Middle school isn't an easy time for anyone. It is a time full of puberty, awkward hairstyles, acne, and trying to figure out who you want to be. No matter what your personal struggle throughout these three years, I think we can all agree that we were probably a tad over dramatic about basically every little thing in our lives during it all.
Luckily, there was an abundance of music to get us through the roughest of days. This is a list of 10 songs ranging from the late 1990's to 2000's that we were SURE would define our lives as we knew them.
1. "I'm Just a Kid" by Simple Plan
Life really was a nightmare though, right?! I can't believe mom didn't let me go to the 9 o'clock movie alone. Whenever life just seemed to suck and be SO unfair, this song was really able to speak to us.
2. "Teardrops on My Guitar" by Taylor Swift
No list is complete without a T-Swift reference and what is middle school without a little heartbreak? Although you'd never picked up a guitar in your life, there were teardrops on it. Sitting there wondering if he knew you were "in love" with him just corresponded perfectly with Taylor's words.
3. "I Miss You" by Blink-182
Blink 182 is a monumental band in the lives of anyone born post 1990, or at least they should be. Whoever he or she was that was constantly on your mind just needed to know that "you're already the voice inside my head." There was no better song to sulk in the corner of your bedroom to while contemplating whether to die your hair black or cut your bangs to even more of an extreme angle.
4. "Leave (Get Out)" by JoJo
This song goes out to every guy who cheated or wronged you. What always made this song so easy to relate to was the fact that JoJo was only 13 when she came out with this hit. It made everyone feel like they were actually able to understand her breakup. Although, I'm still confused as to where he is being told to "get out" of being that they probably both lived with their parents, but we can pardon that.
5. "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne
Avril's unique voice will forever hold a place in the hearts of many as well as her signature pink highlight. She really understood the struggles of that friend or significant other "acting like you're somebody else" in front of other people. The saddest part about "Complicated" is that it is still true to this day. We will forever have to struggle with the people we love and care about acting differently in front of certain company.
6. "Stronger" by Kanye West
WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER! Yes! No matter our struggles, this fantastic pump up song has always been there for us. As a 12-year-old, I didn't understand 90 percent of what Kanye was saying, but I knew that if something wasn't killing me, it was making me stronger.
7. "Candy Shop" by 50 Cent
I don't know anyone personally who visited such a "candy shop," thank God, but 50 Cent's hit is engraved in the minds of so many as THE top middle school throwback hit. It gave us the chance to feel bad and act like we actually had an idea of what any of these lollipops or magic sticks were.
8. "So Yesterday" by Hilary Duff
This song was life after a breakup or at least the point of a breakup where you were actually okay. This song got us through the days where we had embraced the breakup and were ready to move on from such a serious, two-week relationship. "If it's over, let it go." Wow. I think we could all use this as a little reminder sometimes.
9. "Why Can't I?" by Liz Phair
So basically, this is the soundtrack to life. It also seems to be the soundtrack for a numerous amount of movies. You just can't breathe without this person and Liz Phair was able to translate such a feeling into a hit song.
10. "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton
No worries, I saved the best for last. Whether you connect to this song through watching "White Chicks" or from a personal experience, Vanessa Carlton's hit has become a timeless one that we have all grown to love. Although slightly dramatic, at one point many of us truly did believe we would walk a thousand miles for that special someone. This song will go down in history without a doubt.
Looking back now at the problems we faced in middle school, they seem tiny. But those three years can be some of the worst for people and the songs that we were able to look to for guidance should be recognized. I know I couldn't have made it through without my fair share of Hilary, Simple Plan, and even a little throwback Kanye. It doesn't matter which line of a song you connect with, it only matters that the music was able to relate to your life in some way and make you feel a little closer to normal in your time of weird and awkward.
