Letting you in on some of the songs that accompanied my summer.

Summer break, simultaneously an amazing (and well deserved) break from the stresses of schoolwork, and a time that can make some feel extremely isolated. As a first-year going into my first summer break away from Quinnipiac, I wasn’t sure what to expect. In highschool, the idea of summer break was primarily positive. You had less work to complete and more time for your friends—most of which lived in your town. It was easy to see the people you cared about the most. But now in college, while some of my friends also live in Connecticut, I don’t have a car to travel the long distances to see them whenever I want, and for friends that live out of state? Seeing them felt out of the question. The idea that “this summer is going to be a movie,” seemed impossible. That was before I was bestowed the opportunity to work for Quinnipiac Orientation during the month of June. 

I had wanted to work for Orientation since I had partaken in my session in the summer of 2023, and I was ecstatic to be offered the position as the semester winded down. I had the opportunity to work a job that I was incredibly passionate about, as well as live and work with friends for a whole month. The experience being back at school working was an amazing, if not busy one. I didn’t have much time to listen to music during the month of June, but there were absolutely a few songs that soundtracked my orientation. One of which was “Unwritten,” by Natasha Bedingfield.

“Unwritten” – Natasha Bedingfield

I have a long history with this song, from hearing it sung by my high school choir when I was in middle school, to singing it for the middle school when I was in high school, and now, to performing a flash mob dance to it to over a thousand first-years through the course of six orientation sessions. I always loved the song as a kid too. Even though it was released in 2004, before I was born, “Unwritten” remained popular into my childhood, becoming a radio classic in the 2010s to the point where if you needed a song that everyone knew, it was a safe bet.

“Fourth Of July” – Fall Out Boy

I’ve been a fan of Fall Out Boy since I was a middle schooler, which is something that is incredibly obvious to those who know me in real life or those who are friends with me on Airbuds. “Fourth Of July” is a song “rumored” to be about Pete Wentz’s painfully gay yearning for My Chemical Romance’s Mikey Way during Warped Tour in the summer of 2004. It also just happens to be named after a holiday that feels special, especially as someone from a coastal town. Driving down to the beach with your arm out the window, feeling the cool breeze and watching the—admittedly illegal—fireworks being set off on the sand.

“Love Bites (So Do I)” – Halestorm

I had only ever been to one concert in my life before coming to Quinnipiac, an ironic fact considering that I joined WQAQ and am this year’s Punk and Alternative Genre Manager—let it be known that my first ever concert was Bruno Mars. My second concert ever turned out to be Flo Rida, right here at Quinnipiac during Wake The Giant. My third ever concert was this July, and it was a band I was largely unfamiliar with until that point. I went with my girlfriend and some friends to Boston Seaport to a super cool outdoor venue, but on the way, I was familiarized with some of the band’s music. One of my favorites from our time listening was “Love Bites (So Do I)” off of “The Strange Case Of…”

“Like Real People Do” – Hozier

This summer was a big one for the Lindsey concert list, I also had the amazing privilege to make the trek up to Maine with my girlfriend and some friends—yes, again. What about it?—to Maine to see Hozier perform in Bangor for her birthday. I went camping for my first time ever in Acadia, where I slept a total of 2 hours after not being able to get comfortable on the ground. Camping may not be for me… The surrounding scenery and wildlife were so incredibly beautiful to experience, and I gained a new appreciation for Hozier’s music after watching him perform. I may have spent a half-hour trying to dislodge a light-up-beach ball from our view, but I had a really good time nonetheless.

“Closing Time” – Semisonic

As the summer season came to a close and myself and the other Orientation Leaders moved back to campus on August 19, 2024, this is the only song that ran through my head. If you’re familiar with WQAQ’s karaoke nights up at On The Rocks, you may know that by the time we are clearing out, the staff at the pub have started to play “Closing Time,” which as the name suggests, means that they are closing up and starting to clean. To me, it began to represent a bittersweet ending to something—a time that is no longer and a person you’ll never be again. I definitely feel that way coming back to campus for my second year here at Quinnipiac, and after the first week of classes, I can’t help but feel like things will never be the same again—but maybe that’s not a bad thing—because every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.