online edition

The Student Newspaper of Hopkins School

    • Cover of Khalid's New Album: "Free Spirit"

Songs of the Issue: Khalid: “Saturday Nights”

Lily Meyers ’20
Singer-songwriter Khalid released his first song, “Location,” shortly after graduating high school, and he released many successful songs about his experience as a teen and a young adult since.
In his second complete album, Free Spirit, Khalid grows from the years described in his first album, American Teen. Although he may have gotten older, many of the characteristics of his teenage life have moved with him.

The last song on the album, “Saturday Nights,” is one of the songs that discusses this continuation. Khalid sings, “And all the things that I know/ That your parents don’t/ They don’t care like I do.” He describes how, during the teenage years, confiding in each other is a more comfortable and caring experience than confiding in their parents.

Going to friends for guidance and support is a prominent part of growing up for many people, and Khalid captures this in his album. While the issues he alludes to may be more personal or weighty for him, the idea of going to friends for support applies to a variety of aspects in teenage life. He sings about how parents may not understand, so going to someone at a similar place in life for advice could prompt a more emotional and caring response.

Beyond advice, friends can also be people to confide in about anything, with the ability to reveal true feelings instead of worrying about an outward appearance: “I guess there’s certain dreams that you gotta keep/ ‘Cause they only know what you let ‘em see.” The “them” is outside of their connection.

Khalid’s message can resonate with his large young-adult audience, and, in itself, will provide guidance. For many, music and song lyrics can be a way to rewind on a rough day, and on “Saturday Nights,” Khalid conveys that you do not need to go to an adult for guidance--they cannot connect the way friends can. Advice and comfort can come from whoever and whatever connects with you.
Back
Editor in Chief 
Liliana Dumas 

Managing Editor 
Miri Levin 

News
Sarah Solazzo 
Rose Porosoff
Anvi Pathak 
Lena Wang
Sonali Bedi 
Features
Abby Rakotomavo
Elona Spiewak
Becky Li
Ashley Deng
Aurelia Wen
 
Arts
Aerin O’Brien
Saisha Ghai
Veena Scholand
Ellie Luo
Isha Seth
Op/Ed
Rain Zheng
Winter Szarabajka
Anjali van Bladel
Gitanjali Navaratnam-Tomayko
Bea Lundberg

Sports
Samantha Bernstein
Hana Beauregard
Elaina Paktuka
Beckett Ehrlich
Lukas Roberts
Content
Amelia Hudonogov-Foster
Edel Lee
Micah Betts
Ari Mehta
Olivia Yu
Karolina Jasaitis 

Cartoonists
Susie Becker 
Faculty Advisers
Stephen May
Elizabeth Gleason
Shanti Madison
The Razor's Edge reflects the opinion of 4/5 of the editorial board and will not be signed. The Razor welcomes letters to the editor but reserves the right to decide which letters to publish, and to edit letters for space reasons. Unsigned letters will not be published, but names may be withheld on request. Letters are subject to the same libel laws as articles. The views expressed in letters are not necessarily those of the editorial board.
     
The Razor, an open forum publication, is published monthly during the school year by students of: 
Hopkins School
986 Forest Road
New Haven, CT 06515

Phone: 203.397.1001 x628
Email: smay@hopkins.edu
986 Forest Road
New Haven, Connecticut 06515
(203) 397-1001