The LaSallian’s Summer Series: Playlist

This year’s four months of summer will be different for us Lasallians. For some, it will be the longest vacation they’ll ever have as students, while for others, it’ll be another busy few months, either with the special term or with OJT.

Last year, The LaSallian presented a list of tracks to accompany you during the different ups and downs of summer vacation. Twelve months later and the playlist has been revitalized. This summer, whether you’re doing some soul-searching or keeping on hitting the books, here are a few songs to get you into what you’re doing.

When you have literally nothing to do at home

Sembreak by Eraserheads 

Summer is the time when students are free from the binds of deadlines, freeloading group mates, crammed papers, and hair-pulling exams. Having all the time in the world, but with no baon to spare, though, is the sad injustice many students face during the summer. So, for those stuck bumming at home due to financial shortage, let the Eraserheads tell you that you are not alone in purgatory. The quirky lyrics describing that dreadful vacation limbo together with the raw 90s sound of Sembreak makes a good listen when you’re just lounging at home, getting fried by the Philippine heat.

When you’re trying to beat the heat

When A Fire Starts To Burn by Disclosure 

There’s no escape from the summer heat here in the Philippines. If you plan to leave your house, one way or another, you’ll have to feel the sun’s wrath, and often, when outdoors, you end up racing to your destination to avoid the searing heat. Disclosure’s When a Fire Starts to Burn goes with that sense of urgency to get to cover. As the song goes on, the more it feels like you’ll be bursting into flames. Plus, it gives you a beat to walk along to while trying to stay in the shade.

When you have summer all-nighters

Sleep by Allen Stone

Thanks to all the TV series, books, or movies you’ve always wanted to catch up on but couldn’t because of this thing we call school, your summer is still full of all-nighters. This time, though, you actually want and choose to stay up late.

When the only light source in your room is your laptop or your reading light, let the jazzy and smooth guns of Allen Stone in Sleep slither in with you in your much-deserved all-nighter. You deserve one that’s not polluted with stress and accounting sheets.

When you’re in your OJT or class instead of bumming

Back in Black by AC/DC

Another sad truth about summer is that it isn’t always about bumming, beaches, and binge-watching. Some actually use the four months of vacation to be productive, whether applying for internships, completing practicum requirements, or enrolling in summer classes. To pump these responsible souls, you can never go wrong with a classic hard rock song, complete with badass guitar solo and lyrics about getting stronger. We suggest you play this while you enter class or your OJT to get what we mean.

When you’re on a date with your special someone

Shut Up And Dance With Me by Walk The Moon

With how busy the term was, you have to make up for the time you lost doing schoolwork, with that special boy or girl. Now that most of the academic stress is out of the way, it’s a chance to put that one day aside to just be with the person you love. You can travel somewhere together, have a fancy dinner, or even spend the day at home binge watching TV series together. This song just reminds you that it doesn’t matter what you’re doing as long as you’re together.

When you’re finally about to dive into the sea or a cold pool

Beautiful Ones by Suede

For all the days spent inside the LRT and MRT during peak hours, for all the walking trips from Andrew to Yuchengco under the burning sun, and for all the times your gray shirt had turned black by the end of the day, a trip to the beach or even just a swimming pool is what your body deserves. As you walk toward that body of water, shake your meat to the beat (but don’t get stoned in a lonely town) of Suede’s Beautiful Ones. Nothing like a Britpop song about being young, beautiful, and free, to kick off your dive to the cold waters.

When you’re trying to be productive

People Get Up And Drive Your Funky Soul by James Brown

Procrastination can be one of the worst enemies of a student during a term, yet it might be a more persistent problem during the summer when everyone else is just relaxing. Maybe you’re learning something new, starting to work out, or just plain ‘ol studying, but then the television and couch might put you down long enough to move everything a day later. This James Brown song is just what you’re trying to tell yourself repeated to a funky beat. If the lyrics don’t get you on your feet immediately, the song runs for nine minutes trying to convince you as many times as your parents do in a day, just in a catchier way.

When you’re seeing a new place

Paradise City by Guns N’ Roses

Summer is the time to get out there and see those places you’ve always dreamed of visiting. GNR’s Paradise City is the song to get you pumped up for getting lost somewhere you’ve never been to, but you know you want to be. Whether your paradise city is where you can get your feet wet on exotic shores, explore a new culture, or be anywhere miles away from the familiar, you can rock out with Axl Rose about the place you want to get away to and just go wild.

When house chores are your summer pals

Teenagers by My Chemical Romance

Let’s face it, there is a limit as to how much bumming one can do in a span of 4 months of no commitments (and money). Some actually miss being productive to make up for all the time they’ve been stationary on the couch. For those with no financial resources but the desire to be productive at home, house chores are your one and only friend! And let My Chemical Romance perk you up while you sweep your floor or wash the dirty dishes (which are probably yours in the first place). The irony of doing chores while singing (or screaming) to the song’s rebellious lyrics is nothing short of effective in inspiring you to clean your room.

When you enter an air-conditioned room

Never, Never Gonna Give You Up by Barry White

There’s nothing more refreshing in the summer than entering an air-conditioned room after a long walk in the sun. When you’re sweating outside, feeling closer to dying by the minute, the sudden rush of cool air is like a form of rebirth. Barry White’s hit song fits the feeling of that sudden comfort flowing through your body. The tense intro captures the moment you switch the air conditioner on and wait for the place to cool down, and once Barry starts singing and you get to the right temperature to forget that it’s summer, you feel what he’s saying with the room you never want to leave.

Whether your summer is spent sitting on the couch, exploring the world, facing a boss, or working on your thesis, you deserve a great summer because of all the stress inflicted by the term before. And although you have another academic term ahead of you, you ought to make the most out of the four months of summer that happens only once in a college lifetime.