I could hardly narrow these down! So here are three. Current favorite: a line from Stoney LaRue’s “Look At Me Fly.” “I’m high above the water now, never think twice/Look at me fly.” These lines revel in escape and liberation, and they’re sung plaintively enough to bring tears to my eyes. Another top choice is from Muse’s “Map of the Problematique,” a politically charged line questioning, “Why can’t we see/That when we bleed, we bleed the same?” Agreed. And finally, I give you a classic favorite from the Eagles’ “Hotel California”: a line evoking how conflicted our relationship with the past can be. “Some dance to remember; some dance to forget.”
Rachel Pauerstein, A&E Columnist
My favorite song lyrics change almost every day, depending on what point I am at in my menstrual cycle. Currently, I have been listening to a Hugo cover of Jay-Z’s 2004 single “99 Problems” over and over again until my brain melts. Because I am a human being, my favorite lyrics from the song are, “If you’re having girl problems, I feel bad for you son, I’ve got 99 problems and a bitch ain’t one.” It’s a comforting sentiment this close to Valentine’s Day and helps me keep my eye on the prize: victory in all possible things.
Maddie Smith, A&E Writer
Hey, what idiot chose this impossible round table topi….oh, wait. Among the many, MANY lyrics I can’t imagine living without, Leonard Cohen’s empowering “Anthem” comes to mind (“There is a crack in everything/that’s how the light gets in.”) So does Sam Cooke’s ennobling “A Change is Gonna Come.” So does Springsteen’s less ennobling but equally unforgettable “Thunder Road” (“There’s magic in the night/You ain’t a beauty, but hey, you’re alright.”) So does most everyone Paul Simon wrote. And, of course, so does almost every theatre song Stephen Sondheim has ever written. For now, I’ll leave you with some college-friendly wisdom from his great duet “Move On”: “I chose and my world was shaken/So what?/The choice may have been mistaken/The choosing was not.”
Mason Walker, A&E Editor
I wanted to pick a song that I discovered myself but chose a less attractive alternative, a song recommended by a friend. My song choice is “Jump Into The Fog” by The Wombats. I love these exact lyrics: “Jump into the fog in the hope that we hit the ground upright.” I jumped into love and who knows how that’ll turn out. It describes love and it describes life. I was shoved into the fog by my parents nine months ago. Everyday since then has been scary, kind of gross and also kind of beautiful. I’m still here, taking a jump into the fog everyday and every moment.
John Mendiola, A&E Writer
