Happy midterms, Raiders! As I am studying for my exams or writing my papers, all I can think about is how much I miss life when it was simple, like when I was a kid. When midterm season is over, I will be watching my favorite movie, “Lemonade Mouth.” In the meantime, here are some songs that make me super nostalgic, feeling I am dancing in my childhood bedroom:

1. “She’s So Gone” — Naomi Scott (2011)

After “Lemonade Mouth” premiered in 2011, this song was always on repeat. Naomi Scott’s character Mo in the movie transformed from a quiet, rule-following girl into a total rockstar, and suddenly, every kid watching wanted their main character moment. Lyrics like “’Cause the girl you thought you knew / She’s so gone” made you feel like you could reinvent yourself, walk into school the next day with a new attitude and prove everyone wrong.

2. “Wings” — Little Mix (2012)

Little Mix brought the energy with this song, and it still makes me feel unstoppable. The song (“These wings are made to fly!”) has a clear message: be bold, confident and totally yourself.

3. “I Love It” — Icona Pop, ft. Charli xcx (2012)

“I Love It” is one of those songs that just never gets old. It’s pure energy and fun, and it still hits. It’s the kind of song that makes you want to run around, scream the lyrics and forget about any stress. The second you put it on, you’re back in 2012, screaming the words along with the radio.

4. “Classic” — MKTO (2013) 

I remember trying to choreograph dances with friends when I was younger, and now, this song just makes me want to get up and dance. The upbeat melody and nostalgic lyrics remind you of simpler times, whether it be getting ready for school or pretending you’re in a music video.

5. “Hot Wings (I Wanna Party)” — Jamiee Fox, ft. will.i.am, Anne Hathway (2011)

“I want to party / I want to samba!” If you watched the movie “Rio,” you know how exciting this song is. It’s the sound of pure happiness — it makes you feel like a little kid again and dancing in your PJs. It brings back the joy of watching animated movies where every problem has a fun, musical resolution.

6. “Get Lucky” — Daft Punk, ft. Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers (2013) 

Something about this song just felt cool when you were younger. It had this groovy, effortless energy that made you want to dance. It reminds me of summer nights when I was blasting music on my iPod or singing at the top of my lungs in the car on the way to school.

7. “Breakin’ Dishes” — Rihanna (2007)

This song, which I only recently rediscovered, is an underrated Rihanna banger that makes you feel powerful and unstoppable. The frustration in this song is relatable during midterm season — but post-exams, it’s all about letting go.

8. “Big Time Rush” — Big Time Rush (2010) 

This song was my anthem back in 2010, and “Big Time Rush” was one of my favorite childhood TV shows! I have seen them three times in concert (hopefully a fourth time soon), and whenever they sing the theme song, it brings me back to the prime days of Nickelodeon.

9. “Pocketful of Sunshine” — Natasha Bedingfield (2008)

“I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine!” As a kid, this song was pure happiness — the kind of track that made you feel like you were in a teen movie montage, running through a field without a care in the world. If you ever watched the movie “Easy A,” you know this was also the ultimate singing-into-a-hairbrush song. Even now, it’s an instant mood booster that transports you back to childhood.

10. “Good Time” — Owl City, Carly Rae Jepsen (2012)

“Good Time” is the ultimate feel-good song, the kind of song that made every day feel like summer. The second you heard “Woah-oh-oh-oh/ It’s always a good time,” you couldn’t help but sing along, and it was impossible to be in a bad mood while listening to it.

11. “Treasure” — Bruno Mars (2012)

This is Bruno Mars at his peak: funky and fun. With its retro sound and smooth vocals, it felt like stepping into a glamorous, old-school disco, even if you were just twirling around your bedroom pretending to be a superstar. This song still brings back that carefree, early 2010s Bruno magic, and with him making a comeback recently, it’s the perfect time to relive the era when he dominated pop music.

12. “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” — Katy Perry (2010)

There was no escaping Katy Perry’s music in the early 2010s. Her album “Teenage Dream” was pop perfection, and if you were a kid back then, it felt like the soundtrack to life. Every song on that album had a different energy: “California Gurls” was a total summer anthem, and “Firework” made you feel unstoppable. My favorite, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” felt like a glimpse into the wild world of being a college student (even though I didn’t fully understand what was happening in the lyrics at the time).

13. “Dynamite” — Taio Cruz (2010)

This was the song that could instantly turn any moment into a party, even if the “party” was just you dancing in your bedroom. It was also one of the best songs on the game “Just Dance,” making you feel like a total superstar as you tried to hit every move while completely losing yourself in the music.