In honor of impending graduations, growing up in uncertain times, and knowing that youthfulness is not an era, but a state of mind; this is a coming-of-age playlist for all ages.
These songs encompass all of the wonderful, angst-filled, and wonderfully angst-filled feelings and beautiful contradictions that come with being young. They feel like being stuck in the in-between, yet cherishing living so infinitely in the present. They feel like being in the car with the windows down, and singing with your friends without a care and despite all the cares in the world. They feel like nostalgia, the present, and looking forward all at once; because that’s what being young feels like.
It’s a nostalgic feeling for times that aren’t even over yet, like Matchbox Twenty’s “Parade” and “Gold Forever” by The Wanted. It’s facing the future, whether with apprehension or confident anticipation, as heard in “The Green and The Town” by AJR, and John Mayer’s “No such Thing.” It’s even a longing for days passed, like Bleacher’s “I Miss Those Days,” and Conan Gray’s “Little League;” yet learning that if you keep alive your passion and curiosity and youthful abandon, those days and feelings never truly have to end.
We hope you enjoy this music whether you are coming-of-age in these unprecedented times, or are simply staying young at heart.
Don’t worry, The Kids Are Alright.
- Little League – Conan Gray
- Backyard Boy – Claire Rosinkranz
- The Great Escape – Boys Like Girls
- The First Time – Boys Like Girls
- The Green and the Town – AJR
- No Such Thing – John Mayer
- Afterglow – All Time Low
- Somewhere In Neverland – All Time Low
- Parade – Matchbox Twenty
- I Miss Those Days – Bleachers
- Always Be – Jimmy Eat World
- Down in the Dumps – WALK THE MOON
- Gold Forever – The Wanted
Written and Curated by Anna Waggoner