By Elizabeth Kalaj, Web Editor
I hope your first month back at school has been filled with many coffee runs, train rides, laughs with friends and makeup sessions in front of the mirror. I am honored to write my first Jasper Jams on something I am extremely passionate about, songs perfect for doing your hair and makeup before going out.
Most of you know what it feels like to be tearing apart your closet in search of a shirt or debating between three different red lip tints while you promised your best friend that you’d be outside her apartment in Riverdale in ten minutes. Getting ready for social events can range from stressful to exhilarating, depending on the mood that the music establishes.
I believe I have found the perfect collection of songs that hype people up and make them sing their hearts out while holding their eyelash curlers. Here, I share with you the songs that hype me up before going out.
All-American Bitch by Olivia Rodrigo
This song is a staple in my playlist because it screams, “I am THAT girl.” Olivia Rodrigo’s songs hold a certain place in my heart because she is my age and perfectly portrays the female experience through her music. In this song, she defines what it means to be unapologetically yourself and love every minute. Rodrigo starts the song on a calm note and then completely transforms the song into an absolute release of chaos.
Favorite verse: “I don’t get angry when I’m pissed / I’m the eternal optimist / I scream inside to deal with it / Like, ‘Ah’,”
Free by Florence and the Machine
This song has become one of my favorite songs from the first time I listened to it. It is one of the few musical pieces that fully encapsulates how I address my anxiety. On the days I have to get ready in my room without any of my friends around, I often play this song to release any of the struggles I am feeling within and to simply dance it out.
Favorite verse: “I’m always running from something / I push it back, but it keeps on coming / And being clever never got me very far / Because it’s all in my head / And ‘You’re too sensitive,’ they said / I said, ‘Okay, but let’s discuss this at the hospital’.”
Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan
This song is another amazing piece that takes specific details and examples of situations, yet everyone who listens can relate to it somehow. Roan represents how hard it can be to become one with yourself due to judgment and fear or rejection from people we love, yet how freeing it can be once we finally do so. This song is a lovely reminder before social events to be who you are and do what you enjoy.
Favorite verse: “God, what have you done? / You’re a pink pony girl / And you dance at the club / Oh mama, I’m just having fun / On the stage in my heels / It’s where I belong.”
Tough Love by Gracie Abrams
Gracie Abrams has a way of creating albums that can be listened to under any circumstances. However, this song is an anthem to all women with strong female friendships. Many people in the media have argued that society has become anti-relationship and that this song is a testament to that. The best part about this song, in my opinion, is that romantic relationships can be excluded entirely from this song. Instead, Abrams denies the idea of having a flirty night with random men, which means much less than valuable time spent with her female friends. Listening to this while borrowing tops from girls down the hall and walking over to An Beal Bocht puts me in the perfect and most appreciative mood.
Favorite verse: “No chance I waste my twenties on random men / Not one of them is cooler than all my friends / And I hate to leave him bleedin’ / But I know, know what I’m leavin’ for.”
Pretty Isn’t Pretty by Olivia Rodrigo
Another song from the “Guts” album made it onto the list. When showering or getting ready to go out, I often shuffle the entire album, but this song specifically scratches the part of my brain that screams “female rage.” This song tends to shuffle perfectly on my playlist when my shirts feel too cropped or my under-eye bags shine through my concealer. While this song may seem inherently harmful, it reminds me that an individual can never be perfect, even though we all try to be, which makes me feel much less alone. Additionally, the song has a fantastic beat, making it even more magical.
Favorite verse: “And I bought all the clothes that they told me to buy / I chased some dumb ideal my whole f*cking life / And none of it matters, and none of it ends / You just feel like sh*t over and over again.”
Lady Like by Ingrid Andress
I’m unsure if you have sensed a theme in this list by now, but female empowerment is the type of energy I try to attract before entering social environments. This song reminds me that I am “untameable” and “unframeable.” As a woman who is loud, confident and takes up space, this song reminds me that those characteristics make me unstoppable instead of something that makes me insecure.
Favorite verse: “But I’m a lady like, whoa / I could bring you to your knees / And get you kicked out the Garden of Eden / Untameable, unframeable, Mona Lisa / Oh, kiss you like a whiskey fire / Turn around, leave your heart in a riot / Lipstick in a cigarette pack on the dash / I’m a lady like that.”
Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen
This banger is self-explanatory regarding how it has made it on the list. It is all about how nothing can get in the way of having a good time! The fast pace and clever lyrics can get anyone pumped up to go on an adventure.
Favorite verse: “Don’t stop me now, I’m having such a good time / I’m having a ball / Don’t stop me now / If you wanna have a good time (wooh) / Just give me a call (alright) / Don’t stop me now (’cause I’m having a good time, yeah yeah) / Don’t stop me now (yes, I’m havin’ a good time) / I don’t want to stop at all.”
I Can Do It With a Broken Heart by Taylor Swift
It cannot be a Jasper Jams or a playlist I recommended if there is not at least one Taylor Swift song on it! This song is fun, deep, silly, upbeat and sad, all in three minutes and thirty-eight seconds. It is the perfect example of resonating with lyrics while dancing to the beat. No matter what happens Monday through Friday, this song reminds us that we can go out and do everything we want and more.
Favorite verse: “I’m so depressed, I act like it’s my birthday every day / I’m so obsessed with him but he avoids me like the plague / I cry a lot but I am so productive, it’s an art / You know you’re good when you can even do it / With a broken heart.”