Do you have crippling regrets of the past and fears of the future? Well, I know I do. This playlist aims to encapsulate the common existential crisis that most people experience when transitioning from high school to adulthood, but also address that it’s okay to feel this way. Most people don’t know what they want by the time they’re 17. We as people need to take more time to just enjoy life, and more importantly, breathe.

growing pains – tiffi

My original inspiration for this playlist was actually track one, growing pains. The entirety of this song is about being scared of growing older. growing pains tackles the themes of change, growing into expectations, and not making the most of the time spent in high school. Most high school students have these feelings from time to time, so having them verbalized in this song was a fitting opening.

prom dress – mxmtoon

To build on the idea of not spending time wisely in high school, I choose prom dress as track two. prom dress is a song about regret, expectations, and reality. The song is centered around a girl who regrets her high school experience due to feeling like she didn’t do enough. Thus, she is crying at prom in her elaborate dress. I feel that many people relate to this song due to how many regrets they have over decisions made and not made in high school. 

Don’t Throw Out My Legos – AJR

With track three, I choose to focus more on moving out and going to college. As the title suggests, this song is about AJR’s members not wanting to throw out their old legos. The throwing out legos in this song is symbolic of growing up, so AJR’s reluctance/downright refusal to throw out their childhood toys is their way of saying that they don’t feel ready to become adults. Not all people who are 18 are ready to move on with their lives and abandon their childhood.

I Miss My Mum – Cavetown

Track four, I Miss My Mum was written while Cavetown was on tour. The song’s main theme is about missing home and family. I felt that this song perfectly describes the feeling of going out on your own to live your own life and being homesick. Growing up is scary and moving out can be scary as your parents are no longer able to be there for you at all times.

Everything Stays – Adventure Time

A lot of people have watched Adventure Time, so many will recognize and have nostalgia for this song. Everything Stays is a song about the ever changing nature of life. Life is constantly changing. I felt that this track summed up the feeling of growing up and starting a new chapter in life. While everything will still be at home waiting for you when you come back to visit, things will not be the same. 

Everything is Temporary (Sticks and Stones) – Cavetown

For track six, I choose Everything is Temporary as I wanted to emphasize that people need to just breathe. Robbie, the lead singer of Cavetown, wrote this song when he was 17 after realizing that he spent too much time stressing about life to just enjoy living. So many people in high school are so wrapped up in being competitive and preparing for the future that they forget to live in the moment. This song to is a reminder that life is meant to be lived.

deliberate – ry

Track seven, deliberate was written during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 by graduating senior at the time, Rui Ying. In this song, Ying thinks back on a conversation she had with a friend where they concluded that although they were scared of falling behind their peers, they should continue trying to live with intention at their own pace. This is a conversation that I believe that all high school students need to hear. 

Netflix Trip – AJR

Netflix Trip is a song that details the events of growing up to build into the idea that not everyone needs to be sure of themselves. I choose Netflix Trip as track nine as I believe in the message that not everyone needs to know where they’re going or who they are. 

Pluto Projector – Rex Orange County

In track nine, I decided to refocus on emotions of acceptance. Pluto Projector is a song about not knowing oneself fully and being okay with that. The understanding that one doesn’t need to know everything about themselves to be happy is a idea that not many people have verbalized.

end of the year v4 – Rxseboy

I choose end of the year v4 as the final track as this song is a promise that this coming year will be the best one yet. The themes of not second guessing past decisions and moving forward to make better choices felt fitting in a playlist about leaving high school. No matter where we go, we should always aim to make each coming year better than the last.