CommRadio Weekly Playlist: 4/23/25

“Walking on Sunshine” - Katrina and the Waves

It’s a dreary, cold day and you have your headphones on. You are walking on the sidewalk with some music softly playing as it begins to drizzle. The next song comes on and suddenly the rain stops, the clouds vanish and you can feel the warmth of the sun’s rays on your back.

You look at the ground expecting to see the ugly cracked sidewalk, but instead you are standing in the middle of a field of wildflowers. The song keeps playing as you skip through the brightly-colored flowers.

You might be wondering what song could possibly be playing? What song has changed the day’s mood so abruptly?

Well, to no one’s surprise, it’s the 1985 hit “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves. This song literally embodies cheeriness, happiness and optimism. And, unsurprisingly, it is the band’s most popular song by a long shot.

While none of Katrina and the Waves’ songs became as much of a cultural phenomenon as “Walking on Sunshine,” their “Love Shine a Light” did win Eurovision back in the year it was released, so the band was quite successful for the few years they were together.

Honestly, it has the same upbeat, joyous vibes as “Honey, Honey” from “Mamma Mia!”.

Hopefully, while I continue to listen to this song on repeat, the warm weather of summer will decide to stick around. - Sarah Taylor

Sarah Taylor is a second-year majoring in telecommunications and media industries. To contact her, email smt6314@psu.edu.

“I Want It All” - COIN

The song I’ve been playing all week is one of my favorite songs of all time. It is titled “I Want It All” by COIN. There’s something about this song that’s super uplifting. It is upbeat, fun and a song that you can dance in the rain to.

It is played in ¾ time. A song consisting of extremely high-pitched notes from a piano is a little rare, but it works well here. The first verse is just piano, drums and lyrics. The song then adds an electric guitar for the chorus. This cycle occurs two more times.

1:52 into the song, the lyrics are, “I’m losing my mind, mind, mind, mind” which not only symbolizes the troubles in relationships, which is what the song is about, it also leads up the electric guitar, which stays in for the rest of the song.

The lyrics two minutes and 16 seconds in are, “I’ve got this lovesick feeling; That there’s nothing like it, nothing at all; I know your heart’s still beating; And I want it all, I want it all or nothing at all” which is the last chorus of the song. This last part emphasizes all of the instruments and makes you feel like anything is possible.

“I Want It All” by COIN is fantastic and everybody should have it in their library of songs. - Jack Harrison

Jack Harrison is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jkh6603@psu.edu.

“If You Leave Me Now” - Charlie Puth Ft. Boyz II Men

Although some people find Charlie Puth’s online presence and personality a bit cringeworthy at times, I have admittedly been a big fan of his since middle school. I remember really enjoying his hits “One Call Away” and “See You Again.” These songs led me to discover the rest of his catalog, which I fell in love with.

“If You Leave Me Now” comes from his 2018 album “Voicenotes” and features Boyz II Men. The more I think about it and have listened to the song, I think that it just might be my favorite song by Charlie Puth. The harmonies are to die for and provide a bit more of an R&B sound than usual from Charlie.

I would never have expected to pair these two artists together for a song, but it ended up working out perfectly. This style of music is something that I would love to hear even more of from Charlie. Hopefully, he has an album on the way this year! - Noah Vickery

Noah Vickery is a second-year majoring in communications. To contact him, email nmv5292@psu.edu.

Telegraph Ave. ("Oakland" by Lloyd)

Telegraph Ave. ("Oakland" by Lloyd) was released on Dec. 10, 2013 as part of Childish Gambino’s album Because the Internet.

Childish Gambino (also known as Donald Glover — yes, the guy from Atlanta) is in his feelings about a girl he’s seeing who lives in Oakland. He’s driving to see her down Telegraph Avenue (a real street in Oakland), and the whole song is like his inner monologue while he’s on that drive.

It’s like when you’re driving to go see a guy you know you probably shouldn’t, but you’re replaying every conversation, every moment, and lowkey fantasizing about it working out even though you have a gut feeling it might not.

Toxic? A little. Relatable? Yes.

The song is chill, vibey and has romantic-but-a-little-toxic energy, perfect for a late-night drive.

A lot of his early fans loved him because he was quirky and didn’t fit the usual rap/R&B sound. His mainstream respect is well deserved and fans hold hope his creativity will never run dry. - Gabrielle Marston

Gabrielle Marston is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email gmm6030@psu.edu.