The last week of the semester always brings me a sweeping load of anxiety, stress, regret and shame. I sit upright on my bed, scroll through all of the homework listed on my to-do list, and mentally scold myself for not managing my time better. But then, I remind myself that most other college student are in the same predicament as I am. So I take in several breaths, I force my legs to move me to my desk, and I put on a song to make me feel better before I write.

I call this playlist, Blondie (not after the 80’s alternative band), because it seems that my go-to playlist for this semester happens to surround itself with the blondest female singers this world has ever known. I hope that this playlist can offer you some inspiration to kicking the negativity out the door, and get to writing all of your work with speed. In the process of listening to the songs posted, I totally recommend looking at these artists other works 🙂

Dolly Parton- “9 To 5”

I listen to this song as I write and I’m reminded of how good feel this song is. It picks you up from the earliest moments of day, and offers the listener a sympathetic retelling of how draining and injust our demanding work schedules can be. The lyrics always resonated with me when I worked at a bank because of how bland and redundant the work was, yet, when I write papers it reminds me that we’re all in this stressful path to make it to the finish line. Beyond the uplifting lyrics to “stick it to the Man,” I was astounded to discover that she wrote this song first using her acrylic nails as a type of washboard for the tempo. Moreover, Dolly’s just an amazing artist and person. From her philanthropic endeavors to her cheeky one-liners, what’s not to love?

Mariah Carey- “Emotions”

This might seem crazy, but I did not realize that Mariah Carey was such a talented singer until about nine months ago. Before I had discarded her to one of the most popular singers from my childhood, who probably used a decent amount of autotune like others in the early twenty-first century. It wasn’t until I stumbled on this video clip earlier this year that I realized what a unique talent she beheld. The whistle notes that she hits in this live clip are just amazing, and designate her into a special musical category that is rare for a pop singer.  I further fell in love when I learned that she has written about fourteen songs from her top hits. This video always makes me feel as though I should get up and dance. The lyrics are lovely and reinforce the idea of a love that elevates. 

Gwen Stefani- “What You Waiting For?”

No song on this list reminds me more of my childhood then this song. It was such a huge hit when I was a kid. I can still remember putting this music video on an early version of YouTube, and dancing wildly to this song in private. This song is a great anthem to put when in need of a huge push to get the work done without excuses. Gwen Stefani has this great energy which colors her music with this unique sense of urgency and creativity. She is always reinventing her music and presenting a different aspect of her personality which I love. When you have time, I absolutely recommend watching this concert of her in No Doubt, I think it displays her unique persona and talent the best. 

Blondie- “Heart of Glass”

I had to include a Blondie song, because Debbie Harry is the embodiment of a talented blonde artist who represents herself in all of her eccentricities and has immense energy that makes you want to either get up and dance or get into someone’s face. Her blasé attitude somehow manages to carry a biting nature to it. No one messes with Debbie Harry. And when you’re listening to this while writing a paper, you’ll realize that no paper dares to mess with you. YOU GOT THIS!

Abba- “Dancing Queen”

So I realize that the band Abba is not all blond, it would have been sacrilege to exclude Abba from a playlist that was meant to inspire and uplift. This song just makes you want to get up and join a Mamma Mia traveling group. It personally touches my heart for it reminds me of a girls trip I took last december to Sweden. It seemed like a day didn’t go by without a Swede asking if we knew that Abba hailed from their country. So while you’re listening to this remind yourself that you, dancing queen, will dance your way through finals week with flying colors.