Five Albums To Never Grow-Up To
Words and Picks by Annette Schaefer
I’m only 22-years-old and I already catch myself saying the phrase “I feel old” on a regular basis. It’s not just me, though; it’s all my friends too. Yes we’re all old enough to finally buy alcohol and go to the casino. Some of us are graduating college and some of us are married and have families and high schools seems like it was ages ago. But we’re only 22-years-old and high school was really only 4 years ago. You’re only old if you believe you are and deciding to grow-up is a choice not an inevitability. Personally, I never want to completely grow-up; I always want to be a kid at heart. These are the albums that remind me of “the good ol’ days” and still remind me that those days aren’t completely behind me.
All Time Low – So Wrong, It’s Right
In 2008, between my sophomore and junior year of high school, this album was on repeat in my stereo. I remember trying to memorize every song. Each track is loaded with energy and youthfulness. It reminds me of the feeling summer use to have for me; when freedom was abundant and my only worry was how I was going to get to Warped Tour that year.
Green Day – Dookie
No one can deny that Dookie by Green Day is a classic. It has been a staple album for many since its release 20 years ago and holds a lot of nostalgia for many fans. For me Dookie takes me back to my middle school years when bowling and sleepovers were regular activities and Green Day was my world. There are lot of reasons for me to look back on my middle school years and cringe, but this album always reminds me of the happier times.
Avril Lavigne – Let Go
When I was ten years old, every girl in my class had Avril Lavigne’s debut album Let Go, so it was no surprise that I jumped on the bandwagon. At the time the songs on this album were just fun to listen to and sing along to and it was what everyone was listening to, right? Now at 22 these songs about being a little weird and dealing with the struggles and changes in life mean a whole like more and speak to the awkward teenage girl that’s still inside of me.
Hawk Nelson – Smile, It’s the End of the World
Some may only see Hawk Nelson as one of those Christian bands, but trust me they’re so much more than that. This was one of my favorite albums in high school and it still has a place in my heart now. With the songs ranging in theme from just wanting to have a good time to feeling lost after the loss of someone close the lyrics hit you right where it matters most and takes you back to those days where you felt young and wild and confused and tragic.
Good Charlotte – The Young and the Hopeless
This album is full of young angst. From celebrating your loser-ness to feeling like a lost cause, this album sounds like the diary of many angry young people at the time. Not only did I feel “young and hopeless” in my adolescence, but that feeling still resonates now. As I stand here at the end of my college career with the real world close enough to touch, the words “It’s me against the world…” have not had more meaning than they do now.
