The final school bell rings, backpacks hit the floor, and alarm clocks are silenced: Spring break is upon us! After a week of gloomy forecasts and flood warnings, the weather might not be cooperating just yet, but the right playlist can provide the sunshine and freedom of a perfect spring break.
In this edition of “Inside Edison’s AirPods,” we’ve curated the musical preferences of our student body for a perfect spring break, whether that involves adventurous travels, relaxing in the sun, or checking off your pending to-do list. So grab your headphones, hit play, and let’s take a listen inside Edison’s AirPods!
With 80 tracks by 81 artists, the playlist’s top genres were pop and hip-hop. The most repeated artists were Drake and Frank Ocean, featuring songs like “Passionfruit” and “Super Rich Kids,” respectively.
With 2024 being christened the return of the 2014 Tumblr aesthetic, it’s unsurprising to see names like Katy Perry, G-Eazy, One Direction, and more appear on the playlist. Spring break is a time of nostalgia, a chance to revisit the music that defined the carefree, feel-good moments of our childhoods. This appears on the playlist in the form of energetic 2010s pop songs like Nicki Minaj’s “Starships” and Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend.”
At the same time, spring break also provides the time for exploring new and fresh favorites. “End of Beginning” by Djo, a synth-pop song recently popularized on TikTok, is a hometown-nostalgic track with its trending line “when I’m back in Chicago, I feel it.” “Make You Mine” by Madison Beer is a sultry dance pop song, representing the revival of house music as it becomes more mainstream with the pop genre. “Murder on the Dancefloor,” a 2000s disco pop song by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, was repopularized on TikTok for its iconic inclusion in the scandalous end scene of Saltburn. While different, these three songs combine elements of lightheartedness, retro influences, and playful scandal to make for the perfect carefree spring break songs.
The playlist also features many songs that are often considered more typical of summer rather than spring, like “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift and “Summer” by Calvin Harris. Besides the fact that these songs both literally mention summer in their title, they both evoke a feeling of carefree fun and sun-drenched days, an eager nod to the final stretch between spring and a highly-anticipated summer.
My top picks from the playlist include “Brazil” by Declan McKenna, “Built This Way (Slow Remix)” by Samantha Ronson, and “Eventually” by Tame Impala. “Brazil” is the ultimate song as we await warm weather. An alternative indie song, the tropical guitar intro alone feels like a hot spring day at the beach. “Brazil” isn’t just a typical summer song, though: it has a deeper meaning as a hidden narrative criticism of the corruption and poverty in Brazil, making the song even more worth a listen.
“Built This Way,” while relatively unknown by name, is immediately recognizable from Ronson’s classic voice of the angsty 2000s teen as heard in Mean Girls. This nostalgic song explores themes of self-discovery and rejecting societal pressures, aligning with the major themes of its accompanying movie as well as the adventurous, freeing feeling of spring break.
Finally, “Eventually” is a psychedelic indie track about the bittersweetness of a breakup: knowing that it will hurt, but will ultimately benefit each person in the future. This song’s theme of healing and moving forward feels perfect for the fresh start that spring break often represents.
Check out the EHS Spring Break playlist here.
