Freshman year is a world of new things, places, and emotions. Who better to capture a pivotal time in my life than Taylor Swift? As someone who has been listening to her music since her debut album, running around in my room singing “Picture to Burn” into my hairbrush, it’s safe to say Taylor has been the playlist to my life. So as I start my journey in college I will be curating a Taylor playlist for each year. Here are the first songs to make the playlist:
“Fifteen (Taylor’s Version)”
This song was an obvious choice for a freshman-year playlist. Although in the song Taylor sings about her freshman year of high school, many things remain relatable as a freshman in college.
- “Hoping one of those senior boys will wink at you and say, “You know I haven’t seen you around, before…” First of all dating a senior while you’re a freshman is not a good idea. You are just starting an incredible journey and they are finishing theirs. You are in two different places it is not gonna work. Secondly, Taylor easily sums up how big of a change this is. New place, new people, and new challenges to face.
- “Count to ten. Take it in. This is life before you know who you’re gonna be…” College is a transition. I’m not the first to say that and I will not be the last but it remains a fact. With the transition comes so many unexpected things the best thing to do is carve out space to just relax and reset.
“Never Grow Up (Taylor’s Version)”
“Don’t you ever grow up. Just stay this little.” A song of self-reflection about becoming an adult and looking back on childhood is a quintessential college anthem. Taylor starts the song as if talking to someone else and reveals toward the end that she is talking to her younger self, giving her advice to never grow up. This song might be a more heartbreaking song than “All Too Well” (or at least heartbreaking in a different way).
- “And you can’t wait to move out someday and call your own shots. But don’t make her drop you off around the block. Remember that she’s gettin’ older too…” It can be so easy to feel like this huge change just affects you but in reality, it affects your support system back home too. So call your parents even if it’s only for a few minutes.
- “Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room. Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home. Remember the footsteps, remember the words said, and all your little brother’s favorite songs. I just realized everything I have is someday gonna be gone.” Nostalgia is a bittersweet thing. Change catches up and suddenly everything is different. I could not listen to this song during the first few days of college. It hit too close to home at first. I’m still settling in, but now I can listen to this song and appreciate just how well Taylor captured this step from childhood to adulthood.
- “So here I am in my new apartment in a big city, they just dropped me off. It’s so much colder than I thought it would be, so I tuck myself in and turn my nightlight on.” Taylor’s use of a nightlight in this verse brings the song full circle back to the opening verse where she’s turning on the light for her younger self. This is where the meaning of the song lives- in taking care of your younger self even as you leave childhood behind.
“You’re On Your Own, Kid”
“You’re on your own, kid. You always have been.” To close out my list I had to choose track 5 off Midnights. This song is a less polished look at Taylor living on her own and grappling with her doubts. In the song, she looks back on some of the experiences she went through as a young adult and how they shaped her into the woman she is.
- “Summer went away. Still, the yearning stays. I play it cool with the best of them.” The summer between senior year and freshman year felt so short but packed full of time with close friends. Then you get to school and suddenly every friendship is a few days old. It’s a jarring difference and makes you feel isolated even while you’re trying to reach out.
- “From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes, I called a taxi to take me there. I search the party of better bodies just to learn that my dreams aren’t rare.” I think this song will resonate for not only my freshman year but for all of college. The ups and downs of college are a playground for life after these four years. I want to make the most of them through good and bad.
- “Everything you lose is a step you take. So make the friendship bracelets. Take the moment and taste it. You’ve got no reason to be afraid.” I have this quote on my wall in my dorm because it’s what I want to live by. And in a way, I’m already living by it as I made friendship bracelets for game day and met a lot of kind girls.
Freshman year is just beginning and who knows where it will go but I’m ready to face it, armed with a Taylor Swift playlist and friends to scream lyrics with.