Tuesday marked the beginning of Aquarius season, and since I am a thorough stereotype of a 20-year-old, today marks the first Zodiac DeJamz! For each of the 12 zodiac signs, I will pick songs that are evocative of their traits and/or by some famous members of the sign. For reference, your average Aquarius prides themselves in their individuality: they are often contrarians, who spend a lot of time thinking about the state of the world and how they can make it better. They are deeply existential and follow their own paths and don’t care if you disagree with them! Some famous Aquarius-born faces include Abraham Lincoln, Oprah Winfrey and our very own Nation and World editor, Cailey Gleeson. 

The Times They Are A-Changin’—Bob Dylan

As mentioned, your average Aquarius sends a lot of time thinking about all the ways in which they will change the world. Bob Dylan may be a Gemini—a topic for another day—but this number is full of Aquarius energy, telling the listener that they better prepare for the new, better world, lest they want to be left behind. Released in the thick of the Civil Rights Movement, this song is synonymous with progress and thinking outside the box, the bread and butter of an Aquarius.

Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In—The 5th Dimension

Aside from literally having the Aquarius in the title, this physics pop magnum opus is filled to the brim with the dreamy energy of the air sign. This song was one of the most popular songs of 1969, which feels like the antithesis of the alternative Aquarius, but this feels like an appropriate song to go mainstream. 

My Way-Frank Sinatra

An Aquarius king himself, this track off of Styles’ latest album is a far cry from his more traditional One Direction days. Styles has stated that he wrote much of his album while on mushrooms, which is something only an Aqaurius would brag about. The finished product is a weird, disjointed deep cut, none of which is meant as an insult.

Complicated-Avril Lavigne

It goes without saying that Avril Lavigne was the coolest person alive in the 2000s. While I used to dream of embodying her pop-punk aesthetic as an adult, I unfortunately remain a big ole’ normie who listens to way too much Hilary Duff. Despite my perpetual uncoolness, this song’s message of how trying to be somebody else is one of the lamest things you can do. If you disagree with that message, I got one thing to say: life’s like this. Uh-huh, uh-huh, that’s just the way it is.

Come As You Are-Nirvana

And now we get to everyone’s favorite nonconformists: Nirvana! Even though Kurt Cobain was a Pisces, his music still captured that innovative Aqaurius spirit of doing things just because you like them, and not to impress anyone else. This song also embodies a little bit of that classic chaotic energy, with the refrain “No, I don’t have a gun,” not sounding entirely convincing. Had Cobain been an Aquarius, he probably would have included a lyric about how grunge is the past or some other contrarian nonsense, but the message in the song is good enough for me.