The first weeks of school bring new classes, new schedules, and, for many students, a new most-played song. Whether it’s a familiar album on the walk to class or a hype track to shake off first-day nerves, music has helped the Andover community settle back into campus life. The Phillipian asked students to share the songs they’ve had on repeat this fall.
Liv Davis ’29
“I’ve been listening to ADÉLA new album [PRIMA], specifically ‘Ain’t In LA,’ and Olivia Rodrigo’s new album ‘you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.’ I would definitely recommend ‘Ain’t In LA.’ For me it is reaching an over-played level, but for someone that hasn’t listened to it yet, it is really good. [I usually listen to music] when I walk to and from home. Last year, I used to listen to music between classes, but it is a lot of work to put my headphones on, especially with the phone policy.”
Madds Soong ’27
“I listen to [music] when I walk back to my room, where I like to be pensive. Recently, I found this guy, I think his name is Victor Jones. He just says stuff and calls it dancepunk. It’s so great because he will say ‘I’m in the garden and I’m eating all the dirt,’ [from the song i get hurt] and then the beat drops [and] it is really great. In general, I love Smashing Pumpkins [because] it is a great band. Cherub Rock is one of the best songs ever made. I also like The Smiths, [since they make] for a good fall playlist. I also really like the intro of Suffer Little Children by The Smiths. [It has a] great bass line.”
Reika Fukushima ’30
“I listen to [songs by] Conan Gray, like Vodka Cranberry. In [another] Conan Gray song, My World, a lyric goes, “It’s my girl / and it’s my guy / I’ll kiss ’em if I might like,” and I like that philosophy. Everything is not as deep as you think it is, genuinely. It is really easy to get caught up in intensity, especially at such a competitive school, but at the end of the day, we are all gonna die, we are gonna regret things that we’ve done, so just do the things that you want to do. Do things for the sake of doing things, for the love of the game, as they say.”
Breanna Ren ’29
“I usually listen while reading, painting, dancing or warming up, and sometimes while studying…I think one of the reasons I like to listen to songs is because they are poetry and they can have very nice writing. A set of lyrics that stands out to me comes from Conan Gray’s Eleven Eleven: ‘There’s wishbones and clovers and numbers from heaven / Shapes in the stars to invent our connection.’ It’s such a beautifully poetic statement. It touches on the debate between determinism and free will, whether our loved ones are chosen for us by destiny or if we, out of everyone we meet, choose them…It’s something really meaningful to reflect on, especially when thinking about the people around us. Every day at school, we cross paths with so many people, some who are fleeting, some who may eventually become future colleagues. There are also special people who become lifelong best friends.”
