The Ultimate Playlist to Bond With Your Friends

By Alexandra Taylor

While love is a powerful force represented in countless songs (as well as the reason for the Trojan War, the downfall of Anakin Skywalker, and your parents’ divorce), friendship is a force that supersedes even the most passionate love affair. If you’re reading this, you’re likely in college (congrats!) and you are likely to meet some of the best friends of your life shortly–or maybe you already have. While the standard love languages are a great way to bond with your friends, the love language of a sweet playlist to listen to together is just as valuable. Luckily for you, I have perfectly curated a playlist that is going to maximize your friendship potential and get you just that much closer to your friends.

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Ed Sheeran - “Shape of You”

This may be a controversial choice, but I guarantee you that the friends who agree that the song is better than they remember are the friends that are going to stick with you. Good people support you even with your ‘worst’ music choices (even though the song really is good other than the lyrics, I swear.) This song is the strainer that will weed out anyone not cool enough to be one of your best friends. From the funnel that is Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” you can continue bonding with your true friends.

Twikipedia - “Hotel” (with SEBii)

This is the song that is going to transform your friendships from good to great. The hip-hop hyperpop mix will hit you and your friends with an additional burst of energy so that you can make more great memories together powering through essays and heartbreak. It’s perfect to suggest to DJs when everyone is still hyped but the dancing has been kinda lame. It’s the perfect spice to sear your friendship steak in.

Alexandre Desplat - “A Prayer for Madame D”

Now that you’ve surrounded yourself with true, honest friends that you have a great energy with, you must be able to move together as a unit (you’re inseparable now). There is no better song to keep your friendship quirky and Wes Anderson than “A Prayer for Madame D.” You’ll move quickly and always arrive together with a little pizzazz. It’s at this point that the people around you will start associating you as a true friendship package, because friends that walk together stay together.

S’morez - “Where Did You Go”

Good friends love showing each other memes. Eventually sound bites from songs will become memes that you send each other from true memes or you will just start singing them to each other as a meme. If you would like to kickstart this process, “Where Did You Go” is a great place to start. With a beat ripped straight from Laura Shigihara’s “Watery Graves” from the Plants vs Zombies soundtrack and vocals that truly inspire linguistic exploration (is he pronouncing the ‘g’ in ‘go’ as in between ‘g’ and ‘k’?), it has a lot to talk about.

Alvin & The Chipmunks - “Vacation” (feat. BASKO)

You’re pretty close at this point and you may start making plans for breaks together. At some point as a fun, cost-effective plan, one of you may propose a cruise. To convince your friends, you may remind them of the absolute delight that was the best Alvin and the Chipmunks movie, Chipwrecked. The movie was fun, they agree, but you will need to convince them further. It is now time to pull out the big guns: play “Vacation,” while singing along and coming up with the worst dance of your life. Their levels of awe and embarrassment will be adjusted perfectly so that they will strongly consider that cruise you proposed. Happy sailing!

Richard Wagner - “Ride of the Valkyries”

Sometimes when you’re having a late night on your sigma grindset with your friends, you’re going to be feeling a bit hungry (or hongies, as one of your cutesy friends calls it). However, everyone knows food tastes better when you pretend that you are pillaging for your own food. “Ride of the Valkyries” is viking certified for your best eating experience. When the squad pulls up with this song, you become a power squad who can eat more than was conquered in the eating competition between Loki and Logi. While Woody Allen might look at you sideways for it, Larry David will probably appreciate it (and crazy king Ludwig II of Bavaria, but who cares about him?)

Baby Keem - “ORANGE SODA”

Not every day with your friends will be bright, but every day can be made brighter with a little “ORANGE SODA” with your orange soda shorties. Is your friend crying over a man? “ORANGE SODA” them up and make it a little better.

Travis Scott - “SICKO MODE”

Now that you have bonded for so long and become so connected, you will begin to share the same thoughts and desires. This includes your most base desires to return to a shared nostalgia. At the end of the day, “SICKO MODE” is the ultimate wave of pleasure. It’s nostalgic, hype, and a monument that can not be ignored. You do not get sick of a song like “SICKO MODE.” This song will be the wedding of your newly shared consciousness.

Yuno Miles - “Road to Riches”

This song is a complete crowd pleaser. When you and your friends adopt the “Road to Riches” as your coat of arms, personal motto, and the statement of your thesis, the chains of your friendship will be unbreakable. You totally grok one another.

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And if you’ve made it to the end of this playlist with your friends, you have made it. These are the people who understand you. These people are your home away from home. After all this time laughing, crying, pondering career decisions, losing sleep, going nowhere in particular, and sharing meals and snacks, you can finally rest easy. You are loved.

All photos by Alexandra Taylor ‘25.