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SBU | Culture

Music Update: Thanks Mom and Dad!

Sofi Schwarzmueller Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Hey readers, it’s been a little while since I last shared my music reccs. But don’t worry, I’ve actually just been storing up my writing energy and creative juices for this very article, in which I will detail what is quite possibly my favorite genre of music of all time: the songs of my childhood, bestowed upon me by my divorced parents. 

You see, “Divorced Dad Rock” doesn’t quite do it justice…my mom played an equal role in refining my music palette. My mom would play this game—well, less of a game really and more of a bit—whenever a song came on the radio that she loved, usually from the stations “80s on 8” or “70s on 7”, she’d thrust her right hand from the steering wheel to conceal the song’s title and band. “Alright, who knows what this song’s called?” she’d yell, or “Who sings this song??” I began to recognize the songs faster and faster, so in usual kid-like fashion, I would quickly glance at the band’s name before she had a chance to cover it, and I’d roll my eyes and casually say the answer as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. There was even one night when my mom, my sister, and I were driving back from dinner, and a song came on that we could not name, and my mom refused to turn into our neighborhood until one of us could either name the band or sing a few verses of the song. My sister was in the backseat, desperate to get home so she could pee, begging me to just sing a few lines of the song. In proper sisterly fashion, I refused, prompting my mom to do continuous loops around one of the cul-de-sacs and my sister to start hitting the back of the passenger seat I occupied until I obliged. Why my sister was mad at me and not my mom for setting the terms, I couldn’t tell you. 

Of course, looking back on it, I was playing right into my mom’s hands by learning and loving the songs she knew and loved so dearly, and I have a beautifully curated Spotify playlist to show for it. 

So let me break down my all-time favs for you, by era and by band (“**” following a song title indicates my favs of the favs, my soul food).

Fleetwood Mac

  • “The Chain”
  • “Go Your Own Way”
  • “Don’t Stop”
  • “Everywhere”
  • “Say You Love Me”**
  • “Dreams”
  • “Silver Springs”
  • “Rhiannon”

America

  • “A Horse with No Name”
  • “Sister Golden Hair”** (America gets its own category despite only having three songs because of how much I love this song) 
  • “Ventura Highway”

Johnny Cash (actually, these are from my Nana and my sister Maia, but I don’t want to rename my article so just go with it)

  • “Folsom Prison Blues”
  • “Ring of Fire” (I can SMELL my Nana’s truck) 
  • “I Walk the Line” (^^)
  • “Cocaine Blues” Live at Folsom State Prison**

Eagles

  • “Take It Easy”**
  • “Hotel California”
  • “Tequila Sunrise”
  • “One of These Nights”

Creedence Clearwater Revival (thank you, Dad, for these, I <3 CCR)

  • “Have You Ever Seen The Rain”**
  • “Bad Moon Rising”
  • “Down On The Corner”
  • “Up Around The Bend”
  • “Fortunate Son”

80s

  • “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House**
  • “Rosanna” by TOTO
  • “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “With Or Without You” by U2
  • “Faith” by George Michael
  • “(I Just) Died In Your Arms” by Cutting Crew

70s** (okay wow I never thought about what era of music I like best but I guess I figured it out)

  • “Starman” by David Bowie**
  • “Wheel in the Sky” by Journey**
  • “Southern Nights” by Glen Campbell**
  • “Hold the Line” by TOTO**
  • “It Never Rains in Southern California” by Albert Hammond**
  • “Take It On the Run” by REO Speedwagon
  • “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass
  • “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers**
  • “How Deep Is Your Love” by the Bee Gees
  • “Ramblin’ Man” by Allman brothers Band

My Mom’s Favs As I Remember Them Growing Up

  • “American Pie” by Don McLean** (this WILL be my karaoke song, mark my words)
  • “Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker** (so nostalgic, I just want to dance)
  • “Blinded By The Light” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
  • “Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest
  • “Sister Christian” by Night Ranger
  • “Hurts So Good” by John Mellencamp
  • “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty
  • “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • “Don’t Bring Me Down” by Electric Light Orchestra
  • “Spirit in the Sky” by Norma Greenbaum

These songs literally molded me into the person I am today. I can remember hearing every single one of these on the radio at some point in my childhood, and thank goodness for it because it is so seriously the best of the best of all music. My full playlist can be found by the link below :)

Sofi Schwarzmueller

SBU '26

Sofi is a third-year student from Buffalo, New York (GO BILLS!), and is currently pursuing an English degree with a biology minor at St. Bonaventure University. Sofi contributes to SBU’s chapter of Her Campus as Social Media Coordinator and Big/Little Coordinator. Outside of Her Campus, Sofi plays for the school’s club soccer team, tutors in the Writing Lab, and helps manage the social media of the Franciscan Center for Social Concern.

In her free time, Sofi can often be found curled up with a Sarah J. Maas book or making yet another new Spotify playlist. She also loves re-watching Outer Banks and being active, including snowboarding and hitting the gym.

From hidden music finds, to book recommendations, to stories of personal growth and inspiration, Sofi loves to write it all and is elated to spend her last semester as an undergraduate surrounded by the sisterhood that is HCSBU.