Friday afternoon in mid-September. Classes are done until Monday. No exams or papers due for at least a couple more weeks. The library and the debate club and calculus help sessions can all wait. It’s time to punch out, kick back, and have some fun with friends.
So in the spirit of having fun with friends, I am taking a break from my usual practice of dispensing counsel and sage advice to seekers of college wisdom, to invite any and all interested parties (pun definitely intended) to contribute to the First Annual My College Wisdom All-Time Definitive College Playlist.
Music plays an important role in the way just about everyone thinks about or experiences college – whether they went to college or not. Regardless of one’s preferred social outlets or listening habits, there’s almost always some form of music playing. It might be bass thumping, ear drum straining hip hop blaring across a crowded dance floor. Some acoustic originals providing the backdrop to intense conversation in a corner coffee shop. A goose bump inducing crescendo by a visiting symphony orchestra. Or just a raucous backseat sing-a-long on a late night pizza run with five of your best friends in the world. However, wherever, and with whomever you choose to spend your free time in or around colleges, there was, is, and will be a musical soundtrack providing context and flavor and emotion to your personal story.
So My College Wisdom is calling on you to help create the college playlist to end all college playlists. (For the parents out there who may have come of age in the 1960’s, 70’s, 80’s, or 90’s who are still taping quarters to the arm on your turntable to keep the record from skipping, a playlist is sort of a 21st Century mixed tape. Ask your kids, they’ll be able to explain it to you.) But whether you store your music collection in the cloud or spend your weekends rocking out with Sha Na Na 8-tracks, your participation is absolutely essential.
We want to know what music is central to your college experience.
Are you predisposed to the frat house classics like Shout and Louie, Louie and Tequila?
Maybe your list wouldn’t be complete without Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey or Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud (yes, this is a multi-generational game the whole family can play) because that was the song that was playing when you and Susie had your first kiss on the Willow Path bridge.
No doubt some of you were singing Blowin’ in the Wind or The Times They Are A Changin’ in the back of the paddy wagon when you got arrested for protesting in Berkeley that time.
Fight songs, alma maters, and signature tunes from your campus acapella groups are most welcome.
I know a few guys who may want to include London Calling to honor the time they hitchhiked to Burlington to see the Clash. Harvard baseball players will likely be penciling Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe into their line-up cards. And Glory Days by Springsteen is surely an obvious, if somewhat sentimental choice.
You get the picture. It’s pretty much anything goes.
Here’s how it works:
- Use the comment section of the blog (scroll to the bottom of the page) to submit your list of top college songs of all time. Include the song title and the artist who recorded it.
- The ideal list will be 5 – 10 songs, but there is no limit.
- Each song/piece you include should be accompanied by a brief notation explaining why it is on your list. (Brief means a few words to convey the general gist of your rationale. If it won’t fit in a Tweet it’s too long.)
- The only content criteria is that the selection must be related to college or the college experience (yours, someone else’s, or just generically connected to college).
- You can choose to define that relationship in any way that makes sense to you.
- Submissions will be accepted until October 3, 2016.
- The songs that appear on the most submitted playlists will be selected for the First Annual My College Wisdom All-Time Definitive College Playlist. (Individual songs will only be counted once for each person making a submission. In other words, even if you list your favorite song 10 times and submit it every day between now and October 3, it will only receive one vote. So please don’t do that.)
- Additionally, I will publish the ten songs that have the best accompanying rationales. Whereas the selection of songs to the all-time playlist is an entirely democratic process, this one is totally subjective and will be determined by me and me alone. Creativity, humor, and poignancy will all curry favor with the judge.
- I am submitting a list (see below) because, well, this whole thing is my idea and just for fun. But only your submissions will count for the honored lists. The whole thing will be audited by PWC, KPMG, and MYOB. (Okay, not really. Except the last one. Definitely the last one.)
Have fun with it. Share your list with your friends and encourage them to submit.
It’s the weekend. Kick back and crank up the music.
Jim’s Playlist
- Don’t Cry Blue, Jonathan Edwards. April 29, 1989, Pepin Gym, Middlebury College. First date with my wife of 26 years.
- County Line, Pousette-Dart Band. All those Friday night acoustic jam sessions with Pete Barto.
- Pink Cadillac, Bruce Springsteen. Lammy and OD’s synchronized air guitars on the window seat in the KDR living room.
- We Are the World, USA for Africa. DU Toga Lip Sync contest 1985. It was a sight to see. A sight to see.
- So Lonely, The Police. Freshman fall.
- My Opening Farewell, Jackson Browne. Got me through sophomore slump.
- My Baby Gives it Away, Pete Townshend. Part of the soundtrack to so many late night parties at the house.
- Fight, Fight, Fight (for Dear Old Colgate), Colgate Pep Band. 15 years of Colgate hockey in Starr Rink.
- The Weight, The Band. Just because.
- Wagon Wheel, Old Crow Medicine Show. May 5, 2015, Lorimer Chapel, Colby College. If you were there you understand.
“Paradise by the Dashboard Light.” Seems like it was played at every fraternity party. Just have to hear the first few notes and I am transported to the Phi Delt taproom.
“Roxanne,” The Police, sung a-capella (badly) by Andrew Walpole, Mike Lewis, Peter Glenshaw and me during the not very sober walk from the College Delly (sic) to Yates 1st South, Freshman year at W&M
“What I Like About You,” The Romantics, I can almost smell the stale beer in the dorm basement where we held keg/dance parties freshman year.
“Addicted to Love,” Robert Palmer, the video never gets old (remember this was 1982, MTV was must-see). Best dressed man in rock-and-roll and a helluva party song.
“Burning Down the House,” Talking Heads, Always great for watching uncoordinated kids (like me) try to demonstrate some semblance of rhythm.
“Should I Stay or Should I Go,” The Clash. They played W&M hall in October 1982 and this became something of an anthem, not to mention a great party-starter. It’s still both.
“Rock Lobster” and “Love Shack,” The B-52s. If this wasn’t the epitome of ’80s college music, what was?
“One Step Beyond,” Madness, takes me right back to Friday happy hour (or any party) at the Sigma Chi house with Alex Cochran on vocals.
“Turning Japanese,” The Vapors. Who? But what a great dance tune. Especially after a few cups of Old Milwaukee bought at the Ft. East’s PX for $22 a keg.
“Baba O’Reilly,” The Who. Who can resist playing air-guitar along with Pete on this one?
Great list, David. Definitely captures an essential essence of 1980’s college life.
L.A.Woman by The Doors. A favorite ‘getting ready to go out’ song, played mostly Junior Year, South Court.
Rock Lobster and 52 Girls by the B52s, mostly Freshman Year, Grey Court. My roommate and I lived in room 352 but changed the ‘3’ to a ‘B’ and became known as the B52 girls. Yes, we thought we were clever. And yes, this was defacing school property.
Chanson Pour Les Petits Enfants by Jimmy Buffet. One of my roommates was a huge Buffet fan…I was not. But this was one song I really loved, South Court, Sophomore Year.
It’s My Life by Talk Talk. This was the song played during mountain climbers for Group X (probably called aerobics back then). My calves still burn when I hear this song. Freshman Year, Robins Center.
Driver 8 by R.E.M, concert at Richmond Mosque, Senior Year.
Build Me Up Buttercup by the Foundations. Had never heard of ‘Beach Music’ or this crazy dance called ‘Shagging’ but it was very popular at southern colleges. This was one of the songs I remember. Grey Court, Freshman Year.
Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads, Halloween Party at the Apartments, Junior Year. I have a vivid memory of a tiny, UR cheerleader dressed as ET bouncing up and down on a couch to this song.
Lola by The Kinks because of my friend Lola, and because they played at the Robins Center, Junior Year.
Save it for Later by The English Beat. First heard this song at SAE frat party, Freshman Year. One of my favorite songs.
Rock the Casbah by The Clash. Trying to figure out the lyrics with my Freshman roommate when it came on the radio since we did not have a car to leave campus to buy the album. Freshman Year, Grey Court.
Across the Universe by The Beatles. Senior Year, Apartments. Had a neighbor who was a Beatles Fan and this song was one of his favorites and mine as well.
“September,” Earth, Wind and Fire. Standard fare at UVM after hour parties “badiyaing” with an inch of beer on the dance floor.
“ABC,” Jackson Five. Same description as above.
“Brick House,” The Commodores. See above.
“Red Red Wine,” UB40. Spring Fling circa ’84.
“Blister in the Sun,” Violent Femmes. No explanation needed and always a crowd pleaser.
“Friday I’m in Love,” The Cure. See above description, haha.
Badlands/Thunder Road—Bruce Springsteen—psych-up songs before every lacrosse game
Sympathy for the Devil—The Rolling Stones—warm-up song for the wrestling team; I was the manager
Love the One You’re With—Stephen Stills—Stills played on campus my first-year; a fitting ballad for college life
My Old School—Steely Dan—blasted out of windows on every nice day
Gimme Some Lovin’—Spencer Davis Group performed by Dr. Mezzi Fights Infection—a perennial party favorite played by our favorite student band
September—Earth, Wind and Fire—friends created a dance to this—even performed it at my wedding reception
Paradise by the Dashboard Lights—Meatloaf—on the jukebox at John B’s
School’s Out—Alice Cooper—the soundtrack to taking final exams
My Way—Frank Sinatra—also on the juke at B’s—frequently sung by soloists atop tables but I’m not naming names
Stars—Grace Potter and the Nocturnals—not related to my own college experience, but on the list since I admitted Grace to college!
Honestly, the first two years of college were very music, party, social focused. Making friends, staying up late, pre-dining hall backgammon games, post-dining hall study sessions, and The Boss . . . September 1980. Freshman year at MCLA. Lugging GIGANTIC speakers, a turntable, receiver, and two Hood Dairy milk crates crammed with record albums up four flights of stairs because the elevator was stuck. Could not wait to plug everything to crank up Bob Seger’s Stranger in Town. “Hollywood Nights” for sure. In North Adams, MA.
October 1980. Bruce Springsteen drops a little double album called “The River.” It’s played constantly (I have to replace my copy) and carries us through our first semester in college. Vivid memories of singing and dancing down the hall to “Sherry Darlin” and “Hungry Heart.”
December 1980. REO Speedwagon give us “Take It On The Run” just in time for final exams.
Other top of the chart picks from college, 1980-84 would be “Hang Fire” by the Rolling Stones which played repeatedly on the weekly Thursday bus trip over to Brodie Mountain for night skiing.
Anything from Journey’s album “Escape.” Anything. (“Don’t Stop Believing” would be a good choice.)
Finally, “Synchronicity” by The Police debuted in June 1983 setting the tone for that epic summer before senior year. My pick would have to be “Every Breath You Take.”
Madonna, Holiday (dancing with the girls)
Gap Band, You Dropped a Bomb on Me (Shelia D’Arcy’s righteous ankle moves)
Grateful Dead, Ripple and Sugar Magnolia (hanging at Atwater; neighbors Heidi and Ruth)
Steve Miller Band, Take the Money and Run(riding in Mack’s enormous car)
The Clash, London Calling (a Nilsson fave)
The Romantics, That’s What I Like about You (best. party. song. EVER)
Dire Straits, Romeo and Juliet (flawed young love and the angst of it all)