It’s 1987, my mom, Julie Salomonson, is getting ready for her state championship track meet. “Eye of the Tiger” blasts in her walkman, last-minute endorphins kicking in before the big race. Connected with her music, my mom is finally ready to bring home the win. 

It’s interesting how music affects people differently and can make you feel energized, sad, or empowered. Music can reflect our own emotions and with every melody, a different feeling can be evoked within us.  

The music we like is subjective so our tastes fluctuate regularly. A song you may love now can become irrelevant in a few weeks. This is the beauty of streaming platforms today when your tastes inevitably change different songs are all there, ready for you to discover something new.   

Kayla Osumi ‘22 said that music makes her feel “really happy,” a sentiment felt by many of the students interviewed. Music, she continued, was one of the things she listens to when she’s sad “and it just lightens my mood up again.” 

Nadia Connelly ‘21 described music as “a way to express your creativity” and feel “inspired.”    

According to Devin Franke 21’ his feelings towards music change with the genre. “Every time a different genre is played it invokes a different reaction.” He described jazz music as “relaxing” and rap as “energetic,” highlighting how various genres can attribute unique feelings, depending on a person’s experience.  

Every genre has preconceived connotations about the songs within them, and this affects how we feel towards them. Listening to a certain genre might evoke specific emotions for you, depending on the memories or connections you attach to it. For Franke, rap feels “energetic,” but this can vary depending on who you are and the relationship you have with that type of music. 

When asked to pick their favorite songs, students chose from a variety of genres and artists. Recurring favorites included Nirvana, Khalid, Rex Orange County and the White Stripes. There were also selections from Tyler the Creator, Yung Gravy and Wallows.   

Judging from the selections there seemed to be no genre more popular than another. Foothill has a melting pot of tastes, from classic rock to rap to alternative, we are as diverse as our music.  

Take a look at the playlist below with songs selected by Foothill students. See how the entries compared to your personal taste or if there’s a song worthy enough to add to your own playlist. 

Listening to music allows us to find other like-minded individuals that feel the same way about the world that we do. It’s no secret that music taste reflects pieces of you, but according to clinical social worker Kathryn Rudlin, it is more than just that. 

“Music appeals to many teens who discover that the words in popular songs often express their own feelings and experiences. Teens tend to gravitate to music describing what they are feeling and what is important to them.” Kathryn Rudlin states in an article by the Huff Post.  

What we listen to today directly reflects our feelings towards the world and this changes as we grow older. Our parents listened to different music than we do today because their experiences were different. Similarly, the music our future generations listen to will inevitably vary from our own tastes. 

However, the songs we listen to will still bring us the same feelings of joy and excitement. Just like my mom’s hype song was “Eye of the Tiger,” teens today have their own. Popular music will change over time, but the way we feel about our favorite songs will stay the same.