Hello, my name is Carolina, and I am a senior! If you don’t know already, in this column, I’ll create monthly eclectic playlists full of genres from classical to ’70s rock and R&B to pop. I want to create mixes that revolve around the time of year—for example, a fall mix or a playlist full of study favorites to get you through exam season. Maybe you’ll listen on your way to school, while you study, or just for fun! Mixed with house music and doo-wop, my eclectic playlist may strike a chord with you, get your toes tapping, and teach you a little about what you are listening to. 

Welcome to the last edition of the year! To all of you who have read and kept up with this column, thank you! For my last edition at Westridge, I wanted to create a playlist with some of the songs I wished I could have added in my previous playlists. I hope this playlist helps bring you into the summer, and thank you again for reading. Please enjoy Au revoir: Carolina’s May Edition playlist!            

Listen here: Spotify & Apple Music 

Over the last two years, I have had too much fun curating playlists. Every time, there have been songs that I have included but realized they weren’t the right fit, so I removed them. There have also been many artists whose music I have wanted to include on every playlist, but that would not be a diverse mix of music. One song I had on maybe four different playlists but never made the cut was “Delta Dawn” by Tanya Tucker. The song “Delta Dawn” was written by Larry Collins and Alex Harvey, inspired by Harvey’s mother. He revealed the sad story behind these lyrics in the book Chicken Soup for the Soul: Country Music. He was fifteen and his band had won a contest to be on a TV show in Jackson, Tennessee. Harvey’s mother, who he described to be wild and child-like, wanted to accompany him, but he didn’t want her to: “I told her that I thought she would embarrass me. She drank and sometimes would do things that would make me feel ashamed, so I asked her not to go that night.” He returned home after the taping only to find out his mother had died after crashing her car into a tree, a suspected suicide. When writing the song with Larry Collins almost a decade later, Harvey claimed to have seen his mothers ghost in the room, and that is when the opening lines of the song came to him. They finished the song in twenty minutes. Though he felt guilty for his mothers death, Harvey described this song to be therapeutic for him, saying “Delta Dawn” was a gift but also an apology to his mother. Alex Harvey recorded the song first but it was made famous by a thirteen year old girl named Tanya Tucker. Her version released in April of 1972 and became a top ten country hit launching Tucker to stardom. Tucker’s rendition of the song inspired well known artists like Helen Reddy, Loretta Lynn, and Bette Midler to also cover the song. 

There are a couple distinct things I love about this song. First is the echoed nature of Tucker’s voice layered with harmonies throughout the whole piece. It somehow exudes this nostalgic and peaceful feeling, almost as if it is the listener’s story she is singing about. I want to add that I only found out Tucker was thirteen when she recorded this song during my research for this article. I think there is something kind of surreal about a teenager, almost the same age as Harvey when he experienced the death of his mother, singing about such a heavy story. And Tucker’s deep voice kind of emphasizes this pain and guilt he felt when he was in the studio writing the song. The second is the use of the banjo and harmonica. The instruments follow the melody of the song, but also act as a fourth harmony, and I think add a lighthearted-ness to the heavy story behind the song’s creation. The reason I wanted to include this song on so many of my playlists, though partly because of the two things I just mentioned, is also because it’s so catchy. The melody and the lyrics are one, but it is a very easy song to sing along to. For a couple months after I began listening to “Delta Dawn,” I would play it in the car on my way to school. It made my traffic filled journey to school a little more serene, and I was able to imagine the heavy, green leaves of Brownsville. 

I decided that one of my favorite artists, Lana Del Rey, whose music I struggled to exclude from every single one of my playlists, should be part of my last edition. Not only has she been my top artist for almost four years, but her music has been a big portion of the soundtrack of my life. It was very difficult to pick one song of hers from this playlist. In the end, I think “Ride,” a perfect reflection of the start of summer, but also for me and my fellow seniors, a reflection of our time here at Westridge that is coming to an end. 

Lana Del Rey is an interesting artist. She has reincarnated herself as creative many times. From Lizzy Grant to Lana Del Rey, her discography changes with her aesthetic and her music never fails to move me. Many of us know that Lana Del Rey is no stranger to side quests. She has been a Ford Model, worked at Waffle House, and has even purchased her Grammy dress day of, at the mall. Though these things are funny and I love her for them, most importantly, her music is unique. She mixes genres like indie, rock, and dream pop to create songs of tragic romance, glamor, and nostalgia. Though she erased her very first album under the name Lizzy Grant off the face of the Earth, her first album as Lana Del Rey secured her fame and showcased her signature melancholic style and cinematic sound. I find it inspired that Del Rey sticks with her aesthetics of Old Hollywood and 1950s/60s Americana, and stays true to referencing literature in her lyrics. Her deep, sultry voice, continues to narrate lyrical masterpieces. 

The opening lines of the chorus, “I hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast,” release a carefree aura, like nothing but the wind blowing through your hair matters. I think this is a perfect example of what those first few days of summer break feel like: refreshing, freeing, and full of anticipation. I love this song because every time it plays, I am instantly transported and it gets me into my thoughts. As we near the end of the school year, I hope that when you listen to this song, you take the song’s duration to reflect on your year, and even think about what you are looking forward to this summer. I want to thank all of you who have read my column, even if it was just one article. It means so much that I was able to share musical anecdotes, and hopefully there was at least one song you added to your music library. As always, I hope you enjoy listening and have a wonderful end to the year, and an even better summer! Please enjoy Au revoir: Carolina’s May Edition playlist! 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Listen here: Spotify & Apple Music