swear that this remix will bring all the spooky vibes.
It’s that time of the year; the leaves are falling, the wind is harsh and students and professors alike are bundling up on their way to class. To the untrained, non-Cornellian eye, these might seem like the telltale signs of autumn, but every Ithaca resident knows that behind these innocent seasonal symptoms hides a much more hideous reality: prelims.
Whether you’re a freshman braving CHEM 2070 or a haggard senior facing exams like a veteran, hours of preparatory studying, stressing and snacking are inevitable. Here are nine songs to get you through this trying month between Fall and Thanksgiving Break.
As you hoof it up the 18.8 percent incline of Libe Slope, this peppy playlist will support you — even as your legs start to give out. Hopefully these elevated beats will get you through your leg workout for the week, AKA the Slope’s steepest stretches (until you have to do it again tomorrow). Chappell Roan: “Good Luck, Babe”
Start your trek with a pep in your step. Roan’s girl-pop anthem reflects the short lived optimism that kicks off every journey up the Slope. I truly hope your burst of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed energy lasts.
This morning I woke up shivering. My window had been propped open the day before in an attempt to aerate my stuffy attic room, and it was now inviting in a chilly breeze along with that ambiguous scent of it having just rained (called petrichor, if you were curious). I kept my eyes shut and pulled the blankets over my head. One more cold blast of air, and 9 am physics was erased from my morning agenda. I made a huge pot of coffee and settled into the couch with my perpetually unfinished murder mystery novel.
With the beginning of fall around the corner, that means it is time for sad girl autumn. Now many of you may not be sad girls, but the vibes are still immaculate. Whether you are lamenting a summer fling turned sour, a bad prelim score, or just need a dramatic walk around Beebe, these are the songs for you. Fair warning, there is a lot of Taylor Swift… but how could there not be? Taylor Swift: “Cardigan”
As you pull out your cardigans for the first time this autumn, listen to the painful nostalgia of fall romance.
“When you are young they assume you know nothing…”
Billie Eilish: “Wildflower”
Even though this is the end of the season for wildflowers, this song is perfect for reminiscing on what could have been.
Grab your picnic blanket and portable speaker. It’s not too cold yet to enjoy the slope at sunset! Nia Archives: “Silence Is Loud”
Jungle takes new shape! Familiar drum breaks energize a heartfelt, noisy landscape of anachronistic tones — acoustic guitar and a screeching synth.
Kevin Abstract: “What Should I Do?”
A breath of fresh autumn air.
Charli XCX: “Tears (feat. Caroline Polachek)”
Brat didn’t come from nowhere; in A.G. we trust.
Clairo: “Terrapin”
The song flipped by every amateur boom bap producer this summer.
As we enter into a new academic year, Jewish students are feeling apprehensive. Last year was undeniably difficult, as college campuses world-wide were flooded with antisemitism. However, these challenging times also taught us that we are not alone. Since the atrocities of October 7th, the “rise of antisemitism and anti-Zionist rhetoric is inspiring Jewish pride and solidarity with Israel,” states Dr. Mijal Bitton, who is directing the first national study of Sephardic Jews at NYU. Dr. Bitton wrote that Jewish students are, ”rediscovering that they belong to a rich history of Jews who experienced othering and expulsions but whose greatest strength was in each other.” For example, Hillel Ontario, the largest Hillel in the world, saw a 40% increase in student engagement last year, highlighting, “the critical need for Jewish connection, safe Jewish spaces and a strong response to anti-Jewish hate and intolerance.”
However, since Jewish students cannot be at Hillel or surrounded by friends every moment, they should have something similar on hand – a collection of songs filled with reminders of the strength of the Jewish people and community.
You didn’t think we’d go back to school without preparing a back to school playlist, did you? Here are nine songs that aim to encapsulate the range of emotions returning to school stirs up in many of us. Briston Maroney: Sunburn Fades
From some of the on-point lyrics (“And summer won’t end if we don’t let it / But I need you here to kill this fear / That when the sunburn fades we’ll all forget this”) to the title to the theme of change, this song perfectly captures the thrust of this playlist. Semisonic: Closing Time
This song was mainly chosen as an embodiment of the close of summer and because of the apropos line “Closing time, every new beginning / Comes from some other beginning’s end.” It’s also a classic wrap-up song for those O-Week frat parties. John Sebastian: Welcome Back
…do I really need to explain this one?
It’s about time. See headliner A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, supporting guest Flo Rida and student band Paragon on the main stage at Libe Slope this Wednesday! Forget the lyrics to all of your favorite Flo Rida songs? We’ve got you covered.
1. Paragon: Harm — Live at Bailey Hall
Relive Paragon’s set from the 2023 Big Red Battle of the Bands!
The college experience is difficult to describe. An odd in-between spanning the gap between childhood and real adulthood, college is a time when you set off on your own and also realize how much you still need those back home. We begin with so many grand ideas and goals, but inevitably have to learn that some of the paths we envisioned are not the ones we actually want or are capable of taking. We have to find new passions, and these experiences can cause many emotions: guilt, excitement, exhaustion and more. The best way to process these feelings and experiences is through music.