Over my first semester on study abroad I have compiled a few songs which make it to all my playlists. These songs either describe the experiences associated with study abroad or embody an emotion to me that I tend to feel frequently. I think all of you on study abroad or going on study abroad next year will be able to relate to some of these songs.
my tears ricochet by Taylor Swift
This song is so devastatingly sad but there is one line which I heavily relate to. The line ‘I can go anywhere I want / Anywhere I want, just not home’ is something I have related to a lot. I can travel anywhere I want, just not go home. I haven’t felt like I can go home because of feeling like I won’t want to return to my year abroad. However, I am at a stage now where I am content living in Norway, but I do feel like at the beginning of this year or when I am super homesick, I listen to this song a lot.
Rivers and Roads by The Head And The Heart
This is such a good song. It encompasses the feeling of saying goodbye to people you don’t feel ready to say goodbye to. I have seen a lot of people who are graduating from university resonate with this song a lot because you go from seeing the people you feel closest to everyday to not at all. This song describes the family you build with your friends at university and how much it hurts to leave. So, if you miss your friends or family give this one a listen.
You’re Gonna Go Far by Noah Kahan
I feel like this song was written for all of us who have moved far away from our families. I reach for this song when I need comfort in my choices. Noah Kahan does such a good job in this song of making me feel acceptance and he is right in saying that although you aren’t there to see it not much will change whilst you leave, and life goes on. He also expresses the pride you should have within as well as the pride others have for you for being brave. As he says, ‘If you wanna go far / Then you gotta go far’.
Can’t Catch Me Now by Olivia Rodrigo
This song is so study-abroad coded. I feel like the chorus really expresses the freedom I have felt recently. You can globetrot and experience so many cultures and experiences. I sometimes feel like I am so far from everyone else, and it isn’t an experience you can have without doing this year of study abroad or a gap year. I can barely catch up with myself never mind other people trying to keep up. If you want to romanticise your newfound freedom in travel and culture, I think this song should make your playlist.
House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls by The Weeknd
Picture the scene: you’re happy, maybe a little tipsy (optional), dark outside, and windows open. It doesn’t really relate to a specific experience I have had but when I listen to this song, I feel happy, fun, and free. This is a good pre-game song to put you in a fun and flirty mood for when you go out. You’ll feel cool listening to it.
Les by Childish Gambino
Another euphoric song for me. A good one to listen to when going out or just when you want to have a little boogie in your room. This song gives me so much confidence when I listen to it so if you are looking for a good hype song, I think you’ll like this. Remember, ‘Baby, you’re the baddest’.
For Emma by Bon Iver
For any of you also based in a cold and dreary country like me this song sounds like how I feel most of the time. I am not sure how else to describe it. Maybe as a dull ache, lacking energy and a little bit depressed. It’s SAD season so that’s maybe why I feel this way. If you feel a little down and want a song that sounds like that feeling, this is the song for you.
Lost by Frank Ocean
If you aren’t sure what you are doing, what you want to do, and just want a feel-good song which embraces getting caught up in the moment this is the one for you. This song is originally about a girlfriend who gets caught up in drug trade, but I feel like the experience he describes in the song is something a lot of people can relate to. We all get caught up in a whirlwind of a situation sometimes and that’s okay as long as you enjoy it. Also, if you don’t want to think that deeply about it, it’s a catchy song to play on repeat!