As I come closer to turning 20 and leaving my teenage years behind, I can’t help but feel waves of nostalgia for my childhood and past years. Being afraid to grow up is something that almost everybody struggles with. It can be scary to think about graduating, getting a real job, and officially living without your parents, even if you’re only a sophomore like me. One of the scariest things to me about growing up, besides learning how to do taxes, is the fact that maturing comes with change. Whether this is a change in friendships, environment, pace of life, or passion, one thing is for certain: change, along with getting older, is unpredictable and inevitable.
Although these feelings can be overwhelming and hard to cope with, something I’ve found always to help is listening to music. So, to ease some of these nerves, I’ve made a playlist full of songs with themes of growing up and changing. Here are my 6 favorite picks from that playlist!
It’s Not The Same Anymore – Rex Orange County
Rex Orange County perfectly captures the changing stages of life. The song starts off sounding a bit melancholy, stating that he doesn’t look the same as he once did and he has feelings he can’t explain and struggles to deal with. This is very relatable to anyone who has trouble dealing with change, especially if everything seems to be going wrong. Despite starting on a sad note, the lyrics progress to state that things aren’t the same, but they’re better. He has learned from experiences and things got better for him. I particularly love this song because of how you can hear the song’s tone changing throughout the background music along with his lyrics. It’s overall a relatable song that can help you realize things will always get better, no matter how bad they may seem.
Teenage Dream – Olivia Rodrigo
In one of Olivia Rodrigo’s newer songs, coming from her sophomore album GUTS, she sings about the challenges that come with leaving your teenage years. She sings, “When am I gonna stop being wise beyond my years and just start being wise? / When am I gonna stop being great for my age and just start being good?” These are themes that young people often have to deal with Being given a compliment where someone adds “despite your age”. She also sings about the fear of already giving the best she could, and how she worries she will not be able to get any better. This beautiful serenade is incredibly relatable, well-written, and heartfelt.
Landslide – Fleetwood Mac
This song is arguably one of my favorites of all time. Stevie Nicks’ voice is enchanting in all songs, but for some reason, I just love this one a little extra. She sings, “Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’ / But time makes you bolder / Even children get older / And I’m getting older too”. I’ve seen interviews where Nicks talks about the song being about a time of uncertainty in her life, but she was reminded that time is forever moving, and to just act now. These lyrics also serve as a reminder that even though you may be older, everyone else is getting older and dealing with the same dilemmas as you. I just absolutely love the theme of this song and I think it couldn’t be more perfect on this playlist.
Ivy – Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean is undoubtedly my favorite artist ever. His music constantly tells stories, and this one wonderfully fits the theme of growing up. Throughout the song, he sings about a relationship that has failed. One lyric that stands out to me is, “I ain’t a kid no more / We’ll never be those kids again”. He and the person he is singing about have grown apart and gotten older, as he explains in this lyric, stating they’ll never be the same kids they were when they were in love. The lyrics also touch on feeling more emotional as you get older and hold memories in your heart. I adore the emotion in this song as well as the theme of relationships changing, losing friendships, etc.
Butterfly Fly Away – Miley Cyrus
If you’ve ever seen Hannah Montana The Movie, you’ll probably remember this song that tugs at your heartstrings. Sung by Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus, the song explains how when we are young, all we want to do is grow up and do what we want, but when we do grow up, it’s sad for us to leave. As sung in the chorus, “Can’t go far, but you can always dream / Don’t you worry, hold on tight / I promise you there will come a day”. The song progresses into the second verse where the father-daughter duo sings, “Got your wings, now you can’t stay / Take those dreams and make them all come true / Butterfly fly away”. I have always loved this song since I was a child, but it hits different now, as we have “gotten our wings” and can fly away.
These songs, along with several others, offer comfort to feelings you might feel alone with. So if you’re ever anxious about growing up and leaving your youth behind, just take a deep breath, pop in your headphones, and listen to this playlist.