Missing Late Night Adventures

I graduated from college in 2018, and I had no clue what I wanted to do for the next chapter of my life. There's no manual on life and even if there was, most people would probably say you get a good-paying job, make money, find someone to marry, have a family, and work for most of your life in the hopes that you can retire. To me, there's more to life and honestly, I think I just wanted to be lost for a while. Enjoy the time of smaller responsibilities, not worrying about finding someone, and spend time solidifying the most important relationships around me. For two years after I graduated, I spent quality time with friends as we stumble into adulthood, explored new environments, and went on road trips. Coming out of college, it felt like I finally answered my yearning for exploration. 2020 was the year I thought I would go on even more trips, while also stepping into larger aspects of adulthood. Then the pandemic hit.

The pandemic, like the vast majority of the population, threw my plans for the year and life into disarray, including travel plans. In the beginning, I felt ok staying at home, and not traveling with my friends. I felt lucky since I lived at home, and didn't have many bills to worry about. Over time however, I started to feel lethargic, anxious, and down. Life seemed so mundane and repetitive after months of quarantine and there are only so many hours watching YouTube and Netflix can help with before you start to go stir crazy. As a result, I stumbled back into reading fanfiction, something I hadn't done since at least my sophomore year of high school. I could lose myself in a story and pretend I was going on a trip or meeting someone cute in real life. One particular story I found was inspired by the song "I Think He Knows" by Taylor Swift and told the story of two people who go on a late night adventure and finally admit their feelings to one another. This story inspired me to create my late night adventures playlist, a playlist inspired by my love of calm, late night car rides with friends as the street lights blur together into shades of oranges and reds. The kind of car rides that happen out of nowhere, open up introspection, and seem to stick out in your mind years afterward.

From the first time I ever listened to "Story of My Life," I knew it was the perfect late night driving song. The lines "I drive all night to keep her warm and time is frozen" perfectly encapsulate that feeling of time seemingly being never-ending, especially when you spend it with someone you love.

This cover of "Video Games" by Trixie Mattel is so dramatic yet whimsical. While the lyric focus on the idea of someone loving you and having a overwhelming relationship, the melodies and mood seem more melancholic. It gives me more of the feeling of someone reminiscing over a past relationship that perhaps wasn't the best or one-sided. It's the kind of song that comes on during your drive, and prompts you to remember that kind of relationship from your youth (or your twenties).

I first heard "Boys Like You" in the season one finale for the Netflix show Never Have I Ever. The show and song made me think of the crushes I had in high school and the feelings of adolescence. Both made me happy that I am not in high school anymore, and am becoming more comfortable in own skin and self image.

As mentioned earlier, "I Think He Knows" is the song that inspired this playlist and could be thought of as the companion to "Boys Like You." This song is much more upbeat and makes me happy when I listen to it. It makes me think of the more fun aspects of having a crush and reminds me of being a teen daydreaming about my crush from math class.

"Perfect" is another song that as soon as I heard it, I knew it would be perfect for a relaxing, late night adventure. The song is so honest about the expectations of their lives to someone who they care about, and talks about late night rendezvous and midnight drives. They are laying out what to expect and asks if this is what you are looking for, then the relationship is good to go.

"Harlequin Romance (Reimagined)" is another companion song, this time to "Video Games." The protagonist seems to be someone who is on the receiving end of the admiration. As this is a reimagining of the song of the same name, it much more mellow, and allows more focus on the lyrical composition. The honesty in the lyrics, especially in regards to falling in love with the idea of someone, are something that happens frequently in young relationships.

"80's makeout session" has such a calming effect on me when I listen to it. While there are a lot of love songs on this playlist, I like that this one is so simple and almost dainty. The idea of calling out to someone and wanting to be somebody to them is a universal feeling. This song conjures up images of sitting in your room at 2 a.m. with fairy lights, and just decompressing from the day while writing in a journal.

"King of Capulet" is a song while mellow, is more upbeat compared to some of the songs here and transports to me a party or night out where you find someone who captivates you as soon as you see them. You want to be around them for as long as you can because you have never found someone like them before. It has its own dream-like qualities, especially with the use of Capulet in the title from Romeo & Juliet.

"Style" was an obvious choice to me, since it opens with someone picking up the protagonist at midnight. However, it's super effective at creating the atmosphere for the story of the song. The feelings of going back and forth with someone you had a relationship with (or even currently) are present throughout the song, and evokes images of taking a hidden late night drive with this person.

Most of the songs created by Aly & AJ recently have a relaxing, dream state to them, but "Star Maps" has just enough of a beat where it's not too upbeat for a late night car ride but could help you wake up a little, as if jolting you back to reality and making you aware of the ending of your trip.

Admittingly, "21st Century Vampire" is kind of a random song here, but one that I found in my recommended videos on YouTube and mostly sums up my pandemic habits. It felt appropriate to have this song at the end, as it relates back to my current feelings of slight apathy but with the previous songs leading up to this, doesn't feel like a downer to me; rather it's an acknowledgment and acceptance of the current situation, and the kind of song to end your night drive.