I always say that music is like oxygen. It is for me at least. It allows me to tune out the world and be stuck in a world of my own. I picked out the top 5 songs that helped me escape the world in 2023 because songs have a special way of doing it. So here we go: 

Taylor Swift: Invisible String

And isn’t it just so pretty to think

All along there was some

Invisible string

Tying you to me?

I always knew that Taylor Swift existed, but I never truly listened to her songs. The first song I truly loved of hers was “Invisible String”. The song takes us through a journey of fated love and romance, referring to a string which led her to this love. It tells a story of the beauty of falling for someone so deeply that you even remember the smallest things. The song was so magical when I first heard it that I instantly fell in love with the words and lyrics. I listened to this song on repeat in my house in upstate, New York. My house is in this extremely small town called Shushan, in the middle of nowhere. It’s right in a valley with mountains surrounding it. As I listened to the lyrics of this song upstate on my porch, I tried to figure out who my person will be or if I’ve already found them. I realized that it doesn’t have to be romance to be tied to someone with an invisible string, it can be any type of love. I also realized, as I sat on my porch, that invisible string ties you to more than one person. So as I sat in my house upstate, with the mountains right in front of me, and my dog, Nala, next me, I had the realization that it was an invisible string that tied my dogs to me.

Olivia Rodrigo: making the bed

Well, sometimes I feel like I don’t wanna be where I am

Gettin’ drunk at a club with my fair-weather friends

Push away all the people who know me the best

But it’s me who’s been making the bed

Olivia Rodrigo became popular after her hit song, “Drivers License” came out. Instantly, she reached the top 3 songs on the radio and reached fame. She went on to release her album, Sour, which has some of my favorite Olivia Rodrigo songs. In the year 2023, she released her second album, Guts, which (in my opinion) is better than Sour. I am proud and will always be proud to say that Olivia Rodrigo is one of my most favorite artists. Guts is the home of one of my most favorite songs, “making the bed”. Somehow Olivia managed to hit the milestones of teenage life. The moments where you just want to disappear in the dark, but end up pushing those you love away. As a freshman in highschool, growing and learning about life, I do have my days where this song is the only one that truly understands me. I have no problem talking to my friends or parents, but sometimes comfort in a song is all you need. “Making the bed” is the definition of a hospitable blanket which allows me to be in my feelings. On the bus in the mornings, on the days my mood was melancholy because I slept too late doing the abundance of homework I had, this song buttered me up, allowing me to be in my feels. As teenagers, it’s sometimes strenuous to find something to understand how we feel. Of course we have our families and friends, but sometimes that isn’t enough. “Making the bed” touches the soul in a way of being relatable and allows students to simmer in our emotions, comforting us and letting us truly know that there are in fact people who feel the same way. That we are not alone in these feelings of pushing people away and dealing with the hardships of life. 

Taylor Swift: Fifteen

It’s your freshman year

And you’re gonna be here for the next four years

In this town

Turning 15 is one of the most momentous milestones of a person’s life. At least for me, it was one of the most momentous milestones. Since I was a child, I was excited to turn 15. It was mostly because in movies, all the exciting stuff happened when you were a teenager. All the milestones, the parties, the fun makeovers. By the way, actually turning 15 was not as exciting as the movies depicted. This year was also my first year of high school. I remember vividly getting off the bus, walking up the stairs of Hackley’s beautiful campus and entering the grotesque vibe of the freshman hallway. Any student of Hackley will agree that the freshman hallway needs a major makeover. Somehow, Taylor Swift managed to make two major milestones in a person’s life, into one song. “Fifteen” captures the excitement, the dread, and the heartbreak that every 15 year old goes through. The idea of staying with the same group of people for four years, hoping one of the senior boys (though it was a junior for me) would ask you out and just the whole buzz around turning 15. Now my 15th birthday was a memorable one indeed. That weekend I had a cross country meet, which was supposed to take place on saturday. The meet got rained out and moved to sunday. And what was on sunday? My birthday. Now I had two options, skip the cross country meet or I race. I chose option two. I know what you’re thinking, ‘Arya, why would you do that to yourself?’. I don’t know, honestly, but I found it appealing to start my 15th year of living to put myself through torture. And honestly, it was worth it. That morning, the sun was out, it was chilly, but it was nice and I got ready. Butterflies were whirling around my stomach as my parents drove me to the bus, but when I saw the faces of my teammates, I was excited. On the whole bus ride to Somers, “Fifteen” was playing on repeat. Over and over again. It prepared me for the meet. That day I put myself through immense torture, and spent time with some of the best people I know. Whenever I listen to “Fifteen”, I will always remember that day and hold it close to my heart because, and honestly, it was one of my best birthdays ever. 

Olivia Rodrigo: logical

Oh, and now you got me thinking

Two plus two equals five

And I’m the love of your life

‘Cause if rain don’t pour and sun don’t shine

Then changing you is possible

I guess love is never logical

I am a person who loves romance. I love grand romantic gestures, movies where it ends in ‘happily ever after’, the pain that goes hand in hand with love and the stories of falling for someone you can hardly breathe. I’m not ashamed of it either. Olivia Rodrigo has always had a talent for portraying the pain of heartbreaks and falling for someone. “Logical” paints a picture of heartbreak unlike any other song. Her lyrics and the way she sings the song creates an ache in your heart, even if you’ve never fallen in love before. The reason I love this song so much though is because of the way she sings the truth. Rather than saying that love is this beautiful perfect thing, she goes on to explain that love is not simple. There’s no straightforward answer to it, it’s not like math, where there’s one answer for every question. There’s more to the equation with love. Though this song is talking about romantic relationships, it relates to familial ones too. Every parent and child has some sort of conflict in their life. There’s always a point where you won’t get along with your parents. The fascinating part is no matter the argument, you will always end up loving each other, no matter what. There’s no understanding of each other’s part in a relationship. And even if you do, Olivia Rodrigo shows through this song that love isn’t a straightforward thing. It’s much more complex, even if we don’t realize it. 

Billy Joel: Vienna

Slow down you crazy child

Take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while

It’s alright, you can afford to lose a day or two (oooh)

When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?

“Vienna” by Billy Joel was first introduced to me by one of my friends. I’ve always been a huge Billy Joel fan. My favorite song is “It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me”, followed by “Uptown Girl”. When I first heard Vienna, I fell in love with it. Freshman year of high school is when you’re still learning the ropes. Trying to figure out where to sit in the cafeteria, who to trust, who not to trust, and where to hang out. This is only the social aspect which is already stressful. Additionally there’s the academic aspect which is twenty times more stressful. Many students, in one way or another, are ambitious to do something. I am one of these students. I have hopes and dreams to achieve, so when I receive a bad grade, I feel like the whole world will come crashing down. Negative thoughts flood my mind and then I go on to think that I will never reach my ambitions. I forgot the fact that this is my first year of high school. That I still have to learn to adapt to different teachers.”Vienna” is what reminded me of this. It was like a message sent from some ethereal being, telling me that I need to calm down and remember that high school is a completely new environment. A message that conveys that I have to be patient in order to succeed in my ambitions. That I need to slow down and relax for a bit because if I don’t, then stress will consume me like a fire. This song reminded me that good things take time and that growing up takes time. Succeeding takes time. “Vienna” is a note for overachievers with high ambitions, telling us to be patient because no matter what, our success will wait for us. Now whenever I feel like I am failing, whenever I am stressed about something, I listen to “Vienna” and remind myself that everything takes time. I just have to be patient.