The College Perspective by Lindsey

When first asked the question, “What song or artist would you recommend to someone?”, Jess replied with a general sense of awkwardness and “Just any song?”

When Jess first saw me, she seemed a little guarded, not sure what to think. She was dressed in all black clothes including her shoes, and had a black backpack on her shoulders. The only pop of color on her was a small blue bunny key-chain attached to her backpack. Jess stood only a little taller than my 5’6 frame. She hadn’t been making much eye contact with anybody and had just swept her dark brown hair out of her eyes when I almost blocked her path to ask her this seemingly random question. After introducing myself, she seemed a little more friendly, smiling and trying her best to find a song that was profound, and came up with a song by Disturbed called “The Sound of Silence”.

Now anyone who listened to the radio at all this summer will probably have heard this song, and I felt inclined to ask her if she thought it was better than the Simon and Garfunkel version. She said the Disturbed version was ultimately better, saying “It’s just really cool and nice to listen to. It’s more of a soothing song, so I think people would like it when they want to relax.”

This isn’t Jess’ typical musical choice. She told me she often listens to orchestral music when studying and that it’s more relaxing than other types of music.

After this odd request, Jess wished me luck and continued on the path towards the cafeteria, walking a little slower than before, more aware of her surroundings.