Fordham University’s 2021 hopes to change in tone from last spring at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students are anxiously awaiting their vaccines and warmer weather. With only good moments to come, my spring playlist contains upbeat jams that mark the changing of the seasons, including recognitions of heartbreak that symbolize changes in love and lifestyle, that these artists passionately express in upbeat tempo. Below is my list for Rams to enjoy safely as we continue our quarantine!
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“Buttercup” by Hippo Campus from Landmark. The first song of every playlist needs to set the tone for the entire compilation. “Buttercup” has a quick tempo with a Hippo Campus frontman who can smoothly change his voice from low to high octaves. As the song increase in volume and intensity, it emotes passionate expressions of heartbreak, “I’ll be fine on my own, she said, I don’t need you inside my head / (She’ll be fine on her own, she’ll be fine on her own) / I’ll be fine on my own, she said.” “Buttercup” makes you want to take a drive with the windows down to hear its climax.
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“Stuck” by The Aces from I Don’t Like Being Honest. As we take our drive, we enjoy an upbeat heartbreaking song that reminds us that spring is a changing of the seasons. It marks new beginnings and the end to old chapters. Spring marks a moment to question our relationships and love lives. “Stuck” has incredible lines of epiphany such as, “I’m stuck, babe / Stuck with nowhere to go / It cuts, babe, ’cause we’re just taking it slow / It’s overdue, make your move.”
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“Edna” by Henry Hall from Questions, Comments, Concerns. “Edna” is a coming-of-age song marked by Hall’s recognition of a strained relationship in his life. He sings, “Cause I’m retracting everything / That I’ve ever said / Or thought of in my head / And I thought that then / That you’re a cool mom / But Jesus was I wrong.” His break into the chorus, singing, “Oooh / Oooh / Edna” into the high octave in a lighter tone that overshadows his depressive thought. Hall belts Edna’s name, who we assume to be his mother’s.
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“Build Me Up Buttercup” by The Foundations from Jukebox Legends. I’m sure we all are familiar with this song, but it perfectly symbolizes a recognition of pain and a desire to change circumstances. Fordham students can easily align with these ideas, as we all desire to change our quarantine lifestyles and hope for a better future this warmer season. The infamous lyrics are as follows – “Why do you build me up / Buttercup, baby / Just to let me down / And mess me around / And then worst of all / You never call, baby / When you say you will / But I love you still / I need you / More than anyone, darlin’ / You know that I have from the start / So build me up / Buttercup, don’t break my heart.” The crushing lyrics are used by a call and response method, echoing the lines stated previously. He endures a deep extent of heartbreak, repeating itself over and over, in hope of future resolution.
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“Pin It Down” by Madison Cunningham from Who Are You Now. Madison Cunningham’s silky smooth voice will leave you daydream of a warm sunny afternoon cruising around. She also sings of heartbreak, going back in her memory of where things in her relationship went wrong. She sings in constant conscious thought, as if she’s expressing her mind out loud replaying all her memories. She sings, “I can’t pin it / I can’t pin it down / I can’t pin it / But I think we’ve been here once before / I think we’ve been here once before / When you looked at me / Were my defenses drawn? / Was I cutting through the floor / I was standing on?” Cunningham speaks her heart as she prepares to wow Harry Styles’s fans on his postponed ‘Love on Tour’.
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“Darling” by Christian Leave from Milksop / Darling. Leave changes the playlist to a somber, heartstruck tone. Here we shift in hopes of what this season will bring. He sings, “When I can’t be by your side / It makes me cry/ And wonder how long can I go . . . / I can’t see anybody / Loving me the way you do, it’s astonishing / You’ve got me under wraps / Darling, I’m in love.” Leave holds onto his love throughout the seasons as he carries his connection through the entire song.
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“High on Your Love” by Kings Go Forth from The Outsiders Are Back. This relaxed tempo of “high on your love” as the most repeated line in seemingly unconscious thought, proving a love connection between the two singers is organic and constantly streaming. This spring, I hope to embody the ongoing, gushing love that this song emotes.
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“Washingtonsquarepark” by MOZIAH, Ms. White from Dax Nextdoor. This rap tune is carefree and light and reminds me of the warmer weather. MOZIAH alludes to the summertime in New York City, explaining, “It’s nice in the village in summertime / A bustling world giving off good feelings in summertime / Even the squirrels are out here feeling this summertime / You never know what you’re gonna hear in the summertime.” The song ends with a woman speaking about the IHOP on 14th Street open 24 hours a day in the summertime. This song makes me look forward to warm feelings in NYC during the warmer weather.
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“Colors” by Black Pumas from Black Pumas. This is Black Pumas’s debut album that not only granted them a spot at performing at the 2021 Grammy’s, but actually being nominated for three awards. “Colors” is an upbeat song striving for inclusion and diversity to promote a better state of being, expressing, ‘It’s a good day to be / A good day for me / A good day to see / My favorite colors, colors / My sisters and my brothers / They see ’em like no other / All my favorite colors.” Enjoy R&B/Soul music from Black Pumas with hopes for a better future.
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“Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan from Pink Pony Club. Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” is the most eclectic way to end the list. She belts in happy harmonies singing, “Oh mama, I’m just having fun / On the stage in my heels / It’s where I belong down at the Pink Pony Club / I’m gonna keep on dancing at the Pink Pony Club / I’m gonna keep on dancing down in West Hollywood.” Roan makes you enjoy the last leg of your drive with the windows down and the sun shining this spring. She speaks of making her mother proud and living a content life in California, the home to sunshine and warm weather.
We move from the heartbreaking winter to the hopeful spring this Fordham 2021 semester. These ten songs display the recognition of heartbreak and hope in boppy tunes.