I’m Michelle Callaghan, a second-year graduate student at Villanova University. This is our new column, “‘Cat in the Stacks.” I’m the ‘cat. Falvey Memorial Library is the stacks. I’ll be posting about living that scholarly life, from research to study habits to embracing your inner-geek, and how the library community might aid you in all of it.

You didn’t forget about us, did you? Because Kallie and Michelle are back with our best playlist yet and we’re about to get you pumped for school and pumped for – what else? – basketball!

High energy music is the perfect go-to when everything’s going wrong and you’re tired but you don’t want to chug a Monster… or that cold coffee on your desk. It’s a natural way to put a little more pep in your step and entertain your brain during even the most tedious of tasks. Yes, sometimes you need a chill playlist to calm yourself and focus, but we all have those days where even feeling motivated to move is a Herculean effort. And that’s where those thumping and bumping playlists come in. This one also makes a good pre-game mixtape for the big game!

Warning: the following playlist is exceptionally high energy. Prepare yourself for the knee-bouncing, toe-tapping hypefest you’re about to encounter!

You can find the full playlist on Spotify, but here’s a few of our favorite picks for your convenience:

Full Selection:
“My Legs” – Dragonette
“Henrietta” – The Fratellis
“Little Talks” – Of Monsters and Men
“The Rockafeller Skank” – Fatboy Slim
“It’s My Life” – Bon Jovi
“Babel” – Mumford & Sons
“Girl from Mars” – Ash
“Legal Man” – Belle & Sebastian
“All Over You” – Live
“Walking in Memphis” – Cher
“Smoke” – A Thousand Horses
“Hole in the Sky” – Black Sabbath
“Feel Like a Rock Star” – Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw
“Happy” – Pharrell Williams
“Nothin’ But a Good Time” – Poison
“Shut Up and Dance” – WALK THE MOON
“Geronimo” – Sheppard
“Headfirst” – Secret Someones
“I Wanna Be Sedated” – Ramones
“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” – Cyndi Lauper
“Jump” – Van Halen
“Invisible Touch” – Genesis
“Video Killed the Radio Star” – The Buggles
“It’s the End of the World” – R.E.M.
“Walk Like an Egyptian” – The Bangles
“Ray of Light” – Madonna
“Spice Up Your Life” – Spice Girls
“Alright” – Supergrass
“Clearest Blue” – CHVRCHES

Compiled by Kallie Stahl and Michelle Callaghan. Kallie is the graduate assistant for scholarly outreach. She is currently pursuing her MA in Communication at Villanova University. Article by Michelle Callaghan, graduate assistant on the Communication and Service Promotion team. She is currently pursuing her MA in English at Villanova University.