During quarantine, our sophomore and junior editors started to contribute to a monthly playlist where they all put in their five favorite songs for the month. Below, all of the contributors posted their favorite song and an explanation on why they chose it.
This month, the theme was songs about love, not necessarily love songs. The term “love song” tends to connote that the song gives you warm and fuzzy feelings, but we all know that songs about love can be much more than that. It can be angry, it can be sad or it can just be about warm, fuzzy feelings. No shame here.
“JUST LIKE WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE” – SOPHIE
Sophie Xeon, the iconic music producer who tragically died this past weekend, accelerated the sound of pop music decades into the future over the span of the 2010s. “JUST LIKE WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE” is playful and simple, yet sonically experimental, built upon the same immense curiosity that ran deep within everything Sophie created. R.I.P. – Owen Berg, Design and Style Editor
“I WANT YOU AROUND” – SNOH AALEGRA
Snoh Aalegra, who arguably had one of the best R&B albums of the past year, is known for her jazzy romantic love songs. Her distinct, almost ’50s jazz house voice sets her apart from all the others and literally keeps me coming back for more. “I Want You Around” is only one of the many amazing love songs Aalegra has graced our ears with. Her latest album “Ugh, those feels again” deserves only to be played loudly and on repeat. – Briah Lumpkins, Campus & Community Editor
“MORE THAN THAT” – LAUREN JAUREGUI
This song by Lauren Jauregui came out in 2019 as her second solo single after leaving the girl group Fifth Harmony (yes, I am a former Harmonizer, nice to meet you). While the song on the surface sounds a tad narcissistic, once you delve deeper into it, you realize it’s about the most important form of love there is: self love. Jauregui wrote the song modeling the story of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Aphrodite was someone who obviously had a lot of suitors trying to court her, but at the end of the day, their love paled in comparison to the love she had for herself. I find myself single during Valentine’s Day, and this song is a perfect way to remind yourself of your worth and that you are not just for the taking by anyone. – David Kwiatkowski, Entertainment Editor
“BABY” – ARIEL PINK
Warning: this song has been known to cause the texting of ex’s and extreme romanization of the past. Within the first 10 seconds of this tune, you’re hit with a melody so sweet and deep that your chest begins to sink. The soft vocals accompanied by the song’s simple lyrics will leave you considering making out with a pillow on your couch — though it’s 1 million times better with a person. It has the innocence of a ’50s track with notes of sensuality in the strings of the guitar. It’s the song to play when you can find the words to tell you’re one and only that they’re just “so baby.” — Rebecca Wolff, Opinion Editor
“SHARE YOUR ADDRESS” – BEN PLATT
Ben Platt is known for originating the role of Evan Hansen in Broadway’s “Dear Evan Hansen,” and while everyone knows the man can sing, his debut album “Sing To Me Instead” is seriously underappreciated. While every song is lyrically impressive and absolutely encapsulating because of his impressive vocal range, “Share Your Address” reminds me that I am not the only one to fantasize about life with someone I’ve only just met. Valentine’s Day can be lonely for those of us who are single, but this song reminds me to just hang on because that feeling will emerge again and my hopelessly romantic heart will survive. –Sarah Grace Hays, Multimedia Editor
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“COLD LITTLE HEART” – MICHAEL KIWANUKA
I have the popular HBO series “Big Little Lies” to blame for my obsession with this song. Although I finished the series this past summer, I couldn’t help thinking of the show’s theme song for my “love song” pick. “Cold Little Heart” details someone in love, who’s almost too afraid of feeling this way due to their emotional background, hence the title. The lyrics are somewhat dark and depressing, but the instruments in this song, for lack of a better phrase, are a vibe. The song is just upbeat enough to make you want to dance, but sad enough to make you want to cry. Perfect for Valentine’s Day. – Sam Cioffi, Magazine Editor
“GHOST” – FRANKIE, SCOTT HOYING, ONE NIGHT
As a dating app frequent flier, this song haunts me to my very core. Everyone has been ghosted at one time or another. We think we’ve met the one, only for them to cease communication and eventually fade away in the distance. Unlike some of my fellow editors, Valentine’s Day makes me a little angry, and the first line of this song perfectly encapsulates my feelings toward anyone who has ever ghosted me: “Fuck you.” Paired with Scott Hoying’s (frontman of Pentatonix) angelic voice and FRANKIE’s indie pop backtrack, this song is just right if you’re in the mood to spite the lovey-dovey February holiday. – Maggie Peña, Multimedia Editor
“20 SOMETHING” – SZA
On this final song from her debut album, “Ctrl,” SZA beautifully encapsulates what it means to be lost in your twenties — and also what it means to be perfectly OK with that. “20 Something” reminds me that I should love myself and my life no matter how messy it can get. I like to think of it as a self-love song. I’ve never been in love before, but everyone knows what it means to love yourself, and the power that act can hold. As we near Valentine’s Day, it's nice to remember that no matter who else is in your life, you’ll always have yourself to love. – Tim Carlin, Campus & Community Editor
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