Serving on Summer Staff at a Young Life camp is one of the best things you can ever do, but it is also very tiring. Hearing these songs at various points throughout every week brought me needed energy and excitement.
1. "Church Clap" by KB (Featuring Lecrae)
If you have been to any Young Life camp, you know that western night (aka "the night that never ends") is the best night of the week. At Trail West, the night comes to a thrilling conclusion with everyone doing the dance as the parents looked on confused at the bouncing and clapping. The song goes hard, and your church is seriously dope if they actually play it.
2. "Closing Time" by Semisonic
The best song to end any night, every single meal of ours ended with this song so we knew when to leave. While you might think that gets old, screaming, "I KNOW WHO I WANT TO TAKE ME HOME" never does. "Closing Time" is immortal.
3. "Live Forever" by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors
Work Crew night is always emotional, but my favorite part was yelling the words to "Live Forever" with all of my boys. The song perfectly encapsulates the childlike joy of faith and hope in life.
4. "Life Is A Highway" by Rascal Flatts
The welcome song at any camp will permanently be etched in your brain. Now when I hear this song, I will no longer think of Lightning McQueen or Michael and Holly breaking up, but I will think of the roads of Colorado and how much my intern hated this song. I don't care what anyone says, this song goes hard.
5. "Everytime We Touch" by Cascada
This song is soon to be immortalized on my YouTube channel, as I performed it in a lip-synch battle with my ropes crew. The beat drop is iconic, and our second place finish in the camp-wide contest did it justice. It is impossible not to jump around to this certified banger.
6. "Girls" by The Beastie Boys
Is this song sketchy in 2018 (or should I say 2016)? Yes. Did my intern play it all the time? Yes. Is the message great? No. Is the beat super freaking catchy? Yes. I guess all I can really say is, "GIRLS."
7. "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley
Possibly the corniest song of all time, on dance night we unleashed all the moves to this thing. From punches to starfish, to big claps, to shopping, we danced like idiots and couldn't have felt happier.
8. "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston
Quite possibly the most overplayed song at Young Life Camp, it always gets the people going. Old and young can gather together and dance away their stress. If you don't like this bop, I don't like you.
9. "Parked Out By The Lake" by Dean Summerwind
Don't listen to the haters, this song slaps. It doesn't matter that it's the most generic country song ever written and that 80 miles are not that close to Santa Fe. Dean Summerwind will go down with Johnny Cash and George Strait as one of the greats.
10. "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins
It doesn't matter if you don't know the choreographed dance to this that every girl seems to do together, if you are a real fan of the movie, you will dance alone in the woods. What a movie, what a song, what a life. Camp rocks and all of these bops do as well.
