CommRadio Weekly Playlist: Sept. 9

Here, members of the Arts and Entertainment Department will talk about the songs that dominated their playlists during the week and what makes them so good.

“Time After Time” - Cyndi Lauper

“She’s So Unusual” is a revolutionary debut album released in 1984 that features iconic tracks like “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “She Bop,” and of course “Time After Time.”

I feel like “Time After Time” can sometimes get overlooked on this stacked album but it has definitely gone platinum in my household and I needed to share the magic of this tune.

My dad would play this song every Saturday morning while doing chores at home and since school just started back, I am feeling very homesick so this song has been beyond comforting this week.

It is a dreamy, four-minute ballad filled with the beautiful vocals of Lauper that no one can ever replicate.

The song is accompanied by gorgeous lyrics that showcase what it means to be in love and the feeling of always having someone to be there for.

I can guarantee it will be on repeat for me all week because it’s a classic and for good reason. -Madison Rush

“Hail to the King” - Avenged Sevenfold

I’ve been on my gym grind recently, and Avenged Sevenfold’s sixth studio album is a great one to throw on. No song gets my blood pumping quite like the album’s titular track, “Hail to the King.”

This is arguably the band’s most popular song, and for good reason. The first minute of the song is instrumental, and lead guitar man Synyster Gates takes on a new style in the intro.

Gates’s real power comes in the three-minute mark, embarking on a powerful fifty-second solo that I’d consider his best.

“Hail to the King” showcases the band’s strength, and it’s a classic A7X song about standing up to authority and questioning who gets to tell us what to do and why.

M. Shadows showcases his prime vocals, making a run for why he is and remains metal’s best and underrated vocalist.

If you have an hour to spare, just throw on the whole album. You won’t regret it. -Adrianna Gallucci

“Ode to Billy Joe”- Bobbie Gentry

Let me just preface this by saying- this is one of my favorite songs of all time. It’s mysterious, dark, creepy, and is the definition of ambiguity. In this ode to Billie Joe, Bobbie Gentry tells the fictional story of how she experienced the suicide of a dear friend, who she was with just a few days earlier.

Billie Joe was a long-time friend of our narrator, and in this story, we get the feeling that his death was unexpected and untimely, as it comes as a surprise to all of the characters.

But as a listener, we know very little about Billie Joe, and his relation to the narrator.

What makes this song so fascinating is in the details. While listening, you almost feel like a detective unweaving the hidden evidence laid out in the lyrics.

The story of Billie Joe and his untimely demise is one of many suspicions and no answers to be provided.

This song is haunting and meant to provide an eerie experience to a listener because singer Bobbie Gentry wants to portray the idea that her narrator in the story is the only person in the song who cares.

Her family doesn’t care, and it creates a sense of isolation that even resonates with the audience. - Sketch Morton

"Rocky Top" - Osborne Brothers

I’m back.

Those are the famous words of Michael Jordan when he returned to the NBA in 1995. They are now also the not-so-famous words of myself, Justin Ciavolella, who figured last week’s appearance in the Weekly Playlist article was my one and only appearance in arts-related content throughout my time at Penn State.

However, one day after I turned in my selection for last week, Kernkraft 400 by Zombie Nation, the Tennennse Volunteers throttled the NC State Wolfpack 51-10.

Due to that 51-10 result, Rocky Top became a top-played song in my apartment mainly at the expense of Josh Bartosik, a noted Wolfpack fan.

But, as much as this week's selection is a shot at Josh, it’s also a very fun song. The lyrics, particularly the ones that go “Good ‘ol Rocky Top. Rocky Top, Tennessee,” have been stuck in my head all week.

Plus, Tennessee plays Kent State this weekend in College Football. The Golden Flashes are Penn State’s next opponent. Penn State gave me my idea for last week’s weekly playlist. All in all, it all connects back to Penn State Football.

Anywho, I may or may not be back for next week’s playlist since I’m running out of songs. If this is indeed my final article for the arts department, it's been real, it’s been fun, and, honestly, it’s been real fun. -Justin Ciavolella

Madison Rush is a third-year majoring in public relations. To contact her, email mkr5957@psu.edu.

Adrianna Gallucci is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email amg7989@psu.edu.

Sketch Morton is a fifth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email sam7539@psu.edu.

Justin Ciavolella is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email justinciavolella@gmail.com or jtc5751@psu.edu.