Diversion 2.0 Thirty Day Song Challenge -- Day 7: A Song That Reminds You of a Certain Event

My final semester of college was an absolute slog. I was taking 19 credits worth of classes (six, for those playing at home), helping my good friend Jordyn prepare to host an upcoming film festival, holding down a job, and devoting my time to other attention-taking sundries when I could (*cough* Diversion 2.0 *cough*). When everything finally came to a close during the first week of May, I went absolutely nuts.

Not “party” nuts. “Mentally teetering” nuts.

Ke$ha – Tik Tok

It was during the twilight moments of my college days that I discovered this song. I had heard it once or twice in the months leading up to May, and didn’t really get into it until after The Simpsons used it in lieu of its usual opening theme.

Maybe it was the need to get unhinged, or maybe it was Dr. Luke’s stellar production, but this song subversively started to take over my life, and the life of Jordyn as well. During the last week of school, we both began craving the song, relishing the so-dumb-it’s-actually-pretty-smart lyrics and humming along with the simple, infectious synth lines.

My crush on this song crossed over into full-tilt obsession two or three nights before we were supposed to move out of the dorms. Since it was the end of the year, the donation boxes and donation bins were full-to-burst of unwanted clothes, appliances, and a whole host of other things. They called out to us from their resting places, and who were to we refuse their answer?

Yes, dear readers, “Tik Tok” was my dumpster-diving soundtrack song. Considering the Ke$sha lifestyle, I’d say it’s pretty appropriate.

The whole night, we went from building to building, pouring over used DVDs, trying on ill-fitting clothes, and extricating furniture for Jordyn’s future apartment. All the while, the lyrics swam through our heads—it got so bad, a sort of repeated speech pattern began to take shape, resulting in a fair bit of repetition:

Andrew: “This song is in my head, head.”

Jordyn: “Munching on some bread, bread.”

Andrew: “Wish that we were dead, dead.”

And so on. It was an eventful time, and listening to “Tik Tok” never fails to bring back memories of finding Kazaam on VHS in one of the resident halls, or marveling at how many douchey-looking plaid shorts were in the donation boxes.