It’s that time of year.  You know what I mean: the time when the little devil on your shoulder convinces you i’s totally okay to drive around with the windows down jamming  to your favorite iTunes playlists instead of attending lecture to listen to your prof blab on Peanuts-style about the Industrial Revolution.  Yes, it’s springtime!  We are in the home stretch, my friends.

So, in the spirit of doing things you know you shouldn’t do but probably will anyway, this week’s playlist theme is Guilty Pleasures.  You know what they are.  Guilty pleasures are those songs you really shouldn’t admit you like in a crowd and should probably only be listened to when you’re in the shower, or in your car alone…far, far away from campus and anyone you may know.

But since everyone likes cheesy songs when they’re drunk, I thought it’d be a perfect pregame playlist.

Just don’t tell anybody I made it for you.

Check it out here.

Ah, junior year. I remember it like it was yesterday. Actually, the amount of alcohol I’ve consumed over the last four years has impaired my memory quite significantly. But I do remember that things were simpler. My friends were only a neighborhood away, my parents paid for everything (besides the bottles of Jose Cuervo I could literally chug from!), and I didn’t have to worry about landlords, electric bills or term papers.

I was working a job, getting straight A’s and somehow managed to go clubbing every.single.weekend. without my parents finding out.

When it came to music, I pretty much only listened to whatever was on the radio when I was driving around with my friends. And Bright Eyes. I always listened to Bright Eyes. And, because of my addiction to the night life – even though I couldn’t even legally drink yet – I fell in love with the Hot 100 charts on Billboard.com. I would peruse the latest additions and then download them with Napster.

Lucky for me, Billboard keeps all their Hot 100 charts online. So, I was actually able to look back and view the top songs from five years ago (wow, that seems like a really big number) when I was a wee 17 year old.

Junior year – of high school and college – has probably proved to be the most exciting. You’re finally comfortable where you are, and adult-like things like graduation are but a miniature blip on your radar. (You’re mostly worried about what you’re gonna wear to that killer house party you are going to go to this weekend). Perfection.

Anyway, let’s take a trip down memory lane to my original junior year here. Good times.