The 2023 Harvard Housing Day Video Rankings

Even as the fun of Housing Day has settled down since before spring break, our love and admiration for the Housing Day videos has stayed strong. This year’s songs were especially catchy and the bar was raised towering-ly high, but some houses still excelled above the rest with their musical abilities. Here’s Flyby’s definitive list of rankings for this year’s Housing Day videos.

Currier Tier: The Best of the Best

1. Currier: Currier vs. the World

This one probably comes with no surprise—we know that this song is still stuck in your head. Currier had it all: the video production, the editing (flyby shoutout included), the audio quality. This video singlehandedly rebranded the entire Quad (ignited the Quad Renaissance, if you will). They were right when they said “this is what you want.”

Gold Tier

2. Quincy: #PenguinsForever

Quincy’s video was unique in its ability to appeal to bring many different types of vibes at the same time. It began with on-screen lyrics overlaying sunlit videos of Quincy House residents, moving into a more hype, rap-reminiscent style of videography with quick cuts of footage taken mostly indoors—and we ate up every second of it. We know that we’re going to have “Q-U-I-N-C-Y, we the best, you know why,” on repeat in our heads for the next two to three business days at the minimum.

3. Pfoho: We Are Pfoho

This video was incredibly genius and the theme was executed well throughout the entire video, which was very much appreciated. The lyrics went hard, and the Pfohomies did not hold back: “Your man in the river and he flockin’ to the Quad for me”—yeah, they did that. The pfriends theme song already had us drawn in, and the contrast that it created with the rest of the video just made it all the more wonderful. Very well done.

4. Cabot: Caborilla

Cabot’s video quality was honestly one of the best we saw. Actually, the chorus of this video is still stuck in our heads. There was not one part that we felt compelled to skip because the Cabotians were able to find so many different ways to hype up their house, especially when it came to highlighting their spacious singles! C-A-B-O-T till the end!

Silver Tier

5. Mather: Mather Forever

The list of songs that Mather chose was EXQUISITE. Such a good selection, especially with the vibe of the house and people showcased in each scene. The visual choices and faculty integration was adorable; shout out to the dhall staff! Where Mather fell short, we’re afraid, is that their shining points about the house were a little redundant. Yes, the towers are high, yes, it looks like concrete. It’s okay though — the gorilla cheerleader at the end made up for it.

6. Winthrop: ThropGun Riverick

The thumbnail and title of this video definitely made it one of the most creative releases this season, especially considering the hold that Top Gun had on all of us. (We have to admit: the sunglasses were definitely the move.) The shots in this video were not as clean-cut and pristine as some of the others we have seen, but we nonetheless adored the addition of the puppy and the kiddo. It was still quite catchy, too.

7. Dunster: Dunster House

Dunster’s take was very unique compared to the others, taking the musical approach instead of the typical rapping approach. The big dance scene, the lyrics, the vibes — so Dunster. We couldn’t imagine it any other way. The only thing we would have liked to see was a little more genre variation — we aren’t all theater kids, and you’ve got to appeal to all types of audiences!

Bronze Tier

8. Kirkland: “Kirk It”; “Boars In, Boars Out”; and “Kirky Crooks”

Okay, we have to confess, Act I is quite literally the love of our lives and will be living rent-free in our heads for an entirely reasonable amount of time (until next year, maybe?). Still, Act II kind of fell flat, with lyrics that seemed to focus only on Kirkland’s proximity to the Yard. We found Act III a little bit better, though, and will be cackling at the Mather disses the next time we walk past either Kirk or the Concrete Jungle.

9. Eliot: domus, usa

Eliot’s video was sometimes a true bop but switched vibes too many times to let our two brain cells rest in peace. The House staff in the video were adorbs, though, and we will definitely be showing our non-Harvard friends “Sippin’ on that Stein Wine” next time we need to convince them that we go to a “prestigious institution.”

10. Leverett: 106 & Lev

Leverett had some solid song choices, resonating with our childhoods in the best way possible. We felt that it was a tad lacking in the execution of its retro concept, but the 106 & Lev emcees went so hard, we just had to buy in. The special guest was also amazing!

Honorable Mentions

11. Adams: Doing the Most

The Adams House peeps tried so hard and the “surveillance footage” concept was kinda cute, but the scenes included in Adams’ video weren’t enough to convince us that Adams is, indeed, doing the most. We still cracked a few laughs at the House residents showing us their wacky sides — including their famous Adams boxers.

12. Lowell: Bells and Bars

Lowell’s opening was beautiful, but the rest of the video was not captivating enough to have us playing it on repeat. The energy we wanted was just not there, and it seemed like the video started with one concept and then pivoted to something entirely different, making our viewing experience not as immersive as we would’ve liked, though still a vibe. But at least we’ll remember the belltower?

Overall, every Housing Day video did a fabulous job of showcasing the vibrant community and amazing perks found in each and every House. We learned so much about each House just by watching them, and at least a few minutes of each one will be finding their way onto our playlists. We can’t wait for next year’s!