{"id":341920,"date":"2026-06-01T21:01:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T21:01:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/341920\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T21:01:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T21:01:03","slug":"pauls-the-d-and-the-soundtrack-to-chapmans-thursday-nights-the-panther-newspaper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/341920\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul\u2019s, The D and the soundtrack to Chapman\u2019s Thursday nights \u2014 The Panther Newspaper"},"content":{"rendered":"

On any given off-night at Paul\u2019s Cocktails<\/a>, Orange locals sit and chat jovially at barstools, pool sharks pull cues off the wall and there\u2019s room to walk freely. All of that changes, however, on Thursdays \u2014 known as \u201ccollege night<\/a>\u201d around the Old Towne Orange bars.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not every day you walk into a dive bar expecting classic rock and instead get hit with Don Toliver<\/a>. On a Thursday at Paul\u2019s, you\u2019re just as likely to get either.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s sits next to The District Lounge<\/a> (more commonly known as \u201cThe D\u201d) on Chapman Ave., right off of The Circle<\/a>. Thursday after Thursday, both bars are flooded with Chapman students. A lot of students aren\u2019t likely to pay attention to the music in either bar \u2014 and even less likely to remember it the next morning. But while we\u2019ve been partying, the music has quietly underscored the past years.<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s, in part because of its cheaper college night drink specials and generally shorter line, is a popular first stop for students on a Thursday. It has a slightly less intimidating vibe: lights on and better for talking, in part due to the shuffled playlist humming through the speakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite its lack of a live DJ, Paul\u2019s does have a digital jukebox that lets patrons pay to control the music. Though the jukebox offers a rare chance for musical autonomy in a college bar, students mostly walk right past it.<\/p>\n

In any given hour on a Thursday night at Paul\u2019s, here\u2019s a sample of what you might hear:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTurn My Swag On<\/a>\u201d by Soulja Boy<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cEmpire State of Mind<\/a>\u201d by JA\u0178-Z<\/a> featuring Alicia Keys<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSexyback<\/a>\u201d by Justin Timberlake<\/a> featuring Timbaland<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMoney in the Grave<\/a>\u201d by Drake<\/a> featuring Rick Ross<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cBefore He Cheats<\/a>\u201d by Carrie Underwood<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cJust A Lil Bit<\/a>\u201d by 50 Cent<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe Are Young<\/a>\u201d by fun.<\/a> featuring Janelle Mon\u00e1e<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cFlashing Lights<\/a>\u201d by Kanye West<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it Rains it Pours<\/a>\u201d by Luke Combs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cE85<\/a>\u201d by Don Toliver<\/a><\/p>\n

This lineup soundtracks many of our Thursdays while we talk, dance and laugh with friends, classmates and the many faces that have become familiar over our years here.<\/p>\n

Slowly but surely, many Thursday-night bargoers eventually make the short trek next door from Paul\u2019s to The D, which curates a slightly different vibe inside: lights are off as a live DJ spins, signed bras hang from the chandeliers and drinks are about double the price. Considered by many to be the better bar for dancing, the music is almost shockingly similar to the Paul’s playlist, though slightly more hip-hop heavy and with significantly less country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCrank That (Soulja Boy)<\/a>\u201d by Soulja Boy<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI Love It<\/a>\u201d by Icona Pop<\/a> featuring Charli xcx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cGasolina<\/a>\u201d by Daddy Yankee<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cDJ Got Us Fallin\u2019 In Love<\/a>\u201d by USHER<\/a> featuring Pitbull<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cTit\u00ed Me Pregunt\u00f3<\/a>\u201d by Bad Bunny<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Fate of Ophelia<\/a>\u201d by Taylor Swift<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201c100 Shots<\/a>\u201d by Young Dolph<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI Write Sins Not Tragedies<\/a>\u201d by Panic! At The Disco<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAsshole<\/a>\u201d by Mike Sherm<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cPursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)<\/a>\u201d by Kid Cudi<\/a>, MGMT<\/a>, Ratatat<\/a><\/p>\n

The DJ occasionally takes song requests, though he\u2019s not always privy to input. The D has also been known to feature student DJs, often on the earlier side of Thursday nights, giving them a platform to connect with their classmates in a very different way from typical interactions in Beckman.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite their drastically different vibes, the two bars aren\u2019t so different at their core; both are places Chapman students come together, where the weekend starts on a Thursday night. Whether it\u2019s been a hard week spent hunkered down in the library or you\u2019ve already been to Karaoke Tuesday at The D, one thing is true: the music gets us through.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many 21 and older Chapman students integrate these Thursday night outings into their schedules the way they would a standing dinner plan or regular office hours with a favorite professor. When else will you see a classmate from your FFC waiting for the bathroom in Paul\u2019s, or your ex-situationship in line outside The D?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thursdays don\u2019t just mean going for a drink or being subjected to listening to the Billboard Hot 100<\/a> \u2014 for many students, it means a chance to reunite with friends they don\u2019t always see throughout the week and reveling in an experience that is just so authentically college.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The music in these bars is a time capsule spanning generations, and our college years are no exception. While everyone has their preferences<\/a> on which is the \u201cbetter\u201d bar for dancing, talking or drinking, the music proves there just might be something for everyone.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day \u2014 or, more accurately, the end of a Thursday night \u2014 the music barely even matters, and maybe that\u2019s the point. What matters is that somehow, these slightly sticky rooms in which you have to shout to hear your friends have become the backdrop of some of our favorite memories we\u2019ve made at Chapman.<\/p>\n

The music shaping these bars is subconsciously shaping friendships, memories and the Chapman experience itself. The specific songs are incidental; the experience is not.\u00a0<\/p>\n