Four Songs Any 20-Something Can Relate To

By Kristin Russell
Music Journalist

Crawling under the warm duvet of the bed, blinds drawn, door closed, lights off, headphones in and the volume is louder than it needs to be. The world is turned off, you’ve completely checked out of the universe and into your own brain, into your own thoughts. It doesn’t matter what emotion are being felt, or even repressed, what matters is how the feeling is being dealt with–by taking every ounce of energy you have left to comfort yourself with music.

Music is used to express feelings of love, happiness, sorrow, terror, angst– the list could literally go on for pages. This is extremely important because showing emotions is not only a healthy way to deal with things but it also links us together by allowing people to share how they feel. It’s a tool to help us feel a myriad of emotions and connect with others who feel the same. These four songs are important because they seamlessly sum up the experiences of being a 20-something. 

1. “Pale Blue Eyes” The Velvet Underground, 1969 

Lou Reed encompasses a textbook heartbreak in “Pale Blue Eyes”. It’s about a love that runs deep but ultimately doesn’t work out. It’s a song to reflect on and remember the almost lovers that come and go.

2. “Where Is My Mind?” Pixies, 1988

Written by Black Francis, this song is confusing and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. What trick are we trying to do, and why spin it? But that’s the entire point of this track because it’s about uncertainty. Half the time we have no idea what we’re doing with our life, often leaving us to ask where our mind is.

    3. “Electricity” Spiritualized, 1997

This song is about being young and feeling invincible. It gives the idea that nothing is finite because there is always going to be a tomorrow. There’s a rush of freedom with this song because we’re just starting to experience the world on our own.

   4. “Dancing In The Rain” Taylor Bennett, 2015

Heartbreak is synonymous with being young because we’re still so inexperienced. We’re trying to find ourselves while trying to find a partner at the same time, there’s bound to be rough patches. This song isn’t about the fighting, it’s about taking solace in a tough situation with the person you love. It’s about taking time to stop and smell the roses, or dance in the rain and appreciate who’s right there in front of you.