In 2023, Luke Evans, The Heights’ Sports Editor, listened to 1,136 minutes of music according to his Spotify Wrapped. That is 18 hours and 56 minutes—less than one full day listening to music.
Luke’s playlist starts off with two songs by Oasis: “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Live Forever.” The first of the two is the band’s second-most listened to song on Spotify, setting the tone for the rest of Luke’s choices.
Luke expressed the nostalgia behind his song choice, which reminded him of the first concert he attended. The song’s lyrics instruct the listener to keep moving forward, a theme that persists throughout his playlist.
The next song, “Live Forever,” is also sung by Oasis, reflecting Luke’s tendency to stubbornly stick by what he likes. This trait of his can best be witnessed through his routine drinking of the BC Dining’s Minute Maid apple juices.
Luke’s playlist then diverges from Oasis to Maxine Nightingale’s upbeat “Right Back Where We Started From.” This song, similarly to “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” is ultimately about looking back at the past in a positive light.
The song begins with its catchy chorus, so I can see why Luke was quickly drawn to it.
“Ooh, and it’s alright and it’s coming on / We gotta get right back to where we started from / Love is good, love can be strong,” Nightingale repetitively calls out.
Luke’s next choice, “Take it Easy” by the Eagles, is a good reminder for our Sports Editor to do exactly that.
“Take it easy, take it easy / Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy / Lighten up while you still can,” the lyrics beg Luke.
Following is “American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, a song choice that makes a lot of sense for Luke. I had, of course, heard this song before, and it reminds me of the fantasy idea of summertime, where no worries exist.
“Take it easy, baby,” the lyrics instruct.
Luke, I think your songs are trying to tell you something.
The familiar opening notes of “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay then started to play in my headphones. If I were to guess 10 songs that Luke would include, this would be on there. This track, with 2 billion Spotify streams, solidified my assumption that Luke had never listened to music before this year.
I have no doubt that younger Luke heard this song playing in a mall food court, on someone else’s radio, or on public transportation.
Next up is “Drive By” by Train, another upbeat song that Luke likely heard when he was younger, and, in his struggle to recall 10 songs for this playlist, wrote down.
A more recent top-charting song appears on Luke’s playlist next: “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan. I loved discovering that Luke and I had added the same song to our playlists.
One unforgettable April night in Walsh Hall, The Heights’ Magazine Editor Spencer Steppe and I introduced our friend Luke to Roan’s music. The following month, the three of us attended Boston Calling, where we sang and danced along to Roan.
While a common theme of Luke’s playlist is his tendency to be drawn to popular music, he wanted me to clarify that he had in fact heard Roan’s music before she gained her popularity.
“Song 2” by Blur is Luke’s next track. I was surprised to find that I had never heard this song before. Luke mentioned this was his walk-up song when he played high school baseball, a side of Luke I never knew but can imagine clearly as I hear this song.
Luke’s final song on his playlist is “Tessie” by Dropkick Murphys, another song I had never heard before. This song was the most unique on Luke’s playlist and really sums him up.
“Boston you know we love you madly / Hear the crowd roar to your sound,” the chorus sings.
Luke has told me before that this song is sentimental to him and his brother, reminding him of home. This song brings together Luke’s childhood memories of family in Texas, sports, and Boston.
As much as I give Luke a hard time for learning about the joys of music so late in his life, I will never say no to his requests to connect to a speaker or share a new song.
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