🎶 “Let’s go to the beach-each, let’s go get a wave.” 🎶
From growing freshmen to graduating seniors, Edison High is eagerly preparing to abide by Nicki Minaj’s wise words in her song “Starships” and dive head-first into the adventures of this summer. With the Class of ‘26 closing their first year of high school and the Class of ‘23 readying their caps and gowns, it is only fitting for The Eagle’s Eye to present the year’s final schoolwide playlist as a retrospection of EHS’ wide-eyed freshmen and venturing seniors.
With an assortment of unique tracks chosen by and for Edison High’s diverse student body, the survey-based “Moving On and Moving Forward” playlist integrates a variety of genres and artists.
So, let’s take a listen inside Edison’s AirPods.
With 31 tracks by 33 artists, the playlist’s top genres were hip-hop and rap. The most repeated artists were Lana Del Rey and Phoebe Bridgers, featuring songs such as “Summertime Sadness” and “Scott Street,” respectively.
Many students feel that the shift to summer is represented in their personal playlists with a shift to more cheerful music. Manahil Junaid ‘26, for instance, said “For the summer, I like listening to pop, mainly Taylor Swift.”
Bryan Budhram ‘23 holds a shared experience of opting towards pop music, as he describes the eagerness that comes with change: “Graduating kind of feels surreal and I can’t believe that it’s almost here. But, I am very excited to start a new phase in my life, especially considering this phase is unlike any other phases I’ve already been through.”
“My current music choices are a lot of pop that contributes to my excitement,” Budhram said, “and reflect how I feel about entering the real world in a few months since I feel like pop can relate to a variety of emotions.”
Even with the bliss of a teenage summer, under- and upperclassmen alike are feeling the nostalgia and bittersweet reminiscence of our high school years.
“I am so excited for freshman year to end, but I’m pretty sad to see the seniors leave,” said Sydney Huertas ‘26. As Huertas iterated, the approaching of summer kicks off a variety of emotions: optimism for the future and reflection of our past.
Upperclassmen listening activity demonstrates a similar theme of hope coupled with nostalgia: “While I’m so excited to see what the next stage of my life has in store for me, I can’t help but feel bittersweet about leaving everything I’ve ever known behind and so it’s no surprise that I’ve been listening almost exclusively to throwbacks,” says Kathleen Hegedus ‘23.
For some, the uncertainty of the future is concerning and their listening habits reflect these nerves. For example, Maddie Cleland ‘23 says, “I feel terrified and overwhelmed and my current music choices (such as “Not Strong Enough” by BoyGenius), reflect that I am not feeling strong enough to be college’s man.”
Our personal favorites from the playlist were “Pyramids” by Frank Ocean and “I Know The End” by Phoebe Bridgers. “Pyramids,” recently gaining revived popularity on TikTok, is a funky concoction of Ocean’s unique R&B voice paired with synth beats and psychedelic guitar. A 10-minute track with multiple movements, “Pyramids” is the embodiment of students’ emotional mix of nostalgia and excitement for the summer. “I Know The End,” distinguished by its apocalyptic theme and cacophonous ending, represents finding peace in endings, and anticipating uncertainty, yet welcoming it. A whirlwind of emotions, this track embodies students’ hope despite apprehension regarding the impending change of the coming season.
Check out the EHS “Moving On and Moving Forward” playlist here.