After experiencing the hot, stormy summers of Maryland, Cleveland’s windy 60 degree nights have felt like a breath of fresh air. My roommate and I have started a tradition of going on nightly walks around campus. These walks started out as a method to explore the new world around us, but now they feel like an integral part of my nightly routine. Hopefully, you can take advantage of the nice weather and try this playlist on a walk of your own.
“Night Drive” – Part Time
I always imagined that moving to college would mean missing my bedroom. Instead, I find myself thinking about those late night rides in my friend’s truck with the music blasting and the windows rolled down. In this song, Part Time captures the intimacy of a late-night car ride: the excitement of having feelings for someone new and hoping for a real romance out of it. In the third verse, the lyrics say, “But can you give me a chance,” and “I say I want romance,” indicating that the singer is interested in having a relationship beyond what the other person is thinking. This night drive is the protagonist’s last chance to express how they feel. The chill, dreamy vibe of this song makes me feel like I’m stepping back in time to the summer when there was nothing to stress about.
“Say It” – Maggie Rogers
I have a personal connection to Maggie Rogers after having watched her grow as an artist since her debut album was released. This track was written with two of her friends shortly after they graduated from New York University. The song starts with a slow build but intensifies during the chorus, ending in a grand finale. Throughout the song, she talks about holding herself back from falling in love with a crush because she knows her feelings might not be reciprocated. In the chorus, she repeats, “I couldn’t say it to myself,” which shows the sparks she feels after experiencing an intimate moment with this person. However, she remains hesitant to make a move because she is not ready to develop such a deep connection so quickly. The electronic dance production style mixed with the synth beats feels like the perfect fit for a night-time walk.
“Robbers” – The 1975
According to the band’s frontman, Matty Healy, “‘Robbers’ was originally inspired by [his] love of the Quentin Tarantino film True Romance.” The film has a Bonnie and Clyde style narrative in which the characters immediately fall in love and run away from the law together. Similarly, the song follows a couple so intoxicated by each other that they are unaware of the damage they do to one another. They destroy themselves because they make each other feel like the center of the universe. The chorus repeats the idea of trying to make the relationship work despite knowing that it is about to fall apart. The bridge is the most distinct part of the song in which Healy sings, “It’s much harder now the police have come.” Here, the police symbolize enforcers of reality and real life problems, causing the relationship to finally fall apart for the last time. They can both admit to each other that everything’s gone wrong and they should not continue, however, their love is so strong that they will do anything the other person asks. My favorite lyric of the song is “Now everybody’s dead.” At this point, the couple has realized that they have caused so much destruction that things will never be the same. The band’s entire debut album carries the same emotionally apocalyptic, movie-like feel and while I do encourage you to listen to the entire album, my personal highlights include: “The City,” “Chocolate” and “Pressure.”
“Falling” – Julee Cruise
This summer, after the passing of David Lynch, I fell down a rabbit hole of watching “Twin Peaks”—the show he created, produced, and directed—which follows an FBI detective investigating a murder in northern Washington. Lynch uses this same song multiple times throughout one episode to evoke a psychedelic feeling for the viewer. Cruise’s slow, dreamy vocals paired with an electric guitar melody creates an ethereal sound that simultaneously feels tranquil yet ominous. Everytime this song comes on as I walk around Wade Lagoon, I feel transported back to the creepy, mystical town of Twin Peaks.
“Iris” – Goo Goo Dolls
With over 2 billion streams, this track has been heard globally, but few people know that it was written for the film “City of Angels” starring Nicolas Cage. In the film, Cage’s character Seth, who is an angel, becomes human and throws away immortality to be with the girl he loves. John Rzeznik (the band’s frontman and guitarist) said, “What an amazing thing it must be like to love someone so much that you give up everything to be with them.” In the song he sings, “You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be” to signify that he feels closer to divinity when he’s with her than when he was actually living in heaven. The most famous line of the song is “When everything’s made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am,” to say that even though he knows that relationships are impermanent, he is still desperate to be with her. In the end, this song makes the world feel a little slower and your thoughts seem slightly clearer.
Honorable mentions: Halah (Mazzy Star); Dizzy On the Comedown (Turnover); Falling Apart (Slow Pulp); Me & My Dog (boygenius); Marseille (Oracle Sisters); Roy’s Tune (Fontaines D.C.); Only Ones Who Know (Arctic Monkeys); Chances (The Strokes); Forget Her (Jeff Buckley).