You probably don’t remember what you were wearing that night, as you stood in the gymnasium under the dimmed lights and watched your crush dancing with someone else. You may not remember the name of the person he was dancing with, either.
But you definitely know what song they were dancing to.
It’s been over 25 years, and you’re now happily married to someone else. But still, to this day, if you hear that song, you get a little twinge of sadness.
A piece of you still remembers exactly what you felt like on that day, decades ago. Just as if you were still 15 years old.
Music has that sort of power. Especially when it’s the music you were exposed to as a teenager — when emotions were felt so strongly and everything just seemed more intense.
Lots of great (and, sometimes, heartbreaking) high school memories are tied to specific tunes. No matter who you are or what you were like as a teenager, there’s probably at least one song that brings you right back to that time in your life when you hear it – whether it’s by Joni Mitchell, Def Leppard, or Usher.
With reunion season right around the corner – and graduation gifts and cards currently dominating many store displays – this is prime time for feeling nostalgic about your high school years.
Well, we’ve been feeling nostalgic, too. So we created some playlists for our Spotify profile, curating popular songs from four different past decades.
So, whether you’ve got a class reunion of your own or just feel like hearing some old-school tunes, check these out!
Late 1960s:
Early 1970s:
Late 1970s:
Early 1980s:
Late 1980s:
Early 1990s:
Late 1990s:
What song brings you right back to high school every time you hear it?