Tomorrow, March 13th, is my 19th birthday which I am very excited about! When I reflect on my past year with the pandemic shutdown beginning a year ago, today, being eighteen years old was the first step of my pandemic experience and the year only became more and more interesting from there.
Despite all the setbacks, disappointments, cancellations, and many unfortunate outcomes of this past year, it has been one of the best years of my life so far. I have grown so much in the past year through quarantine, ending high school and beginning my college experience. I am still enjoying my experiences and have learned to be grateful for everything I am fortunate to have & encounter.
I am optimistic about being nineteen, but being 18 will always hold a special place in my heart.
Based on this, I have decided to dedicate this week’s ranking countdown to my top 3 favorite songs about being 18 years old.
This link will take you to a playlist full of songs based on the first year of adulthood, so let me know your favorites!
3. “Eighteen” by Vistas
I genuinely really enjoy this song, as it is very upbeat and fun. Vistas’ voice is satisfying to listen to and the simplicity of the song’s chorus makes the song easily likable. I found this song for the first time during this past week as I began to reminisce my past year of being 18 through songs.
I definitely recommend checking this song out if you enjoy music by GroupLove or any music similar to that vibe. It has a nostalgic vibe as it repeats “Can we go back to eighteen?” referencing the singer’s fond moments at age 18.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSXfMfN8cVg
2. “18” by One Direction
If there are any Directioners out there reading this, you already know the 100% deserved hype about this song. The song has an extremely cute storyline, as they paint a picture of a pair of friends who have been in love since they were eighteen years old, but never admitted their feelings until years later. The chorus’ line “I have loved you since we were eighteen / Long before we both thought the same thing” depicts this previously-stated notion. I can easily imagine this as a wedding song for a couple who has been together…you guessed it… since they were 18 years old or knew each other at this point.
I know a few friends who have become disappointed from this song, though, because they have cherished this song since childhood and have not met anyone they think they love before turning 19. That is one drawback to adorable songs such as this classic boy band hit: people making the realization that everyone’s paths of life are different and not everyone will meet the love of their life by age eighteen.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqRr2TQnpPw
1. “8TEEN” by Khalid
This 18-themed song is my number one choice due to my nostalgia tied to it. Khalid’s American Teen album came out during my freshman year of high school, and I loved every song on it. Therefore, any time I hear one of his songs from this album it reminds me of great memories.
Another reason I enjoy this song is because it is lighthearted and embraces the concept that teenagers sometimes act rebelliously despite the crutch of still living with one’s parents until leaving for college, providing restrictions to having some fun. Khalid does mention love in this song in a casual way and admits that since he’s young he has never been in love, which is a nod to the concept that at age 18 you are still figuring it all out, and this sense of discovery should be celebrated. That is one of the reasons I enjoy this song the best, since it is not a designated love song such as the One Direction hit as #2 and can apply to either a friendship, personal/individual, or relationship context.