Every popular pop song nowadays seems entirely unrelatable. I find myself constantly listening to and jamming out to catchy tunes with no realization of what the lyrics mean.
Which, after catching myself singing all the words to “Super Bass,” I decided to throw it back to some songs that made my younger years. Surprisingly, a lot of them seemed relatable to my life now.
I’m hoping you’ll see some similarities in these lyrics with how your twenties have been treating you so far:
The Middle – Jimmy Eat World
“Hey, don’t write yourself off yet
It’s only in your head you feel left out or looked down on.
Just try your best, try everything you can.
And don’t you worry what they tell themselves when you’re away.
It just takes some time,
Little girl, you’re in the middle of the ride.
Everything, everything will be just fine,
Everything, everything will be alright, alright.”
You know that little voice that keeps telling you everyone else around you is figuring things out a lot faster than you? Don’t listen to it. It’s only in your head.
Your twenties are for figuring out what works for YOU and not comparing yourself to everyone else in your high school or college class. We’re all rock stars trying to make it in this world, and we have different ways of doing it.
So don’t get discouraged, because as this throwback punk band put it, “It just takes some time… you’re in the middle of the ride.”
Waterfalls – TLC
“Don’t go chasing waterfalls
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to
I know that you’re gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But I think you’re moving too fast.”
It’s normal for us to jump into a new chapter in our lives head first, feeling like we’re ready for anything and everything. When I graduated college, I felt like I had to commit to trying everything right away to be successful.
Along with my full time job, I joined professional organizations, nonprofit committees and church groups, and while I wanted to continue chasing “waterfalls” to conquer, I realized I wasn’t happy. I pushed too much too fast; thinking I was invincible was a mistake.
It’s okay to slow down and prioritize. Maybe then, after conquering your rivers and lakes, will you find your big waterfall that you’re ready for.
Bonus: People Like Us – Kelly Clarkson
“We come into this world unknown
But know that we are not alone
They try and knock us down
But change is coming, it’s our time now
Hey… everybody loses it,
Everybody wants to throw it all away sometimes
And hey… yeah I know what you’re going through
Don’t let it get the best of you, you’ll make it out alive
People like us, we’ve gotta stick together
Keep your head up, nothing lasts forever
Here’s to the damned, to the lost and forgotten
It’s hard to get high when you’re living on the bottom.”
2013 is hardly throwback for us twenty-somethings, but I’d thought I’d include these Kelly Clarkson lyrics that describe perfectly how we all feel when it seems like we’re the only ones going through hard times.
On social media, it seems like every else has got it figured out. But let’s be real – “everybody loses it.” Don’t let the hard times get the best of you.
While these throwback artists can’t help every situation you may find yourself in, it’s nice to look back and finally relate to the songs you were listening to in middle and high school.
Who knew the music our parents used to yell at us to turn down would actually come in handy 10 years later?
About the Author
Rachel is UW-Eau Claire graduate with a BA in Mass Communication and PR. She is currently working as an Associate at a PR firm in Minneapolis. Rachel loves adventures, DIY projects, hockey, reading and of course, wedding planning (saying "I Do" in September 2016!). She wants to continue working in PR, and hopefully someday found her own firm or business.