Second-year Elgin Community College student Lainey Vazquez discussed the importance behind her favorite song: “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth.

The first time she heard the song was when the movie “Fast and Furious 7″ was released, which was where the song was predominantly featured. 

“It’s more about remembrance,” Vazquez said in terms of what emotionally strikes her about the song. “When I went to the Charlie Puth concert last year, a lot of people were crying in the crowd because it’s a sad song just to remind them that there’s a second chance and that they’ll see them again.”

“See You Again” commemorates the life of Paul Walker, the prolific Fast and Furious actor who died in a car crash in November of 2013, shortly after the movie was filmed. 

To Vazquez, the medium of music is important to people because it acts as a way for people to express themselves. 

“My theory is depending on the music you like [it is] truly who you are,” Vazquez said. “So if you’re more into hip-hop or upbeat songs, then you’re more of an outgoing and loud person, while if you listen to mellow music, like something simple, you’re more of a calm person.”

First-year ECC student Basel Hanna talked about the importance behind the song “Headlines” by Drake and what it means to him. 

The first time Hanna heard the song was when Drake’s album “Take Care” was released back in November 2011, which features the song. 

“I just wish I could go back and hear it for the first time again,” Hanna said. “I was at a point in my life where not a lot of things were going for me; I feel like music helped it.”

Both the instrumentation/beat and lyrics stuck out to Hanna, which drew him deeper into the song.

“It’s almost like the flow,” Hanna said, “He was ‘gliding’ on the beat; it was amazing.”

According to Hanna, strong feelings of motivation well up inside him when he hears the song, causing him to think back to his past. Furthermore, he stated that he’s always turned to music. 

“[Music] is almost like an escape from reality,” Hanna said. “If you just put on both your AirPods or your Beats or whatever you got, it’s almost like you’re living in that song.”

First-year student Aundrea Villegas talked about the song “Relatos de Mivida” by Lili Zetina and what it means to her. 

According to Villegas, the song is classified as a corrido, which is a genre in Mexican culture that utilizes the artist’s ability to tell stories.

“A lot of [the songs] revolve around immigration,” Villegas said. “This particular song applied to my dad’s life, [specifically] when he came into America and everything. The song talks about how you’re born poor, and a line in the song talks about ‘when I ask people for money, they laugh at me, but they go look for me when they need my help;’ I see that a lot in my dad’s life, so that’s how the emotions come into play.”

Villegas grew up listening to this genre of music and said how the music goes down through generations. 

“I think music is really important for storytelling like that’s what I grew up with,” Villegas said. “Also, it’s just an amazing way to bring people together because it doesn’t matter the genre; every single type of song is telling a story, either from your own perspective or someone else’s. I think it’s such a great way to share your stories and spread your morals.”