As the year comes to a close, a sense of reflection washes over students. One may turn to songs where they stored their most sentimental memories in the strums and hums to reminisce. To celebrate the spirit of recollection on campus, The Daily Texan asked students to share songs that make them nostalgic.
Carissa Padlan: North by Clairo
International relations sophomore Carissa Padlan said Clairo’s “North” evokes memories from her early childhood in New York.
“I’m a really nostalgic person and am constantly living in the past,” Padlan said. “Moving on to different parts of my life, moving out of New York or to college, I (find myself) holding on to my childhood.”
Padlan said the song specifically brings back images of autumn in New York and spending time with her family, along with the stark contrast between New York and Austin.
“My mom, brother and I used to go on weekend walks around my neighborhood,” Padlan said. “The orange leaves and the older looking houses — (New York) is very different to where I live now, and I guess I didn’t recognize that when I was younger.”
David Nguyen: Starships by Nicki Minaj
Public health sophomore David Nguyen said he associates Nicki Minaj’s “Starships” with his youth and generation.
“It’s a song I used to hear throughout my adolescence,” Nguyen said. “It was always on during the car ride after school, and it was a good bop.”
As he grows older, Nguyen said the song follows him, mimicking that enjoyment he felt during his youth and the impact Minaj had on his generation.
“The chorus of, ‘Starships are meant to fly,’ brings back memories of people at a party putting their hands up,” Nguyen said. “I feel like that song is just really fun.”
Selah Norton: Beach Life-in-Death by Car Seat Headrest
Selah Norton, a statistics and data science sophomore, said “Beach Life-in-Death” reminds her of the summer before starting college and makes her reminisce on the eventfulness of it.
“(The song) makes me feel everything,” Norton said. “Whenever I listen to that song, I can measure my change and how I’ve viewed things differently since that time period.”
Clocking in at just over 13 minutes, Norton said the various themes in the song, from a coming out experience to a dog motif, remind her of that special summer.
Chenyi Wang: White Flag by Clairo
Computer science sophomore Chenyi Wang said Clairo’s “White Flag” reminds him of a time of loneliness and compassion during a rough patch in high school.
“Each time I listen to it, it brings me back to those days of feeling sorrow and upset,” Wang said. “It reminds me of how far I’ve come to be able to be happy and content with the life I have.”
Wang said the difficult patch accelerated his maturity, a sentiment Clairo echoed in her song, providing him solidarity.
“I was maturing pretty quickly and felt like this song truly resonated with me,” Wang said. “Clairo had a sense of early maturity as well. How she could emotionally understand other people and herself at a very young age was something I was inspired by.”
