My Summer in Ten Songs

This was easily the best summer of my life. Yes there were a few bumps, but I smiled more than I ever have before, so I’m really damn thankful. I could write a long, detailed post about all of that, but music has been a huge part of my summer, and I feel like these songs can do all the explaining I need.

“Unlonely” by Jason Mraz

Jason Mraz is such an underrated artist. All of his songs have the power to instantly lighten your mood, and this one became a favorite of mine as soon as I heard it. The message behind the song is that you don’t necessarily need to be completely committed to someone to enjoy spending time with them. You can connect with someone in a friend way, a no-strings-attached way, or a deep relationship. After a dramatic and emotional year, I just wanted to spend this summer hanging out with people who are easy to be around, and I accomplished that for the most part. It’s nice to feel “unlonely” with someone, and this sweet song has defined the way I approach friendships lately.

“Eenie Meenie” by Sean Kingston ft Justin Bieber 

Go ahead, judge all you want. I will always stand by saying that this is the BEST Justin song. This song came up on one of my running playlists in the early summer, and when I hear it I think about how excited I was to FINALLY be running again. Getting up early in the mornings to run sucked, but this song is so catchy that it was worth it. Love you forever, JB.

“Hanging by a Moment” by Lifehouse 

I blame the show “Beat Shazam” for this one. As soon as I heard this classic on the show, I added it to my Spotify instantly. It was the song that I jammed to as I walked my friend’s dog the first week of summer. The poor dog was so done with me by the end of the week because it’s all we listened to for two miles each day. Woops. For some reason, I became obsessed with bands like Nickelback and Lifehouse this summer, even though their genre was never my style before. “Gotta be Somebody” was also a huge favorite of mine.

“Jolene” by Ray Lamontagne 

When I was in the Poconos and it rained for three days straight, there wasn’t much to do. I couldn’t really be outside unless I wanted to get drenched, but one day after the rain calmed down for a little bit, I sat by the lake in the gloomy sky and listened to this song. The slowness of this song was cathartic, and even though it made me a little sad, it was a good sad, if that makes sense. I coupled this song with “Sparks” and “We Never Change” by Coldplay to achieve the most satisfying sad song session. The gloominess almost felt good with those songs.

“High Hopes” by Panic! at the disco 

My friend is a huge Brendon Urie fan, so 99% of the reason I first listened to this song was because I wanted to bond with her over it. Anyways, the song is about having high hopes and working towards your dreams, no matter how big they are. This is absolutely the cheesiest story ever, but alas, this song reminds me of getting my first real job. I really wanted a summer job, and I got hired by a place that I really did not want to work at. The place I did want to work at wasn’t calling me back even though they told me the job was essentially mine. I was so close to accepting the first offer, but then I decided to go to the place I did want to work at and basically ask them what the heck was up. They hired me on the spot, and on my first real day working, this song came on.

“The Way I Am” by Charlie Puth

I was supposed to see Charlie Puth this summer, but it didn’t work out, and I’m still quite salty but ANYWAYS. I first heard this song on radio host Tanya Rad’s instagram. Seeing how happy this song made her was so endearing, and it became my positivity anthem. I know I come on too strong sometimes, and I know in high school it’s easy to rely on what other people think of you, but this song reminds me that the people who love me will love me just the way I am. Throughout the summer, I listened to it anytime I needed a pick-me-up.

“No Brainer” by DJ Khaled 

Story time!! When I was in the Poconos, I had basically an all access boating pass. Because of this pass, the boat workers dealt with me way too many times for a week-long stay. One of the workers in particular, who looked like DJ Khaled, made fun of me in a friendly way for the first few days. Then, he began acting a tad flirty. He offered me his sunglasses even when I told him I had mine with me, and he went out into the water to race my friend and me back to the dock. My friend is smoking hot, by the way, so the fact that he was making moves on only me was a huge ego boost. Alas, all summer love must end, and I probably won’t ever see him again, but he’s in my heart forever. “No brainer” came out the same week as my trip, so every time I hear DJ Khaled say “Anotha one” I think of my long lost love.

“Electric Love” by Borns 

I’ve heard this song before this season began, but I really fell in love with it this summer. One of my best friends was playing it in her car, and when she told me the person singing it was male, I was completely surprised in the best of ways. His voice is absolutely unreal, and I love how happy and hopeful the song is. Definitely the kind of song you want to fall in love to. One day after going to a carnival, that same friend, another friend, and I blasted this song on the drive to Dunkin. That day, I finished my first cross country race of the season pretty well, I got to go to the carnival with two of my best friends, and everything in my life felt full of hope. Jamming to this song made me realize just how good of a summer I was really having, so I’ll always smile when it comes on.

“No Tears Left to Cry” by Ariana Grande

Yes, very mainstream. I know. I’m not even a huge Ariana fan, but this song will always have a special place in my heart. My friend is a huge Ariana fan, so every time we drive anywhere and this song plays, we bop. I literally have choreography to most of the lyrics at this point. It’s also the first song that I jammed to in my car when I finally started driving myself. After waiting a year longer than everyone else to drive (first world problems), I really did have no tears left to cry hehehe.

“Something Like Olivia” by John Mayer 

My favorite song of all time is probably “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” by John Mayer, so I wanted to listen to more of his music on my two hour long drive to the Poconos. “Something like Olivia” was my favorite song from the playlist. I don’t really know why it stuck out to me because it’s pretty simple, but it was the kind of simple I needed at the time. I listened to it through the whole Poconos trip, especially on my solo boat rides. 

So…that’s my summer. These songs truly make up a roller-coaster, and I guess that’s what the most memorable summers are like. Here’s to the upcoming school year and to hoping next summer will be even better.