‘SOLAR FLARE | New Beginnings,’ , 4/13
Spring is a time of new beginnings, with all the emotions they can entail. The playlist below illustrates a variety of moods related to this idea of growth and new beginnings, both personal and relational. Some of these songs contrast a painful past with new, vibrant possibilities for the future, while others address the mingled hope and nervousness that can accompany the beginning of a new chapter.
- Maisie Peters: “Daydreams”
For any new chapter to begin, something else must end, and most of this song dwells in the grief of saying goodbye to an idealized, imaginary future that was never meant to be. However, this song ends on a hopeful note, setting the stage for something new to bloom.
- Taylor Swift: “Begin Again”
This title speaks for itself. In this classic song, Swift expresses the simultaneous hesitation and excitement of beginning a new relationship after a recent heartbreak, contrasting the unhappy former relationship with the beautiful potential of the new one.
- Lizzy McAlpine: “all my ghosts”
Through a series of vivid, sharply specific snapshots, McAlpine describes the beginning of a romantic relationship that, like Swift’s in “Begin Again,” is colored by memories of the past. Here, the “ghosts” of past partners coexist with the present vibrancy of the new memories being created in this song.
- Gracie Abrams: “Risk”
“Risk” embraces the giddy obsession of a new relationship in its earliest stages. This song is imaginative, dramatic, delighted, self-deprecating and anxious all at once.
- Olivia Dean: “So Easy (To Fall In Love)”
This is a much more upbeat and confident new-relationship song. Lacking both the hesitant vulnerability of “Begin Again” or “all my ghosts” and the anxiety of “Risk,” this song celebrates a new beginning that feels easy and assured.
- Maisie Peters: “The Good Witch”
This playlist’s second Maisie Peters song, “The Good Witch,” is a new beginning in a more literal sense, as the opening track of Peters’ second album. Unlike the songs above, Peters addresses many of the ways she and her life have not changed, yet she still frames this song as a new start by celebrating small moments of growth, perhaps anticipating more progress to come.
- Twenty One Pilots: “Oldies Station”
Not all new beginnings are tied to relationships, or even to a specific pivotal moment. “Oldies Station” takes a retrospective view, with the singer expressing appreciation for how far he has come since his dark past. This song is particularly poignant in the context of the band’s earlier music, much of which deals with themes of depression and suicide.
- Ally Salort: “I’ve Never Met Her”
“I’ve Never Met Her” is a defiant comparison between past and present selves. Unlike Twenty One Pilots’ reflections on the journey from former self to present, Salort ruthlessly severs all ties to the former version of herself. This is an energetic song centered on the decisive declaration of a new chapter.
- Stephen Sanchez: “Hey Girl”
With his smooth, rich voice and gentle guitar, Sanchez expresses hints of vulnerability mingled with reverence in this song about beginning to fall in love. The repeated line “I wanna know you” perfectly conveys the beauty and uncertainty of these early moments in a relationship.
- Sasha Alex Sloan: “Hypochondriac”
The last song on this playlist is simultaneously a personal and a relational new beginning. Here, Sloan describes a history of self-destructive behavior and a new love that serves as the inspiration to turn over a new leaf.
You can find the playlist here.
‘Solar Flare’ is a weekly playlist column where Sun contributors spotlight a slice of musical taste with the campus community. It runs every Monday.
Raina Lockwood is a member of the Class of 2027 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a contributor for the Arts & Culture department and can be reached at rl978@cornell.edu.
