For a lot of people, their time in high school shapes who they’ll become for the rest of their lives. It’s a time when you can start having your own interests, your own money, some freedom. You can become you. And one of the best things about becoming you is figuring out what kind of music you like. When you’re a teen, the music you get into feels so much stronger than at any other point in your life. The music you listen to in your teen years mixes with your hormones and emotions and overwhelms you and permanently molds you. You make mix tapes, you go to shows, you buy band t-shirts and posters, you get ill-advised tattoos. It’s a lot of fun.
There’s been a fun meme going around where people are asked to list the ten albums that were the most influential to their teen lives. Somehow most people listened to really cool stuff in high school. I missed the part of high school where we became cool. But luckily most of the staff did not! So here they are, the albums that shaped each of us the most in our teen years.
Mey, Trans and Music Editor, Teen from 1999-2005
- Three Dog Night – 20th Century Masters The Best of Three Dog Night
- Santana – Supernatural
- David Bowie – Best of Bowie
- Kanye West – The College Dropout
- 2pac – Greatest Hits
- Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
- Fefe Dobson – Fefe Dobson
- Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
- Hawk Nelson – Letters to the President
- Alicia Keys – The Diary of Alicia Keys
Audrey, Staff Writer, Teen From 2003-2010
- Fall Out Boy – Take This To Your Grave
- Fall Out Boy – From Under The Cork Tree
- Panic! At The Disco – A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out
- Elliott Smith – Either/Or
- Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
- Cat Power – The Greatest
- Brand New – The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me
- Motion City Soundtrack – Commit This To Memory
- Less Than Jake – Hello Rockview
- Radiohead – The Bends
Cecelia, Staff Writer, Teen from 2007-2012
- Vampire Weekend – Contra
- The Antlers – Hospice
- The Morning Benders – Big Echo
- Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
- Laura Marling – Alas I Cannot Swim
- Sleigh Bells – Treats
- Mac Demarco – 2
- The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
- Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
- Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
Alaina, Staff Writer, Teen from 2004-2010
- Youthful Praise – Exalted…Live in Baltimore
- Tye Tribbett – Victory Live
- Jason Robert Brown – The Last Five Years
- Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
- Duncan Sheik – Spring Awakening
- Jonathan Larson – Rent
- Gavin Degraw – Chariot
- Elton John and Tim Rice – Aida
- Celine Dion – Taking Chances
- Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty – Ragtime
Cee, Technical Director, Teen from 1991-1997
- Pearl Jam – Ten
- Nirvana – Bleach
- Sleater Kinney – Sleater Kinney
- Bikini Kill – Pussy Whipped
- Bjork – Post
- Jane’s Addiction – Ritual de lo Habitual
- Daft Punk – Homework
- NIN – The Downward Spiral
- PJ Harvey – Rid of Me
- Pixies – Doolittle
Crystal, Teen in Late 90s
- Green Day – Dookie
- Deftones – Around the Fur
- Our Lady Peace – Clumsy
- Spice Girls – Spice
- Jebediah – Slightly Odway
- Placebo – Without You I’m Nothing
- TLC – CrazySexyCool
- Fiona Apple – Tidal
- Fugees – The Score
- Everclear – Sparkle and Fade
Karly, Social Media, Teen from 2002-2008
- Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory
- Linkin Park – Meteora
- Trapt – Trapt
- Hoobastank – The Reason
- Coldplay – Rush of Blood to the Head
- Daredevil Original Soundtrack
- Savage Garden – Savage Garden
- John Mayer – Heavier Things
- Underworld Original Soundtrack
- Story of the Year – Page Avenue
Laura M, Staff Writer, Teen in the Early 2000s
- Barenaked Ladies – Stunt
- Aerosmith – A Little South Of Sanity
- Queen – Greatest Hits
- U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind
- Everclear – Songs From An American Movie, Vol. One: Learning How To Smile
- Matchbox 20 – More Than You Think You Are
- The Dandy Warhols – Welcome To The Monkey House
- The New Pornographers – Electric Version
- OK Go – OK Go
- Death Cab For Cutie – Plans
Kayla, Staff Writer, Teen from 2005-2011
- Jennifer Lopez – This is Me… Then
- Le Tigre – Le Tigre
- Alicia Keys – Songs in A Minor
- Christina Aguilera – Stripped
- Sleater Kinney – Dig Me Out
- Ciara – Goodies
- Britney Spears – In the Zone
- Missy Elliott – Under Construction
- Shakira – Laundry Service
- Wicked Original Cast Recording
Raquel, Intern, Teen from 2002-2007
- Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American
- Jars of Clay – Much Afraid
- The Cranberries – Everyone Else is Doing it, So Why Can’t We?
- Alanis Morrisette – Jagged Little Pill
- Sufjan Stevens – Come on Feel the Illinoise
- Dashboard Confessional – The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most
- Pixies – Doolittle
- Avril Lavigne – Let Go
- Radiohead – Kid A
- Leonard Cohen – Songs of Love and Hate
Riese, CEO, Teen From 1994-1999
- Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
- Sarah McLachlan – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
- The Fugees – The Score
- Mazzy Star – So Tonight That I May See
- Patty Griffin – Living with Ghosts
- Velocity Girl – Copacetic
- Oasis – What’s the Story Morning Glory
- RENT: The Original Broadway Cast Recording
- Ani DiFranco – Living in Clip
- Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes
- The Empire Records Soundtrack
- The Stealing Beauty Soundtrack
- The Clueless Soundtrack
- Jewel – Pieces of You
- Jeff Buckley – Grace
- The Cardigans – First Band on the Moon
Sarah, Design and Business Director, Teen from 2000-2006
- Tori Amos – The Choirgirl Hotel
- Tori Amos – Under The Pink
- Ani DiFranco – Evolve
- Fiona Apple – When The Pawn
- Fiona Apple – Tidal
- Garbage – Beautiful Garbage
- Sarah McLachlan – Mirrorball
- Katy Rose – Because I Can
- Le Tigre – This Island
- Celine Dion – One Heart
Stef, Vapid Fluff Editor
- Garbage – Garbage / Version 2.0
- Poe – Hello / Haunted
- Elastica – Elastica
- Portishead – Dummy
- Spice Girls – Spice
- PJ Harvey – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
- Blondie – Parallel Lines
- Marilyn Manson – Mechanical Animals
- Tori Amos – From the Choirgirl Hotel
- Blur – 13
- Catatonia – International Velvet
- Mindless Self Indulgence – Tight
- Fiona Apple – When the Pawn
Laneia, Executive Editor, Teen from 1994-1999
- Liz Phair – Whip-Smart
- Weezer – Blue Album
- Green Day – Dookie
- Alanis Morisette – Jagged Little Pill
- Prince – The Hits 2
- Janet Jackson – Janet.
- Nirvana – Unplugged
- Mariah Carey – Unplugged
- Various Artists – Tank Girl Soundtrack
- Various Artists – My So-Called Life Soundtrack
Kristin, A-Camp Director, Teen from 1993-1999
- Bush – Sixteen Stone
- Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill
- Letters to Cleo – Aurora Gory Alice
- Jewel – Pieces of You
- Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness
- Violent Femmes – Add it Up
- Ani DiFranco – “anything I could get my hands on“
- Tori Amos – “just every album that she released“
Mey, I wish you still had that plaid button-up and would give it to me.
Riese, you look like Buffy in that photograph. I know I have already said this two times in Slack but I’m saying it again.
Laneia, My So Called Life.
I’m so glad that SOME of you were teens when I was. I was afraid I was going to feel SO old.
Teen 1990-96
HA! How about 1978-1984?! Except that I listened to classical and folk music, not rock or disco or anything popular.
Dolly Parton? I’ve always considered her to be more folk than country.
Come sit next to me
I love all the Broadway picks!
I love teenage Stef ❤️
WELL TEENAGE STEF HATED EVERYTHING
HER HATE JUST MAKES ME LOVE HER MORE
Yes, good.
Riese = me almost perfectly
Except, replace the Jewel with Radiohead OK Computer.
And maybe soft swap of Little Earthquakes with From the Choirgirl Hotel.
LOVE Garbage and Shirley Manson’s boiling hot accent.
Cats forever.
i didn’t get into radiohead until i was in my mid-twenties but now i love
I LOVE THIS! Oh my gosh, this brought back so many memories! I wanna do my own!
I was a teen from 2000 – 2006
My list would include:
New Order – The Best of New Order
Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill
Arcade Fire – Funeral
Beck – Mellow Gold
Le Tigre – This Island
Stars – Set Yourself on Fire
The Juliana Theory – LOVE
Bif Naked – Purge
Soundtrack to Disney’s AIDA
Sloan – Twice Removed (if I’d have to pick only one of their albums)
The Flashing Lights – Where the Change Is
Sam Roberts – We Were Born in a Flame
Velocity Girl – Simpatico!
Metric – Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
Eric’s Trip – Love Tara
Feist – Let it Die
Oh damn, definitely would have to add The Organ’s Grab that Gun and Sheryl Crow’s C’mon C’mon to that list!
literally did not think anybody in the entire universe knew Velocity Girl besides me and my friends circa 1994
METRIC ?
I love the stark contrast of Around the Fur, and Spice. I am still fond of the album Around the Fur to this day, and the band for that matter as I still enjoy the new stuff.
I also love The Score, and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill; however, I saw her live a few years back, and it kind of ruined the albums a little for me. She was doing remix versions of her song, which weren’t particularly my taste as it was too different from the album(though her voice still was great). I think she did it partially because she was tried of the album version, and partially to be different.
I’m pretty sure I just listened to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack on repeat from 2001-2004
same
still do (?!)
100% yes me too. Blasting loud from rolled down car windows and belting every word.
Also holla at Avril Lavigne’s ‘Under My Skin’, the perfect album to pen dramatic love letters to all your various secret crushes and cry about how they’ll never notice you
This mostly just served
Ugh stupid touchscreen. This mostly just serves to further illustrate that literally everyone in the world is cooler than me.
Omg Kristin’s teen pic is too good
LOVE your username
Same!!! Is there a username award?
POOOOOOOOE thank god
waitin for that comeback wheneeever she’s ready
i wanna be a dolphin
do you know how hard i want the a-camp family band to play “trigger happy jack” except it’s problematic
My first concert at age 15 was Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, and that is all anyone needs to know about my musical tastes as a teenager.
I still listen to Good Vibration with such unfiltered enjoyment so I can’t even judge you for your decisions because they feel right and true.
Mey you are cool!
I was a teen form 1983-1989 and its hard to say. I guess if I don’t remember them, they weren’t that influential.
Talking Heads – all of them but especially Little Creatures and the sound track to Stop Making Sense.
Hair soundtrack
Violent Femmes – the bl
I was a teen in the mid 2000s, but I watched the DVD of Stop Making Sense so many times that I stopped noticing how weird their haircuts were.
Oh god, I’m mostly embarrassed by what I listened to in my teens.
I was super depressed, in heavy denial about myself, and hung out with MMO playing nerds and we all listened to so much (mostly terrible) metal, nu-metal and trance/electronica/DnB. These are probably my most listened to albums from the era but they exclude *so much* crap that I listened to nearly as often as these.
’03-’09
Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine
Nightwish – Century Child
Nightwish – Once
Pendulum – Hold Your Color
Airwave – Believe
Rammestein – Reise, Reise
Paul Oakenfold – Bunkka
Paul van Dyke – Castles in the Sky
Disturbed – The Sickness
Static-X – Wisconsin Death Trip
listen i didn’t necessarily consider them game changers cos i was keeping this list as short as i could (and i think mine’s still the longest?) but i went through a real sweet nu metal phase near the end of high school (my first music-related job was working for kittie) and def fuckin loved static-x and rammstein and maybe attended a disturbed show on purpose once. not proud. the first two static-x albums were fucking quality.
♥
kids today don’t know what it was like to love industrial metal in the columbine era
Rammstein was so good.
I still like Disturbed. I ended up listening to Asylum a ton while I was in China. “The Warrior” is the best damn pump-you-up song I’ve ever heard and “Never Again” is like my damn Jew Anthem now.
Not on Asylum, but I dug deeper into the album Indestructible recently and the cut “Haunted” made me go “dammit, that was the song I was trying to write”.
Basically, there’s a lot more to Disturbed than “Down With the Sickness”.
I think many of us had that phase, I know I certianly did. I even sold some of my terrible nu-metal cds when Warehouse Records was still a thing. That said Rage Against the Machine is still a favorite of mine.
Yeah, I still love Rage Against the Machine (and Nightwish!) but other than that I think I don’t listen to hardly anything from my teens.
Here are a few favorites I actually have up in my room today (OCD trigger THEY AREN’T PROPERLY ALIGNED):
Lowest left album is Jezabels – The Brink.
and oh god it’s too small :(
I have a touch screen laptop so I was able to zoom in and see the vast selection of Sleater-Kinney Albums. Though I don’t think I am familiar wtih the one to the left of Hot Rock.
Mey you are cool!
I was a teen form 1983-1989 and its hard to say. I guess if I don’t remember them, they weren’t that influential.
Talking Heads – all of them but especially Little Creatures and the sound track to Stop Making Sense.
Hair soundtrack
Violent Femmes – the blind leading the naked
Sinead O’Conner – the one with Nothing Compares to U
Indigo Girls – the one with Closer to Fine
Billy Bragg – Back to Basics
The Cure
Depeche Mode – the one with Master and Servant
Two Nice Girls – Cloe Liked Olivia
Prince – Purple Rain
And Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville, even though that came out post teens. But very influential.
fuck yeah liz phair
Fuck yeah!
Oh and I almost forgot Tracy Chapman’s first album.
Yes Liz Phair!
And I’m gonna throw Aimee Mann in here too.
Fist Bump for the Barenaked Ladies STUNT album–Man that album makes me so happy/sad. Also all the broadway, Ani Difranco and Tori. If I had never been to this website before and just happened across this article and it was re-named “If you know even 5 of these albums by heart then you are probably queer af” it would have been very revealing for me.
forever dying over baby cee
Baby Cee OMG
I have so many more where that photo came from
I love the teen photos. Especially the two in bathing suits.
I was waaay too self conscious to have photos taken of me in a bathing suit and I certainly wasn’t confident enough for a two piece until my 40s.
Offspring – Smash
Metallica- Black Album
U2 – Achtung Baby
Bob Marley – Legend
Queen – Greatest Hits
Roxette – Joyride
Spice Girls – Spice
Madonna – The Immaculate Collection
Raimundos – Raimundos
Legiao Urbana – 4 Estacoes
Honorary mentions:
Romeo + Juliet soundtrack
Phantom of the opera original cast recording
Alanis Morrissette – Jagged Little Pill
Green Day – Dookie
Achtung Baby! YAS
It was the album that ignited my love for U2. To this day they’re still my favorite band
That’s a really great and eclectic list!
real talk we probably listened to bob marley – legend more than anything else
romeo + juliet soundtrack too
Or- some of us didn’t do those music things because we were into books, not music. Please do a top 10 influential books!
I love this so much, I recently did this list and was excited to see how many people sgared cds/artists I chose. I think Kristens list could have been mine! Loved how many people chose Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Sleater Kinney, garbage, Jewel, so many other great albums I listened to 100x when I was young and angsty…. and some I still listen to.
Im a teen right now and honestly all i listen to is Mal Blum, Mumford and Sons, and the Fun Home soundtrack
Be honest, is this Mal Blum commenting?
Because if I was Mal Blum I would totally mostly listen to myself.
Omg Audrey, I still keep in my car the same Hello Rockview CD that my ex boyfriend burned for me 15 years ago. <3
IT IS THE BEST.
Hello Rockview (and basically their entire discography once MP3s became a thing) was such an important soundtrack for my teen and college years! My love for Less Than Jake always seemed to be something that no one else (especially queer ladies) shared but I’m always hoping there are more of us out there. So, thanks for making that dream come true!
I was a very different person in my teens than I am now, and I think my musical taste reflects it… Of course, because I /am/ experiencing puberty twice (Yay, being trans/femme!), I’m making two lists, one for each major battle of the hormones.
Teen ’02-’09
Rammstein – Reise Reise
Porcupine Tree – In Absentia
Porcupine Tree – Deadwing
Laibach – NATO
Nine Inch Nails – Pretty Hate Machine
The Tangent – The Music that Died Alone
Caravan – From the Land of Grey and Pink
The Cardigans – Gran Turismo
Jethro Tull – Warchild
Pink Floyd – Animals
Second Puberty (’16-current)
Tori Amos – From the Choir Girl Hotel
Tori Amos – Unrepentant Geraldines
Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill
The Cardigans – Super Extra Gravity
Portishead – Dummy
Sleater-Kinney – Dig Me Out
Mono – Requiem for Hell
Ani DiFranco – Allergic to Water
Ladytron – Light & Magic
Ladyhawke – Anxiety
Portishead Dummy was like the sexiest album to me for some reason. Ugh. ?
I think we went through pretty similar music habits! I lurrrrve Ladyhawke, Sleater-Kinney, Tori, Alanis and Ani now.
This list might be a little hard for me since the music from my early 20s was also tremendously influential to me, and because I’ve been listening to a ton of music from circa 2001-2006 lately so that’s throwing me off. That said, here’s my crack at it.
Lil’ Smartass Teen Kat 1997-2003
No Doubt – all albums, but particularly Tragic Kingdom and Return of Saturn
Third Eye Blind – Third Eye Blind
Smashmouth – Fush Yu Mang
The Offspring – Americana
Blink 182 – Enema of the State
Avril Lavigne – Let Go
Vanessa Carleton – Be Not Nobody
Shakira – Laundry Service
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
and on the very, very tail end…
Fallen – Evanescence
This was in addition to continuing to love the stuff from the 60s and 70s that my parents played.
Yes Vanessa. Yes Evanescence. All the yes.
RIESE.
Oh man this has been such a treat. Thank you for sharing everybody!!!! ?❤️
Shout out to the former Christian kids! My cd rack as a teen (circa 2000-2006) was 100% holy
Relient K – Two Lefts Don’t Make a Right… But Three Do
Creed – My Own Prison
Creed- Human Clay
An assortment of WOW CDs
The OC Supertones- Loud and Clear
Switchfoot- The Beautiful Letdown
Audio Adrenaline- Hit Parade
Mark Schultz- Stories and Songs
POD-Satellite
Inexplicably, I also owned an ambient ocean noise cd that I listened to a lot. ??
Relient K was my favorite band in high school and still one of my favorite to this day. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a Christian anymore but I definitely still love their music and I would list “mmhmm” as one of my favorite albums of all time.
Teenager from 1999-2005:
Liz Phair: Whip Smart
Rilo Kiley: More Adventurous
Ben Kweller: Sha-Sha
Weezer: Blue Album
Live: Throwing Copper
Bush: Sixteen Stone
No Doubt: Tragic Kingdom
Jewel: Pieces of You
Jimmy Eat World: Bleed American
Modest Mouse: Good News for People who Love Bad News
Obviously some of those are later high school years than others.
I think the music I listened to/found from about 18-22 was probably the most impactful to my life today. That list would be really fun to do.
This is perfect because I was totally having a 90’s Teen Kristen Week that involved worn jeans, layered shirts, floppy hair, and a fuck-ton of bands I loved (and still love) between ’93-’99, like R.E.M.
I’m listening to Sarah McLachlan right now!
You all had some *solid* teenage musical taste – I didn’t come to much of this stuff (e.g. Tori Amos, Radiohead, etc.) until my 20s, so I think you’re extra cool for being into those “back in the day”
Here’s my list for high school in autobiographical order (1995-1999):
Phantom of the Opera – Original Broadway Cast Recording
Daydream – Mariah Carey (I won it on a radio countdown contest. Sooo 90s!)
Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morisette
Falling Into You – Celine Dion
What’s The Story… Morning Glory? – Oasis
Queen Greatest Hits / Classic Queen (I consider this one album)
Symbols – KMFDM
Vegas – The Crystal Method
ESCM – bt
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy – Sarah McLachlan
I still love all of these :)
KMFDM
better than the best
and harder than the rest
Um let’s see okay so when I was 14 Katrina happened.
One of the albums that was a balm to me at that time and thru out my entire teenhood was a local thing that I am going to assume no one here has heard of or ever listened ta. It’s a holiday album that changes every year. I can’t find the track listing for that year but I remember some that were on there so y’all could have an idea of what it was like :P
I give you a sampling of the 12 Yats of Christmas by Benny Grunch and the Bunch
12 Yats of Christmas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtamAbbgw-I
I Got a Used Kazoo for Christmas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcIFwZ7Eiro
to me it is the best holiday song evar and a sung my fucked up little teen heart out to this wonderfully ridiculous song
Mblueh Rchristmasah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhxtK2BIHYw
still makes me crack up
I Could See the Aluminum Tree Through the Pictcha Winda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7vH07Lu0WE
bored me but it was window to my mother’s childhood that didn’t have any parent-teen contention attached to it
Norris the Nocturnal Nutria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4CPNTjL3yo
teenagers are night owls, it’s science
Santa, I Been Bad All Year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJxF6mKUtNI
I would chuckle evilly to this song because teen me did a thing with a hat too ;D
So yeah that’s pretty much what a 12 Yats of Christmas album is and those are song that were on the edition I listened to at 14; covers of traditional Christmas music with local references, pure original ridiculousness, mockery of traditional songs, and liberal dash of nostalgia
I think the irreverent humor was one of the things that helped take some of the piss from my piss and vinegar that I had with me. I was angrier and harder to be around before I was a teenager, my teen years actually mellowed me out kinda.
The rest of the albums that got me through my teen years is totally uncool mix of Best of [70 or 80’s Rock Band] albums
Chiefly Guns ‘n’ Roses, Kiss, Lynard Skynard and in my last year as a teen Rammsteinm, before that I’d only listened them on yahoo music and then youtube.
Also this um The Best of James Bond album I got as souvenir from the Spy Museum on that DC trip and a collection album Songs That Got Us Through WWII. My grampy died in 2005 too and he was so important to me and that music is probably one of the things that makes me crave energy from music and why rock music really got into my blood the way it did, other than the being a teenager with a deep well of anger
Actual album-albums that I owned:
Metallic-Death Magnetic
my ass had to been in seat at fuckin 7:07 and that album is the only reason that happened enough times to not fail out b/c of tardies
Meatloaf-Bat Out of Hell
I have a classical music loving heart with a rock ‘n’ roll soul, this album saved me from being metalhead elitist fuckhead I think.
Across the Celtic Moors by Taheny & Reid
before Death Magnetic it was King Brian Boru’s March (bagpipes y’all are always loud af) getting my ass in that seat on school mornings plus that super sad Emigrant’s Daughter song allowed me to access my sads without feeling like I was doing some weaksauce emo bullshit by allowing myself to have feelings that weren’t sexual or punchy.
I kinda feel like music that got me through my teen years and influenced me can be divided into
Katrina/Mourning my grampy and regular teenhood but at the same time fed into each other.
The Best of Gun ‘n’ Roses was intro into modernish rock music and I listened to Paradise City everytime we drove home from where we were staying Post-K to work on the house during weekends.
I still want music that’s more complex than just loud thrash.
I think that most of music I listened to as teenager either was something that gave the anger and helplessness in me from the age of 5 an outlet or gave me life and laughter.
The majority of my listening was my walkman radio tho, CD’s weren’t as portable and I couldn’t do shit with an MP3 player.
Omg Riese, Copacetic was, and is, my FAVORITE Velocity Girl album!It was like the only non-scratched up CD I had in my car during sophomore year of high school besides Scarface and the Geto Boys, “Mr. Scarface is Back”(which I also loved). Glad that someone else shares my appreciation of it!
I was a teen from 2009-2016! My tastes haven’t changed much.
Weezer – Green Album
Ingrid Michaelson – Everything she wrote, honestly.
Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Juanes – Mi Sangre
Bombay Bicycle Club – All things
Adele – 19
Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
i came for the music recs and stayed for the intensely awkward and illuminating photographic record of your adolescences
Same.
High school actually wasn’t this huge formative period for me. I pretty much found myself the summer before starting high school, I think. Music from my teens brings up memories, but I see many many more influences from the 10 childhood years I was obsessed with Michael Jackson.
Just as well, because I stopped following popular music before I became a teenager (1997). My list would have been all 1970s and 1980s heavy metal and late 1990s doom metal that no one could relate to.
Found my core “this is how I’m comfortable” self, I should say. I’m still developing and learning to accept myself, after all!
I think the photos are my favourite part!
Has Stef actually aged at all?
Oh that’s just silliest question, every body knows vampires don’t age.
if it helps at all i was def like 18 in that picture (BUT THANK YOU)
Oh man, Less Than Jake’s Hello Roxkview was one of those albums that helped me survive my adolescent years.
“For a lot of people, their time in high school shapes who they’ll become for the rest of their lives.”
Ha ha, to be honest, I’m glad I wasn’t one of those people. High school was awful (for me, at least) :p
i feel so much better about my life with the amount of celine dion i see here…
This is fun! I was a teen from 2006 to 2013.
My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade
Enter Shikari – Take to the Skies
Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare
Death Cab For Cutie – Plans
Kings of Leon – Only by the Night
Marina and the Diamonds – The Family Jewels
Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More
Polly Scattergood – Self-titled
Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation
The entire Skins soundtrack from S1-S6
(I’m 100% convinced that if I hadn’t watched Skins S1 as a British 13-yr-old my teen years would not have turned out the way they did).
This has made me realise I listen to a lot less, for lack of a better word, sad, music now.
Teen from 2001-2006:
-Blink 182, Enema of the State
-Good Charlotte, The Young and the Hopeless
-Relient K, mmhmm
-Simple Plan, No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls
-Backstreet Boys, Millennium
-Rent Soundtrack
-Dashboard Confessional, Swiss Army Romance
-Destiny’s Child, The Writing’s on the Wall
-Black Eyed Peas, Elephunk
(I had terrible taste).
How did I forget Team Dresch’s “Personal Best”? Is it too late to add it? Can I have 11 albums? That album was HUGE and also had the best cover art.