As someone who lived on Newton freshman year and off-campus sophomore year (bad housing … don’t ask), I feel especially qualified to talk about an essential, yet sometimes annoying, aspect of BC life – riding the bus. I can tell countless stories about how this demon of transportation has ruined my day. There have been times that I’ve run after it only to have to pull away as I reach its doors, drivers taking breaks when I only have five minutes to get to class, and, of course, the infamous Newton drive-by puddle splashing incident of March 2010 (just know I walked back to my dorm completely soaked).
However, the plus side of riding the bus is always the music. It seems to me that most of the bus drivers listen exclusively to channels that only play music from the ’70s, so I’ve spent many a morning and night silently (or not so silently) grooving in my seat to “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas. Not to mention the pure bliss of the late night sing-alongs on the last bus to Newton that you must experience yourself to fully understand. But on those days when you find yourself on a bus filled with the tension and silence of too much homework and too many late nights, it’s always good to have your own personal playlist to get you going in the morning or relaxing in the evening. So here are two versions of a playlist to make your ride from Newton or off-campus a little more enjoyable – whether you want to add “Kung Fu Fighting” to it, however, is optional.
On the way to class – The “Energizing” Playlist
“Kardashian” – The Dean’s List
“I Follow Rivers (The Magician Remix)” – Lykke Li
“See The Sun” – The Kooks
“Lucifer” – Jay-Z
“Take Your Mama Out” – Scissor Sisters
On the way home – The “Relaxing” Playlist
“Broken” – Norah Jones
“On Your Porch (Acoustic Version)” – The Format
“Cotton” – The Mountain Goats
“16mm Dream” – Jeremy Fisher
“Free Fallin’ (Cover)” – John Mayer