*Crazy"" originally by Gnarls Barkley, lyrics rewritten by Eric Anderson*
""I remember when / I remember, I remember when I lost my mind. / There was nothing very pleasant about that place. / Studied for like 10 minutes before my brain ran out of space.
And when you're out there, ripping at your hair / Yes, you are out of touch / But it's not because you don't know enough / There's just too much.
Does that make me crazy? / Do exams make you crazy? / Does this make us crazy? / Possibly.""
*""Born to Party"" by Municipal Waste*
When you need to unwind after finishing your 10 a.m. exam, bust open some 40's, put on some Municipal Waste, and wake up in some bushes an indefinite amount of time later.
- Mario Puig
*""Butterflies and Hurricanes"" by Muse*
A bit dramatic, but this ballad about having one chance to change the world really makes me feel like the outcome of my Shakespeare exam will cause shockwaves throughout the academic community.
- Mark Riechers
*""Let's Get Fucked Up And Die"" by Motion City Soundtrack*
This is the perfect way to end the semester. I am speaking figuratively, of course.
- Sara Barreau
*""Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)"" by They Might be Giants*
While this song applies mainly to students studying astronomy, many TMbG songs can help the average student study, including ""Tippecanoe (and Tyler too)"" for the struggling U.S. History students out there.
- Kevin Slane
*""The Moon"" by Cat Power*
Cat Power is amazing and awesome enough to make studying slightly more enjoyable, yet calm enough not to distract from the 5,000 theories you have to memorize. The album The Greatest is chill and less intense than What Would the Community Think, but I like to put her whole catalogue on shuffle when I hunker down to catch up on a semester's worth of reading.
- Megan Dwyer
*""The Shrine of Mad Laughter"" by Deathspell Omega*
When you're feeling sleepy but need to get some work done, listen to Deathspell Omega. Sleeping when you're terrified is almost impossible.
- Mario Puig
*""Johnny Thunder"" by The Kinks*
The album ""The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society"" is gritty, jaunty and dreamy all at once. Each catchy chorus is much more likely to seep into your brain than any Spanish vocab, and it's much more satisfying.
- Megan Dwyer
*""Dark Side of the Moon"" by Pink Floyd*
Essentially an album-length chill-out song, this one is essential for that moment when you need a zen-like relaxation trance to prevent your heart from exploding due to paper-not-written-itis.
- Mark Riechers
*""School's Out"" by Alice Cooper*
Be sure to save this gem for your last exam, as playing it at the beginning of finals week can merely result in depression and lethargy.
- Kevin Slane
*""Don't Stop"" by Fleetwood Mac*
This cheesy classic will either pump you up or haunt you with the lines ""Don't stop thinking about tomorrow/ Don't stop it'll soon be here.""
-Megan Dwyer
*""Back 2 School"" by Afroman*
Guaranteed to fail that math exam? At least you can sympathize with Afroman, whose entire song catalog deals with drinking, smoking, fucking and failing out of class.
- Kevin Slane
*""This Is How You Spell 'Hahaha,' We
Destroyed the Hopes and Dreams of a Generation of Faux-Romantics"" by Los Campesinos!*
Take a break from studying and do your best ""Peanuts"" dancing impression to this song. I feel super-energized and ready to get back to my Macroeconomics notes after this fast and furious four-minute tune.
- Sara Barreau
*""Everything in Its Right Place"" by Radiohead*
The mellow melody is perfect to study to, especially when reading. It's one of the best songs that I don't feel the need to sing along to and can really distract me from finishing any homework.
- Kyle Bursaw
*""Waiting for the Sun"" by The Doors*
""Can you feel it now that spring has come?"" Oh, I can feel it alright. During these stressful weeks nothing but the best will do, and Jim Morrison soothes my soul like no other.
- Kerry Jessup
*""The World Loves Us and is Our Bitch"" by Mclusky*
A moment of self-doubt can be crippling on a timed essay test or when writing a final paper under deadline. This is the song to remind you that you are God's gift to Women's Studies, British Literature pre-1914 or Linear Algebra.
- Matt Hunziker
*""Party Party Party"" by Andrew W.K.*
Does this guy have any songs that aren't about partying? Reserved to blast down the halls of your dorm after your last exam.
- Mark Riechers
*""Battle Without Honour"" by Tomoyasu Hotei*
Just imagine walking into your final exam, the main theme from ""Kill Bill"" blaring in your ears as you slice an entire stack of blue books to shreds with your samurai skills. If that doesn't motivate you, I don't know what will.
- Kevin Slane
*""Gang of Four"" by Anthrax*
With its painfully rigid guitar riffs and disinterested vocal melody, nothing says finals time quite like Gang of Four's ""Anthrax."" When the guitars' feedback finally stops and the song gets going, the chorus lyrics will get anyone in the mood for some heavy thinking. ""Love'll get you like a case of anthrax / And that is something I don't want to catch.""
- Anthony Cefali
*""The Joker"" by Steve Miller Band*
I like to listen to ""The Joker"" by Steve Miller Band, since it reminds me that if worst comes to worst, UW dropouts can do just fine in the world.
- Todd Stevens
*""Three Little Birds"" by Bob Marley*
One of the most relaxing songs there is. Everything little thing is gonna be alright, even if it is finals week.
- Shawn Small
*""Here's Your Future"" by The Thermals*
This song is valuable for its ability to summarize the Old and New Testaments in roughly two minutes. Couplets like ""Fear me again and know I'm your Father / Remember that no one can breathe underwater"" double as snappy punk rock and indispensable cliff notes for your next Biblical history final.
- Matt Hunziker
*""Ghostwriter"" by RJD2*
Chances are you heard this instrumental hip-hop track on a commercial for car insurance a few years back, but ""Ghostwriter"" numbs the senses and keeps you focused while rummaging through stinky primary sources for your term paper.
- Andrew Dambeck
Graphics by matt riley/the daily
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