I, a self-proclaimed Fleetwood Mac enthusiast, am here to tell you which songs to listen to on campus and their proper setting.

• “Monday Morning”
  • This song, describing the ups and downs of a tumultuous relationship, also captures the love/hate relationships we have as Columbia students. Sometimes, we take in our surroundings and feel pride and joy at where we are and what we have accomplished. Other days, you may think you “got to get some peace in my mind” as you crumple under due dates and stress. 
• “The Chain”
  • This song encapsulates how I feel when the academically rigorous school is academically rigorous. Essentially, you are in an endless cycle of study, get drunk, and repeat, and sometimes you can feel confined by the duality of your structured college student existence. However, as much as you may want to, “you will never break the chain” no matter how much you wish you did. Because let’s face it, you have a problem set due Thursday at 11:59 and you obviously have to go out after. Your Sunday-Thursday grind and Thursday night to Saturday bender will continue to be your freshman year schedule no matter how much you swear you are never drinking again. 
• “Over My Head”
  • This song fully captures the space between the pride we get from going to a prestigious college, one we worked hard to get into, and those moments when truly, we are in over our heads. Just like the lover in the song, Barnumbia can “take me to paradise/and then again you (Barnumbia) can be cold as ice”. So while we struggle, cry in Butler, and contemplate our existences in liminal spaces, it also does feel nice to sit on the Low steps at the end of a long week and think about how far we have come. 
• “Landslide”
  • This one is generally targeted towards the freshman, but anyone in a state of change can relate. You may ask yourself, “Can I sail through the changin’ ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?” Even if you don’t believe you can, this is an excellent song to listen to while you stare at the ceiling and wallow in self-doubt. As an added benefit, this could double as a breakup song for those ending high school relationships. Maybe you are thinking, “Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’/’Cause I’ve built my life around you” and now you have to be an individual. Whatever your situation may be, time makes you bolder and you are getting older, so I believe that you will be okay. Change is hard, but Fleetwood Mac is here to see you through. 
• “Sugar Daddy”
  • I don’t really have a deeper meaning for this one. New York is expensive. Tuition is expensive. Please someone financially support my compulsive shopping habits. 
• “Skies the Limit”
  • While attending Barnumbia comes with significant hardship, it also provides its students with a wide array of opportunities. The right mindset is to make the most of your surroundings because between your own excellence and the Barnumbia benefits, “The sky is the limit/How can we fail?”
• “The Green Manalishi”
  • The Green Manalishi, a lesser-known song but also one of my favorites, is about a realization Peter Green had while on LSD that money was controlling him and ruining his life. I included this here as a multifaceted warning. Yes, some majors will make you more money. Yes, money is something to be desired that is helpful in the world. Yes, I know the prospect of a career in finance is enticing. However, you shouldn’t accept misery to chase money because you might end up having nightmares that a wad of cash is the devil incarnate. Prioritize your passions and use them in a way that won’t leave you broke rather than succumbing to your fate as a sad (but very rich) corporate sellout. 
• “Don’t Stop”
  • Guys, college is hard. This song felt like the perfect way to wrap up my list as it leaves you with some inspiration. On those days when “you wake up and don’t want to smile”, when the JJ’s milkshake machine is broken, it’s raining, or your problem set is seemingly impossible, “don’t stop thinking about tomorrow”. There is always a tomorrow, the machines will be fixed, it will stop raining, and you will have to submit that problem set either way, so focus on getting through today and looking forward to what is yet to come. 

Fleetwood Mac via Bwog Archives