Playlist: Finals motivation mix

By Rose Heaphy in Entertainment, Music on Apr 29, 2011 5:00 / comments

It’s crunch time. There are 15 chapters to review, your highlighter is dry and the clock is ticking on that take-home final. With finals officially starting Saturday, get a study mindset with some motivational music.

Elisa Schauer, a 20-year-old sophomore integrative physiology major, said she likes to play background music when she’s studying.

“When I’m studying I put on a Mumford and Sons Pandora station,” Schauer said. “I like that genre because it’s relaxing, but upbeat, not like Dubstep where I’d want to rock out.”

Emily Fredette, a 19-year-old junior communication major, said music helps keep her energized throughout long study hours.

(CU Independent illustration/Kelly Kaoudis)

“I like dance music because I can’t sleep to it,” Fredette said. “I just keep it down low.”

Other students prefer to listen to instrumental songs that don’t demand too much attention.

“[I put on] something that I don’t have to think about that deeply, with not too many lyrics,” said Ben Fuoss, a 24-year-old junior mechanical engineering major.

Whatever one’s study-music preferences might be, a small playlist can be a huge motivation. Athletes might play warm-up mixes, runners plug in iPods for their jog, so why not loosen up with a jam before digging into that soul-crushing organic chemistry final?

Check out what made the CU Independent’s study playlist:

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin

This cool, relaxed reggae tune will be enough to push any lingering worries aside. McFerrin sings, “in your life expect some trouble, but when you worry you make it double.” Let’s face it, worrying about upcoming exams and papers isn’t going to help. So enter the test room with a peaceful, optimistic and whistling attitude.

“The Good Life” by Three Days Grace

Seeing the blue sky against the flatirons can make studying even harder. While an angry Adam Gontier shouts, “All I want is a little of the good life,” you can’t help but wish for a break. And Brad Walst’s bass will help you power through the books.

“I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from the movie Mulan

“Let’s get down to business to defeat the Huns,” Donny Osmond sings in the Disney movie. While MCD biology isn’t a million warriors charging down a mountainside, it may certainly feel like it. Finals week wages war on the mind, so like Mulan, gear up for battle with this song.

“Fuck You” by Cee Lo Green

Profanities wrapped in such a catchy, soulful tune make it easy to tell that calculus textbook just exactly what you think about logarithms and imaginary numbers. Blast this tune to the tame frustration that a Snickers bar can’t fix.

“O Fortuna” from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana

Who said Latin is a dead language? Come alive during study sessions with this operatic piece. Opening with a choral blast, the choir immediately decrescendos and slowly builds throughout the piece to an ultimate climax, complete with drums, horns and strings. The lyrics are directed toward “monstrous” and “malevolent” fate. Let Orff’s work inspire you to change your finals fate after listening.

“Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey

So what if you can’t remember what the Prisoner’s Dilemma is and the political science test starts in five minutes, there’s still a chance to pass, right? Well don’t give up hope. Steve Perry’s scale-stretching vocals paired with a rock-arena-style guitar anthem. “Some will win, some lose, some were born to sing the blues,” but that’s no reason to stop believing.

“Lose Yourself” by Eminem

This song was a breakout track from Eminem’s semi-autobiographical movie 8 Mile about a struggling rapper. In the opening lyrics, Eminem describes the nervous, sweaty-palm moments that many stressed students can relate to. Finals could be your last chance at passing a class, perhaps even college. Slim Shady’s in-your-face rap commands listeners to “lose yourself in the music, the moment.”

“Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor from Rocky III

For some students, this song from the Rocky series is the ultimate motivational song.

“‘Eye of the Tiger’ immediately comes to mind,” said Ari Aal, a 22-year-old senior psychology major. “It’s in all the montages, like Rocky.”

While preparation for finals most likely won’t involve punching dead animal carcasses, it will make studying feel that much more epic. This jazzy 1980s number may inspire students to take a victory jog up the steps of Macky and make their own celebratory pose.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Rose Heaphy at Josephine.heaphy@colorado.edu.