What does our Spotify playlist tell us about being human?

• I think what’s most interesting about the Spotify playlist is that it gives us all a window into what each one of us is individually passionate about. Sometimes when a song comes on you’ll hear a student get excited that something of theirs was chosen, and it provides a wonderful insight into the power of music, how emotionally effective it can be. Considering how many silly songs are also included on the playlist, I don’t know if it directly tells us anything about the human condition–it seems to be more so a collection of what we want to hear rather than what represents being human–but in a sort of unintentional or subconscious way, it somehow achieves that. In a way, our desires–whether serious or silly–most purely show us our condition.

• I feel like what you said about there being a lot of heartbreak is an accurate representation. Majority of the songs on this playlist are really sad, even if they do not seem that way on the surface. If you dig into the lyrics they have really sad meanings behind them. I also think that it’s representative of love though. You can’t have any type of love without having experienced at least a little bit of heartbreak.

• To me, the most interesting thing about the playlist is the nature of the individual music selections because the purpose of this playlist was something along the lines of “add music that, to you, represents the humanities”.  And from that simple premise our class has included music from a bunch of different corners of the musical spectrum from rap to pop and tones ranging from sad and melancholy to upbeat and motivating.  This to me says that “the humanities” that this playlist is based around is very personal and subjective to every person but the collective experience is still relatable as in this case it all exists in the same medium of music.

• I feel like our Spotify playlist shows us the shared range of human emotions. There are songs of sorrow and loss (Fourth of July, Putting the Dog to Sleep), songs of hope (Lewis Takes Off His Shirt, Rivers and Roads), and much more. Multiple emotions make themselves known through songs, and there isn’t just one thing primarily focused upon. 

• The beauty in human experience is that each individual shares one that is unlike the rest. Regardless of how similar you may feel to another, you will never be the same. Music has the ability to draw people together, to bridge any gaps which they find between them. There is so much variety to music, yet the flow is indescribable. Our playlist is representative of the many unique perspectives we have among us in class. It touches on every emotion, every feeling we as humans share…and have shared throughout this semester. Merely words sung to fill the air become words heard, words understood, and words of comfort we share & that is the human experience. 

• I think that each song on the playlist speaks to an emotion, an aspect of society, or a personal story in a way that is unique to the artist. These expressions are uniquely human, and are a powerful communicator between humans. 

• I like the spotify playlist because of the wide range of music genres, emotions, and art it provides. It shows human emotion in one of the earliest forms, song. Everyone got to add something, so it represents community as well. There are goofy songs, songs about hope, grief, and anger, a combination that would be difficult to find in any other playlist. 

• The spotify playlist was really interesting at the beginning of the semester. I liked putting songs that I enjoyed listening to in the playlist. There are some really good songs, and some really bad songs…sorry guys. I’ve noticed that a lot of songs are about love or loss. 

• The playlist is composed of songs that detail the human experience. Many themes of that experience are present in the songs. “Zombie” by The Cranberries is about how political violence hurts innocent people. “Youth” by Glass Animals encourages listeners to appreciate the present moment and to make the most of their youth while they still can. “Vienna” by Billy Joel is about slowing down and enjoying the moment.