Editor's Note, 3/20

In case you haven’t noticed by now, making playlists is my thing. Since the inception of my Spotify Premium subscription, constructing playlists has been my joy, my therapy, my processing and my relief. Now, as I rapidly approach the end of my Duke career, these playlists are becoming my closure. I don’t mean this as an “I never want to graduate” type of statement. Instead, I feel a bittersweet mix of fearing the time when my closest friends may be states or continents away and accepting that I have reached the immovable conclusion of my time here. So, for my final editor’s note, I present to you one last playlist.

I know that, if I choose to use only my own words to communicate how I feel right now and what I wish to share with you, I would fall far short of my intent. Instead, I’ll use my own amateurish art of curating music to convey what I would like to say with significantly more beauty.

1. ‘Promesses’ by Dimmi feat. B. Lacoste

This track from French DJ Dimmi samples President Obama’s speech from the 2012 election night while combining an absolutely killer saxophone and steady dance beat. “I believe we can keep the promise of our founding, the idea that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love.” While this is an idealistic dream that lies far from fruition, President Obama’s words still reflect the vision that so many in the United States hold for our future. No matter our party affiliation, these words should ring true. Oh, and who doesn’t need something inspiring to dance to?

2. ‘I Wanna Get Better’ by Bleachers

4. ‘The Wind’ by Cat Stevens

This short one’s for all of us staring into the horizon, toes curled over the edge of the cliff, asking ourselves whether we can actually fly once we make the leap. The simplicity of “I listen to the wind/To the wind of my soul/Where I’ll end up, well I think/Only God really knows” captures our transience and envelops us in Cat Stevens’s calm voice and fingerpicking.

5. ‘No Surrender’ by Bruce Springsteen

If I didn’t include some Bruce, I would be lying to the world about who I am. And really, what could be more fitting for a graduating senior than charging into the world with, “No retreat, and baby, no surrender.” (Though I don’t really think it rings true of Duke that “We learned more from a three minute record, baby/Than we ever learned in school.”)

6. ‘Jubel’ by Klingande

The Swedish hit ‘Jubel’ is far less about its sparse lyrics than instrumentals, which include another amazing lead saxophone. Yes, saxiness is a new theme in my life. Judge me. But not before you let the dance beat, sultry voice and climactic sax wash over you.

7. ‘Young and Able’ by Current Swell
This was one of my spring break ocean-side staples due to its incredibly relaxed vibe and peaceful lyrics. There’s a particular line that stands out to me amidst the melodic vocals and soothing acoustic strumming: “Your home is where you make it/You make it where you live.” The knowledge that we can create another home beyond Duke is comforting, especially in tandem with the rest of the song’s message about finding someone to love who will be the foundation of that sense of home.

8. ‘Wait’ by M83

“No time, no time, no time.” I have had far too little time with so many of those to whom I have grown so close. My heavy heart stems from the deep gratitude it holds. To my Duke friends both here and gone: whether you knew me for all four years, through my roughest and most ungrateful iterations, or whether you have known me for half a year, loving and motivating me to transform my character and live in vulnerable honesty, thank you. You have become a family to me unlike any I could imagine. I am who I am because of you. I hope you all know that I am here for you now and in the years to come, even as we find ourselves in opposite corners of the Earth.

9. ‘Beth/Rest’ by Bon Iver

This ‘80s-inspired track concludes one of my favorite albums, Bon Iver’s self-titled effort. It is one of the best albums to listen to on vinyl, achieving a strikingly eerie and beautiful depth that electronic formatting can’t seem to emulate. ‘Beth/Rest’ reaches me the way it does because it describes a relationship in all of its ups and downs, a sensation well-known to those who have maintained a close relationship of any kind over these four years.

10. ‘The Parting Glass’ by Wailin’ Jennys

I will end with a centuries-old song which my ancestors in Scotland almost certainly knew—if not sang—to wish close friends goodbye. I recommend The Wailin’ Jennys’ gorgeous rendition, but warn that tears may accompany. In my mind, I listen and picture a group of friends (who were probably just as reliant on plaid then as I am now) reminiscing, laughing, forgiving and basking in the too-rapidly disappearing glow of intimate friendship. But that’s just me; let it mean to you whatever you need it to be.

Oh all the money that e'er I spent
I spent it in good company
And all the harm that e'er I've done
Alas, it was to none but me

And all the harm that e'er I've done
Alas, it was to none but me
And all I've done for want of wit
To memory now I can't recall
So fill to me the parting glass
Good night and joy be with you all

Oh all the comrades that e'er I've had
Are sorry for my going away
And all the sweethearts that e'er I've had
Would wish me one more day to stay
But since it falls unto my lot
That I should rise and you should not
I'll gently rise and I'll softly call
Good night and joy be with you all.