Copy editor Maddie Mulligan and I are friends, but we never talk about music. We talk about Renaissance art—her favorite pieces when we went to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston together one weekend—photography, and occasionally the latest social media trends, but never our music tastes.
As two active members of the weekly Sunday 1 p.m. arts-section staff meetings, we were peer pressured—I mean, inspired—by our fellow arts editors’ iEdits and knew we had to jump on this train.
Since the two of us are the first iEdit pair after Summer Break, we mutually agreed that it is only fitting for us to have a summer-themed playlist. What does summer mean for Maddie, though? Well, it’s one of chill, and perhaps old, summer night vibes.
Starting off her playlist is a slow-paced Leon Bridges song, “Beyond.” This was exactly what I expected when she said her playlist was going to set the scene for a groovy summer evening.
Maddie’s second track, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears is a song most people should be familiar with.
“All for freedom and for pleasure / Nothing ever lasts forever / Everybody wants to rule the world,” Tears for Fears sings.
Maddie might be revealing her deepest and darkest desires to conquer summer—whatever that means.
The next song is “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure. The melancholy pop jam is about being obsessed with a girl, exactly the same way Maddie is going to be obsessed with her newfound freedom this summer as she works as a camp counselor.
“Cold Cold Man” by Saint Motel follows. This uplifting song perfectly embodies Maddie’s indie pop obsession, as well as a groovy summer evening.
Maddie is always on top of the new movies, music, and pop culture phenomenons, but I believe that her true identity is an old soul.
Another classic coming from Maddie’s old soul is “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Maddie is unapologetically revealing her love for old music. To think that this version of Maddie is the same person who wrote about the Super Bowl halftime show is shocking.
I can definitely envision Maddie’s chill summer nights including “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass. The slow pop-rock song is a perfect mood setter if you’re going on a McDonald’s drive one summer evening.
“Night Moves” by Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band picked up the acoustic guitar, in a slow-paced but passionate storytelling of a teenage romance. This one has got to be my favorite song on the playlist. From lyrics to melody, this is exactly what I picture a summer night to look like.
“Workin’ on our night moves / Trying’ to make some front page drive-in news,” Seger sings. “Practicing our night moves in the summertime, oh / In the sweet summertime.”
Maddie shifts the trajectory of her playlist to a slow-dancing, jazzy mood with the addition of “Give Me One Reason” by Tracy Chapman to her summer evening. Starting off with the acoustic guitar, a recurring characteristic of Maddie’s song selections, Chapman adds to Maddie’s playlist while staying true to her old soul taste in music.
Second to last is “You Are the Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne. With the repeating line “You are the best thing” throughout the song, the words reinforce Maddie’s superior oldie taste.
Reaching the end of the playlist was bittersweet because I was reaching the end of my back-in-time adventure. The playlist concludes with the banger “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence & The Machine. A song about facing hardships, the tune reminds us that regardless of how difficult those moments can be, there will always be light on the other side.
“Leave all your love and your longing behind / You can’t carry it with you if you want to survive / The dog days are over,” sings Florence.
Maddie leaves her playlist acknowledging the difficulties of being a student, but also with an optimistic view as she enters her sophomore year at BC after a well-deserved summer vacation.
Just to emphasize, I am not insulting Maddie in any way for describing her music taste as ‘old soul.’ Nowadays, the music world moves at a fast pace, and let’s be honest, it can feel incredibly industrialized. Therefore, I think it is admirable for people to realize and appreciate good music, even if they are labeled ‘old.’
Maddie might manage to stay on top of the latest musical trends, but she cannot hide her love for old songs, and most definitely cannot hide her now-exposed identity as a groovy old soul.
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