Now that finals week is almost upon us, the stress of the situation is becoming very real. Maybe you’re the type of person that has been preparing for this for weeks and is ready to tackle your finals like a boss. If you are that person, I congratulate you. However, if you are like me, you are sitting there, staring into space, half brain dead, and wondering how the end of the semester is already here.
Needless to say, many of us are feeling totally unprepared and completely stressed out for what’s about to happen. However, I have the solution to all our problems (well, maybe not all of them, but you know what I mean). This solution comes in the form of my favorite band, Thirty Seconds to Mars.
The band consists of three members: Jared, Shannon, and Tomo. And yes, I do mean Jared as in Jared Leto, the singer, Academy Award-winning actor, songwriter, director, businessman, and all-around wonderful human being. es, it is that Jared. Yes, he is that amazing. And yes, we should probably move away from this conversation before it gets weird.
Anyways, anyone that knows me knows that there are few things I love more than anything else in the whole world. The first is my mom (Hi Mom!), the second is everything Disney (if you want to check out my series on Disney movies, check out parts 1, 2, 3, and 4), and the third is Thirty Seconds to Mars.
One of the many things that I love about them is that their music has a remarkable way of touching your soul, making the world seem like a not-so dark place, and making you believe that anything is possible. No matter how many times I watch the band’s interviews and listen to their music, the members always manage to bring a smile to my face and tears of hope and inspiration to my eyes. In honor of finals week, I have decided to prove this point by making a top five list of what I feel are the best, most inspirational Thirty Seconds to Mars songs to get you through this week.
Before I jump into the list though, I would also like to recommend their 2012 documentary film Artifact. This film explores their battle with the record label, Virgin/EMI. If you want to see a real-life example of never giving up during the hard times and have around two hours to spare, I would highly recommend this film. Here is the link to where you can watch it on Amazon.com because, unfortunately, it is no longer available to stream on Netflix (why would you do this to me, Netflix?).
Anyway, enough about me and my irrational sadness. Let us commence with the Top 5 Countdown!
5. “Closer to the Edge”
To me, this song is about never making compromises when it comes to what you want out of life. When it comes to finals week, remember that your tests are just that: tests. While you should try your best, one bad test grade will not break you. In the end, it is only one tiny spot on the massive canvas that is your life (honestly, I’m really impressed with myself that I just came up with that metaphor!). Don’t let one bad test, or one bad anything, keep you from getting where you want to go.
4. “Do or Die”
If we’re being honest with ourselves, finals week definitely feels like do or die time. Just as the song says, no matter what the results of finals week are for you, “the story goes on.”
3. This is War
Finals week can also feel a tiny bit like war. You vs. the test. You vs. the professor who is a terrible grader. You vs. yourself because you procrastinated for too long (seriously though, when are we going to learn?). While the song definitely has a much deeper meaning than what relates to finals week, in this context, after battling through finals, the world always seems like a much better and brighter place.
2. City of Angels
This song never fails to bring a tear to my eye. At our age, it can be really hard figuring out what we want to do with our lives. Sometimes, it feels like we will never figure it out. This song is an uplifting reminder that our dreams are worth fighting for and, no matter how long it takes to find, there is a place in this world where we belong. Whether it is a big city or a small town, may we all find our City of Angels.
1. Alibi
Even though all the songs on this list are my favorite Thirty Seconds to Mars songs, “Alibi” is number one for a very specific reason. Let us flashback to midterms during the Spring 2016 semester. With a lack of a better way to put this, that week was pure hell. With tests, papers and other assignments to do all at once, the realities of college stress had hit me harder than they ever had before, and harder than they have since. I wanted to cry. I wanted to completely give up. This song is literally the only thing that helped me to get through that week without having a total mental breakdown. So, when the stress becomes too much leading up to finals week, or at any other point in the semester, I highly recommend listening to this song on repeat for the rest of your life. Take it from me, it definitely helps.
Now that we have these wonderful songs to give us strength, let’s go out there and show these finals who’s boss!