Welcome back to school! Bonne rentrée ! Whether you’re a student, teacher, parent, or school employee it’s the time of the year when we say goodbye to the pool days and hello to the well, you know! Here’s a Back to School playlist for those early mornings, late-night study hours, and some well-deserved carpool karaoke Starbucks runs. Let’s take a look at some of the ‘so-long-sweet-summer’ tracks featured on this playlist!
“Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” by Taylor Swift
Taylor released her 7th album as a rather strategic finale to summer days sending you back to school with some singalong anthems. “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” sounds like a trip down memory lane to walking the halls on the first day of school. As Taylor chants out, “GO!” “FIGHT!” “WIN!” throughout the song, you get the impression that you are sitting sideline at a fall football game.
“People” by The 1975
With an opening line like “Wake up, wake up, wake up, it’s Monday morning, and we’ve only got a thousand of them left,” this track is practically a personal alarm clock. Now, I must say, while this track is not entirely off-brand for The 1975, it is not an easy-listening tune for the masses. The band took several risks with “People.” They ultimately go back to their roots by adding more of an early 2000s punk influence. If you listen intently to the lyrics, you will find that it is a wake-up call on many levels.
“Do You Remember?” by Chance the Rapper and Death Cab for Cutie
This song screams nostalgia. I think that anyone can relate to the idea of being younger and feeling as though summer would never end. The Death Cab for Cutie feature caught me by surprise on this track. The collaboration of these artists paints the perfect ‘summer-coming-to-an-end’ picture. If you are a Death Cab fan, it adds to their summer song repertoire (Summer Skin, Summer Years). It’s bittersweet, yet optimistic. Check out the rest of this album from Chance. I guarantee that there is a collaboration for everyone.
“Nostalgic” by A R I Z O N A
Okay, we may have a theme here. While this early June release features those familiar ‘woah-oh-oh’ choruses from A R I Z O N A, it strips back their usual dance anthemic sound. The reflective lyrics and repetitive beats evoke clear images of driving down a backroad with the windows down.
“She Plays Bass” by Beabadoobee
The Dirty Hit artist and alternative/indie songwriter, “bee-ah-ba-ba-doo-bee” has done it again. Soothing vocals over poignant yet straightforward lyrics will calm your mind after a long day. Hold off for the unexpected outro, and you will hear an entirely different side of the song.
Enjoy this Back to School Playlist! Good luck, kids, parents, teachers & school employees!