As the semester winds down we face the knowledge that many of us will soon be going back to our hometowns and saying goodbye to our friends, at least for the summer, or potentially for a long time depending on if they’re graduating. No matter your situation, there’s a song for it, and we’ve compiled a few of them here.
“End of Beginning” by Djo
There’s no feeling quite like the one where you return home and realize how much you’ve changed. Though you’re physically the same person, you’ve changed so much that you can nearly see a different version of yourself at home, which Djo explains in this extremely personal track.
“Helium” by Glass Animals
Maybe you’re saying goodbye to someone that you’re a little more than friends with. “Helium” is the soundtrack to that goodbye, detailing a farewell to someone you loved more than you realized.
“Malibu 1992” by Coin
Sometimes people are on a different path of life, and just aren’t going to be sticking around your college, be it through graduation or transferring. “Malibu 1992” captures that feeling, telling the story of someone that the narrator had to say goodbye to, but never forgot. It’s a much bigger emotional gut punch than many songs on the list, but still captures the feeling of saying goodbye beautifully.
“The Boys of Summer” by Don Henley
Returning home for the summer means a time for reminiscence. Maybe it’s from old friends. Maybe it’s from an old lover. Either way, it’s an odd feeling to return home and find that nothing, and no one, including yourself, is the same, and Don Henley’s 1984 song “The Boys of Summer” illustrates that feeling.
“The View Between Villages” by Noah Kahan
When it comes to the feeling of returning to your hometown, Noah Kahan just gets it. “The View Between Villages” illustrates the feeling of finally going back to where you grew up, realizing how much of your life took place there, and quite literally feeling haunted by it.
“Junior Varsity” by Dayglow
A lot of Dayglow’s songs are about the transition into adulthood, but none capture it better than “Junior Varsity” Returning home is a reminder that you’re in the real world now, and he explains this feeling of change in this touching track.
"Virginia (Wind in the Night)” by The Head and the Heart
Getting back to your hometown and realizing that you cannot really call it home anymore is a strange feeling. The knowledge that the place you grew up is not like it used to be is surreal, and “Virginia (Wind in the Night)” sets that knowledge to music.
