3 Songs That Always Revert Me Back to My College Self
Rhythm Reverie #5
The following story is part of a larger series that you can read more about here. Check out this Spotify playlist to hear the songs referenced in the series.
My favorite types of people are the ones who remind me of past versions of myself.
The ones who know the 10-year-old version who was obsessed with Harriet the Spy, the high school soccer player version living for nights spent in the goal, the college student version whose drink of choice was vodka and flavored water.
There’s solace in knowing that these individuals, despite time and distances apart, remain unmarred lighthouses in my life. Beacons to guide me through the choppy waters of being human when I need a reminder of just how far I’ve come.
I visited my college roommate this past weekend to get a break from the monotony of lingering pandemic life. She’s one of these beacons, someone who reverts me back to my 22-year-old self. A version that is always ready to embrace the delightful combination of dancing & vodka-fueled debauchery.
And that’s what we did.
The night started with a two-person pregame (can I call it a pregame if only two people partake?) and the songs that defined our senior year. Hardly a Friday night would pass in the mid-2010s without gathering on the porch of our college house to play these three songs on rotation:
- “One Dance” by Drake
- “All Night” by Chance the Rapper
- “Latch” by Disclosure
The chosen beats clearly set the tone for the rest of the evening. What followed was a combination of vodka sodas, DJ mashups, and a sticky, crowded dance floor with actual 22-year-olds I had no business being around.
As I reflect on a weekend that caused me to wake up and proclaim, “I’m never drinking again,” I can’t help but to be grateful for people like my roommate.
They’re the beacons of light who guide me to a different place and time for a brief, but albeit joyous, respite from me.
