Melodies may be important but a song cannot truly come alive without its lyrics. Written like poetry, lyrics tell a story and express the artists’ emotions — anger, infatuation, or euphoria. From indie folk songs to rap, Andover students share songs that include the most memorable and heartfelt lyrics.
Kai Wang ’27 he/him: “HAPPY” by NF
“Although NF is best known for his rap songs, in ‘Happy’ he strays away from his usual style but still maintains the air of emotional vulnerability, which made him so famous in the first place. If you look at the lyrics in many of his songs you can see that they often touch upon topics such as depression, anxiety, and dealing with past traumas, and ‘Happy’ definitely isn’t an exception.”
Kevin Chen ’24 he/him: “ingydar” by Adrianne Lenker
“‘ingydar’ by Adrianne Lenker is a mellow indie folk song about existential longing. It reminds me of the ephemeral nature of everything that I care about, and all that I hate. Past associations and newfound connections with the song bring me to tears each listen. [My favorite lyrics are]
‘fragilely, gradually, and surrounding
the horse lies naked in the shed
evergreen anodyne decompounding
flies draw sugar from his head.’”
Adrian Perez ’27: “Exhibit C” by Jay Electronica
“It has a really beautiful story about this guy who went through being homeless. It’s like a big success story. But, it’s also got some really funny one-liners, like ‘I make the devil hit his knees and say the ‘Our Father.’’ That was a really funny line, which is even funnier, cause it also talks about how he found a sort of connection with God when he was trying to fix his situation, and he says that really helped him get out of his impoverished situation where he was homeless. So, in general, [it tells] just a really beautiful story.”
Henry Zimmerman ’27: “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix
“You just gotta listen to [the lyrics]. They are imaginative, and they match the music really well… It reminds me of the seriousness and spontaneity of childhood, and the lyrics remind me of the power of a song to tear someone up, to tear me up.”
Jay Jung ’27: “High Hopes” by Panic! At the Disco
“The lyrics of ‘High Hopes’ [are] particularly really touching and persuasive to me, because sometimes it’s really easy to lose your hope in your life, like lose that light. But, whenever I listen to the song lyrics, I think of it as this lesson of me trying to try new things again and break my barriers again. It’s a really encouraging song for me.”
