By Barbara Vasquez, Asst. Production Editor
As a teenage girl living in New York City, I am very passionate about two things: Dunkin’ and Autumn. More specifically, I’m very passionate about the flavor that represents autumn: pumpkin spice! Since pumpkin came back to Dunkin’, I’ve been getting a coffee from there at least three times a week– this past month has been terrible for my bank account. But, while I was enjoying one of these three drinks, I got the genius (at least, in my mind) idea for this Jasper Jams! So, to celebrate that Dunkin’ finally rolled out their complete fall menu this past Wednesday, I present to you… Dunkin’s fall menu items as songs on my playlist!
- I Know – Drake Bell as a Pumpkin Donut
Drake Bell of the Nickelodeon show “Drake and Josh” serves as a reminder of my childhood– a childhood where I wasn’t old enough to drink coffee yet but could still do my part as a pumpkin lover and eat Dunkin’s awesome pumpkin donuts. Therefore, my favorite song from Bell is the song I have chosen to represent this beloved pumpkin donut. This song is a nostalgic pop-rock track with an almost bouncy melody that, once again, reminds me of the autumn months. Listening to this transports me to a world where I’m younger and think my life is hard and I’m grungy, but in reality, I’m sitting on a park bench eating donuts with my siblings. Guess what flavor mine is.
- Simple and Clean – Hikaru Utada as a Potion Macchiato
The brand-new Potion Macchiato uses an ube-marshmallow swirl as its flavoring, which results in a drink that is fairly sweet and tasty but also reasonably nutty. In a live taste test that I performed with two friends on the drink’s release date on Wednesday, it was concluded that I was the only one who liked the taste. Therefore, I think Simple and Clean is the perfect song for this drink. I love this song– it was my most-played song for September. However, it is a bit different, and I could see why other people wouldn’t gravitate towards it. Maybe the song nor the drink isn’t everyone’s cup of tea; I’m still a fan of both!
- Pretty Slowly – Benson Boone as a Pumpkin Cold Brew
A few weeks ago I went to a music festival with Benson Boone as one of the performers. After seeing his face for the first time, I knew I was a fan (his voice is great, too), so I listened to his whole discography the next day. “Pretty Slowly” stuck out to me and has become a quick favorite of mine, just like a pumpkin cold brew. My order, a black cold brew with two pumpkin swirls and sweet cold foam, is almost exactly to my taste. It’s strong, sweet, and quite refreshing for a coffee drink. It’s been a fairly consistent drink order for the past month or so, like how “Pretty Slowly” has been fairly consistently listened to on my walks to class. If I had to pick only a few things to represent my fall experience this year, this song and this drink would definitely both make the cut.
- Hungry Like The Wolf – Duran Duran as a Spider Speciality Donut
This donut is arguably the most ‘Halloween-y’ item that Dunkin’ has on their fall menu. It’s a cute purple donut with a chocolate munchkin in the middle and a chocolate frosting design on the rest of the donut, making it resemble a spider. The donut is cute, a bit spooky, and a fun way to pay tribute to Halloween. I don’t have many songs on my playlist that are necessarily ‘spooky,’ but I think “Hungry Like The Wolf” is close enough. This song is certainly not about werewolves or a monster chase or anything of the sort, but if you don’t listen to the lyrics too closely, that is the vibe you get. What do werewolves and monsters remind you of? Halloween! And what Halloween-themed donut is available at Dunkin’? The spider specialty donut! I’m sure you see the connection I’m trying to make here.
- Kiss Me – Sixpence None The Richer as a Pumpkin Spiced Latte
Last but certainly not least, we have the iconic pumpkin spiced latte. For this iconic fall drink, I have chosen an iconic fall song, Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer. I mean, this song is indicative of a good rom-com, which is coincidentally indicative of a good autumn day for me– and what better to pair a good autumn day with than a pumpkin-spiced latte! Once again, this song is truly the embodiment of fall. It makes me want to frolic in a field of red and orange leaves, wearing my uggs and drink something warm (or iced!) and comforting.
I look forward to hearing this song during a rom-com, just like I look forward to pumpkin syrups returning to coffee shops all year round. I think you get the idea here; this song is the musical embodiment of a sweet, delicious pumpkin-spiced latte.