This past week is a sad but exciting week for college students like me. You’re packing up your childhood room and saying bye to your hometown friends. But before I go back to school, one of my favorite things to do is drive around with my friends and play a bunch of our favorite songs.
We roll the windows down and scream to these songs like we’re in a movie scene. This is one of my favorite bonding experiences with my friends and I think everyone should be able to participate in it. But where do you even start with song selections? Here are the kinds of songs you should add to your “See you later” playlist:
OLDIES BUT GOODIES
The early 2000s produced some of the most iconic music of our time. It fills you with nostalgia, like you’re the main character of a 2000s coming of age movie. A criterion that would qualify this song to fit in this category is if they would play it in any reality TV montage moment. Some of my favorites include “Breathe (2 AM)” by Anna Nalick, “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus, and “Gives You Hell” by All American Rejects.
FEELS SONGS
Feels songs are a necessity to this playlist. It’s only natural to feel sad about your friends leaving, so it’ll just fit the mood. Not only that, but those are some of the best songs to scream to. Usually, it’s basic sad songs like “When You’re Gone” by Avril Lavigne or “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol.
PARTY SONGS
Of course, you have to add some hype songs to bring the vibe back up. You’re excited to go off to school and have new experiences and your friends should be too. It can range from basic rap to head-banging EDM. Mine usually consist of songs that remind me of our group’s party phase. “Chill Bill” by Rob $tone, “Wet Dreamz” by J. Cole, and “Do What I Want” by Lil Uzi Vert are a few of my faves.
MEMORABLE SONGS
A key element to perfecting this playlist is including songs that are tied with memories of you and your friends. It could fall under the other categories, or it could be the most random song. It could be a song from a party you guys were at, or a song that you heard at the beach. One of the things that my friends and I have in this section would be any One Direction song because we all had (and still have) a fangirl phase. Another song that I’d fit into this category is “My Life Would Suck Without You” by Kelly Clarkson because we’ve bonded over our love for her when we were younger.
This drive around is our little “send-off” while we think back to all the good times we had while being home with each other for the summer. It’s a bitter-sweet experience: the happiness to start something new but the sadness of leaving your whole life. The music brings the whole group together to settle that feeling – that everything is going to be okay.
Here’s my friends and I’s “see you later” playlist:
