Since this is my last year of high school, I want to highlight three nostalgic songs that remind me of being a child and getting ready for my first day of school. The three songs I picked are from three different artists who represent my past and present. The songs I picked show a story of what it is like to be a boy who is growing into a strong man who lives for his family and friends.
“Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds
When I was a kid, my dad played this song for me on his iPod. I’ve been hooked on hearing it repeatedly since then on cold mornings on my way to school. My love for this song has carried over into my teenage years, and now I listen to it every other day. The nostalgia of the song just reminds me of when I was younger and started listening to it. This song lyric by Simple Minds: “Tell me your troubles and doubts Giving me everything inside and out” made me think about a time in my life when I was vulnerable, and I told my mom how I felt about school. Growing up, my mom was always there for me, and I just remember being able to tell her anything without being in trouble, and she understood that. Being vulnerable made me think about my childhood and how much it impacted me to wanna tell adults how I felt.
“Take On Me” by A-ha
Another song with a lot of value is A-ha’s “Take On Me.” I first heard it when I was 6 years old in my dad’s car. The song shows me another form of nostalgia and reminds me of that summer of 2015 when I was in 2nd grade going outside to play with my older brothers. My older brothers would always push me around like any other older brother would do. It made me tougher and showed me to never back down from somebody who may be bigger than me. My older brothers show the meaning of this song in a very important way; the reason I say this is because the title “Take On Me” is basically what I was doing to my brothers each day. This lyric caught me in complete disarray: he says, “Today is another day to find you ‘shyin’ ‘away.” Now, the song completely captures every emotion a person can feel. This lyric showed the emphasis on my childhood, and I instantly related to this simple lyric because I found myself “shyin’ away” in a sense to my peers. I was shy as a child, and I would find myself in a corner just playing with an action figure and having a blast.
“Mrs. Right” by Mindless Behavior
The next song I’m going to pick is called “Mrs. Right” by Mindless Behavior. This song comes from my era of hip hop, and today it is a classic. The song came out when I was in grade school, and at the time, it took hip hop by storm, and I would blast it every day when I came home from school. “Mindless Behavior” can evoke nostalgia as the past’s simple, carefree actions often remind me of when life felt less complicated, triggering a longing for those moments of innocence and spontaneity. The chorus makes this song an instant classic that stands out and makes the song catchy and soothing to me, which helps me relieve stress and tension.
These three songs that define me have much to do with nostalgia and how they turned me into the person I am today. The songs are a testimony to my becoming older and smarter. These songs have told the story of my youth, and to me, they have significant value. Their music can make a person feel better, and that’s what they did for me.
