By Adrianne Hutto, Production Editor

Growing up I listened to a lot of artists which I had entirely forgotten about until about two years ago. Since then I have rediscovered about 10 hours worth of songs, all of which bring me joy just to listen to. From conversations I’ve had with my friends, other people also have this kind of relationship with music from their childhood. All the songs on this playlist I listen to multiple times a day and take me back to special moments in my life. I hope you get the same happiness from them as well. 

Probably the most meaningful of the songs on this playlist, Springsteen’s “Jungleland” was the song my father sang to me every night of my childhood before bed. It’s got some of the strangest lyrics ever,  like “the magic rat drove his sleep machine over the Jersey state line,” but at the same time, is very poetic in its own way.   

I love Paul Simon, and everyone should love him too. When my mom was in her twenties living in Brooklyn, she and her roommate would return home after a night out, blast this song and dance around their living room. It’s an all time favorite of mine. 

And It Stoned Me – Van Morrison

Another artist that everyone should know and love, Van Morrison is likely an artist you don’t know by name but do by song. He is the singer of Brown Eyed Girl and Into the Mystic. Everytime I get together with my family we listen to Van because of the nostalgia he brings. This song specifically reminds me of falling asleep in the back of my mom’s Volvo in elementary school. 

I actually missed out on the opportunity to see Jackson Browne recently which is a regret of mine. He has a lot of other great songs, one of which I will feature later in this playlist. However, the reason I picked this song is because it reminds me of my grandparents. Despite my grandfather insisting that no one in my family can sing, this is one of our car sing-along songs. 

She’s a Rainbow – The Rolling Stones 

This is one song I had all together forgotten about until my mom played it for me recently on a long drive from Charleston, South Carolina to New York City. While no specific memory stands out for this song, it’s a great walking to class, sitting and reading or It Girl song. 

Eyes of the World – Grateful Dead 

The Dead are a brand heavily equated with my childhood because my mom spent most of her twenties going to as many concerts as she could. Now that I’m an adult, my mom and I have seen Dead & Company in concert twice. The reason I like this song is because it’s just a really happy song and it reminds me of the summer. 

The Only Living Boy in New York – Simon & Garfunkel

This is a song via my brother, who has the best taste in music in my opinion. I love Wes Anderson movies and I got my brother to love them as much as I do. The reason I say this is because this song plays like it came straight out of “Royal Tenenbaums.” Listen to this song while you lay in Central Park, it’s the best feeling in the world. 

This is my favorite Van Morrison song and the reason for that is not just how much it reminds me of my family, but because of how calming it is. It’s a love song and it’ll make you feel like you’re in love even if you aren’t. It’s the line, “she’s as sweet as Tupelo honey, she’s an angel of the first degree,” that I love the most. 

The Long Way Around – The Chicks

You will fall in love with this song if you’re someone who left their hometown, which is why I enjoy it so much. It also has some of my favorite lyrics. I first heard this song for the first time in years because my mom and I were talking about The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) concert she went to the weekend before. She was saying that the reason she liked this song so much was because of the line, “drank with the Irish, smoked with the hippies, moved with the shakers.” The reason for this is that it reminds her of being in college, a sentiment I love. 

Reelin’ In the Years – Steely Dan

Another great artist, Steely Dan is one of my mom’s favorites, and it shows as she plays his music anytime we give her control of aux. This song reminds me of our family’s summer vacation to Maine when we had a house on the water, caught lobster and watched “The Smurfs” every night. 

Ramblin’ Man – The Allman Brothers

Now, I wouldn’t be a good Southerner if I didn’t include at least one song that had a country vibe to it. The Allman Brothers, which up until five years ago I thought were called the Almond Brothers, have a lot of songs that remind me of growing up in South Carolina and being out in the boat or in the back of my dad’s old Suburban on the way home from school. “Midnight Rider” and “Melissa” are two other great ones.