Hello everyone! Welcome back to Rena’s Radio, and welcome to finals week (also known as one of two weeks every year that I cry almost every single day)! Y’all ready to lock in? No? Yeah, me neither, I’m not gonna lie.
However, finals week is ironically one of my favorite weeks of the semester. Not only are we almost done, but it’s typically a week that I spend in a complete fever dream, heavily induced by only eight hours of sleep within a five-day span and an overconsumption of caffeine. Is that sustainable over time? No. Does it make for funny story times after I sleep for the entire following week? Absolutely!
For this edition of Rena’s Radio, I’ve gathered some of my favorite songs I’ve blasted during finals and some other songs that just fit the scene. So, are we a little more ready to lock in? Still no? Yeah, I’m with you, but let’s grab our campus Spot Coffee drink of choice and get into it anyway!
Rena’s Radio (Finals Week):
Sunday: “Vienna” by Billy Joel
“Vienna” is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard, but the meaning behind it is what landed it in Sunday’s place for this week. Pace yourself, don’t push yourself to the point of severe burnout (I know we’re all burnt out at this point, but to the point of SEVERE burnout still stands), and BREATHE. Listen to Billy Joel. You’re doing great, I believe in you, and so does Billy. It’s only day one of finals, so take a second away from your textbooks and Quizlets, take a few deep breaths, and recenter. We got this.
Favorite lyric: “Where’s the fire? What’s the hurry about?/You’d better cool it off before you burn it out.”
Monday: “Girls, Girls, Girls” by Motley Crue
Alright, y’all, it’s time to lock in. In honor of Official Lock-In Time, I have a story to share behind this choice.
My first finals week was during the COVID semester when I was in community college. Let me set the scene: I was a welding major, everything was online, and not a single student or professor knew what to do in these unprecedented times. Long story short: it was a hell of a week.
Luckily, since welding was strictly in-person because, well, it’s welding, I only had exams in three of my classes. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy, right? Wrong. I procrastinated until the very first day of finals week, which was a massive mistake. I had three papers and an exam in one class, a final project (which required a small field trip that was also a disaster, but that’s a story for another time) and a final paper for another, and I believe two papers and a final exam for my third class. It was all bad. I think I slept maybe four hours that entire week.
Enter in my wonderful mother and Motley Crue! My mom stayed up with me almost that entire week, proofreading, getting me so many triple-triples that I lost count, and suffering through my sleep-deprived conversations. I truly don’t know how she did it, but my god, do I appreciate it to this day. Love you lots, Mom!
Motley Crue found their way into this mess because I had just watched “The Dirt” the week before finals, and was smack in the middle of a huge hyperfixation of their music. “Girls, Girls, Girls” has been one of my favorite Motley songs for years, and because it’s so upbeat and I know every word by heart, I listened to this on repeat for DAYS. Yes, days. My mother (who does not like Motley at all) was absolutely miserable. Once again, she really was a trooper throughout that week. Much thanks to her and “Girls, Girls, Girls” for pulling me through.
Favorite lyric: “You know she did me in/Well, then she broke my heart/I’m such a good, good boy.”
Tuesday: “We Like to Party!” (The Vengabus) by Vengaboys
Yeah, if you’ve read Rena’s Radio (3/29-4/4), you definitely saw this coming.
I mentioned “We Like to Party!” for Thursday of that week, because I listened to it nonstop while cramming for a makeup exam. I won’t say too much about it for this playlist because I just wrote about it, but I will say that this song helped me so much for that exam. Just like “Girls, Girls, Girls,” it’s super upbeat, but it’s SO upbeat that it literally shocks me out of a bad mood and exhaustion.
I also mentioned that I used to be a psychology major, so I know that listening to one song on repeat helps with context-dependent memory. Context-dependent memory is basically when a song acts as a recall for your brain for information learned during the time you listened to that song.
Considering I listened to this song for almost the entire day before my exam, I was humming it during the actual test, and it helped me remember some of the things that I was studying. So thanks, Vengaboys!
Favorite lyric: “New York to San Francisco/an intercity disco.”
Wednesday: “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” by The Smiths
Okay, guys, we’re midweek! We made it this far already! Let’s keep locking in!
No? Quick mental breakdown? Yeah, I agree actually, as do The Smiths. Let’s check in with them really quick.
The middle of finals week is typically when my sleep deprivation, irritability, and general level of physical exhaustion kick in all at once. I am absolutely miserable, and the level of misery that I feel is typically only one I reach during finals, Black Friday, and back-to-school (I work retail).
As I’ve mentioned before, Morrissey is a pretty controversial human being, but my god, is this song relatable. He was miserable because he didn’t have a job. He got a job! He’s still miserable. He passes a couple on the street! He’s miserable. He drinks to numb the misery! He’s miserable as soon as he’s sober again. The entire song is just a collection of misery-inducing sentiments and events, and honestly? I feel like at this point in the week, we totally understand that.
Favorite lyric: “I was looking for a job, and then I found a job/and heaven knows I’m miserable now.”
Thursday: “6 Foot 7 Foot” by Lil Wayne
Okay, we have two days left! Back to lock in time!
As a former dancer, I cannot even tell you how many hip-hop dances I’ve seen to “6 Foot 7 Foot,” and they were all phenomenal. The first second of the intro played, and every single dancer inside a studio, on a stage, or in a dressing room immediately locked in. It didn’t matter if you were in the dance or not. It was like an immediate sleeper agent activation. Even after I stopped dancing a few years ago, I still have this song on every workout and study playlist I make, and it has been a mandatory addition since I was 13 years old. If you need to immediately lock back into exam/study mode, I can’t recommend “6 Foot 7 Foot” enough. It’s insane how well it works for that kind of situation.
Favorite lyric: “So misunderstood, but what’s a world without enigma?”
Friday: “One More Time” by Daft Punk
Friday during finals week can go one of two ways, typically: either you’re done with exams, and you’re probably sleeping or partying, or you have (usually) one more exam, and then you’re done! Hence, how “One More Time” earned Friday’s spot. This is another one of my “It Shocks Me Straight Out of a Bad Spot” songs, and I think it can go either way for our Friday. You’re either celebrating that you’re already done, or you’re celebrating that you’re almost done. Basically, the entire song is about celebrating, and whatever you’re celebrating can vary by person, and I think that’s one of the best parts about this song. I can promise you that I will be blasting this on Friday after my last final portfolio is turned in, and I’m sure I won’t be the only one.
Favorite lyric: “Celebrate and dance so free/music’s got me feeling so free.”
Saturday: “The Spins” by Mac Miller (ft. Empire of the Suns)
This is one of the happiest, most summery songs I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Of course, it’s our first official song of summer break.
Also, for everyone who’s graduating after this semester, congratulations!! Even though Mac references graduating high school at the end of the song, I’ve screamed this after graduating high school and community college, so I think it’d be pretty valid to blast this before and/or after any graduation ceremony. I think “The Spins” is such a carefree and happy song, and I love connecting it with the end of school, so I love this as a closing song for this playlist. It’s like the ultimate “oh my god, I did it!” song, and I’m so, so excited to blast it with my windows down on my first Saturday with no homework since early February.
Favorite lyric: Absolutely none of my favorite lyrics of this song can be listed here without heavy censoring, so we’re gonna go with “Oh, I graduated, oh yeah, I just graduated high school!”
Here are the Apple Music and Spotify links for Rena’s Radio. Happy summer, everybody!
