Penn State gets referenced a lot in pop culture. The university gets mentioned on TV shows, movies, and songs by various artists. It’s very rare, however, when a boy band or stars of a Nickelodeon TV show dedicate all three of their albums to Happy Valley.

For those who didn’t already know, meet Big Time Rush. Composed of four fun-loving guys named Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan, they took the world by storm in the early 2010s, and now, they’re making another run as their TV show, “Big Time Rush,” can be streamed on Netflix.

While they were recording their three albums, they managed to slip in a lot of Penn State references that have gone unnoticed. That is, until now. It is time that we break down what those four “dogs from Minnesota” (as Gustavo Rocque would say) had to say about Penn State.

‘Worldwide’ — A State College Love Song

Most Penn State students are not lucky enough to stay in State College all year round. Once the dorms close, they must return home and be away from the beautiful town for three to four months. Big Time Rush’s song, “Worldwide,” exemplifies how those students are feeling.

Carlos highlights exactly how people feel about this transition and what their mindset is for coping with it:

“Never, never, never as far away as it may seem // soon we’ll be together, and pick up right where we left off.”

What Carlos says is very true! Even though some students will be away from May to August, State College is never as far away as people may realize. And when we reunite with the place that we love, we will have as much fun as we have had in the past. We love you, State College!

‘Famous’ — James Franklin’s Recruiting Pitch

Everyone agrees that Penn State football is a blue blood in the sport, but it also has had recruitment problems in the past. Big Time Rush’s song, “Famous,” highlights the ideal pitch that Franklin should really utilize to get the top guys out there.

Kendall discusses in the chorus what really everyone feels about fame and how everyone wants to be famous:

“You want to be famous, you want to be the one who’s living the life.”

He also sings about seizing the moment, which is something Penn State football recruits should always strive to do.

“It’s your moment, you should own it, it’s the American dream.”

Football is one of the biggest parts of American culture. So, it makes sense that Kendall would be talking about playing football on a college level. Plus, those football players would definitely be famous.

‘Big Night’ — THON

This song is basically about having a good time at a party or celebration, and that celebration is definitely THON. The chorus essentially just talks about how it is a “big night” and that it is going to be a good time. Isn’t that exactly what THON is?

Big Time Rush needed to have a THON song on their first album, or else it wouldn’t be a Penn State album! The upbeat tune definitely should be played at more THONs moving forward.

‘Til I Forget About You’ — Gone-But-Not-Forgotten Restaurants

The State College community has lost a lot of great restaurants in the past few years. From local favorites to the Taco Bell that spawned a vigil, the loss of restaurants can really affect the soul. That is what Big Time Rush was trying to capture in their hit song, “Til I Forget About You.”

Kendall sang a line in the chorus that I believe a lot of us have felt when mourning the loss of a State College restaurant:

“I swear I’ll do anything that I have to // til I forget about you.”

How have people coped with the loss of these restaurants? Vigils. Unfortunately, it seems like this song is going to get a lot of playing time when Chick-fil-A leaves the HUB at the end of the semester.

‘Halfway There’ — Sophomores Having A Mid-Life Crisis

Some wise person once said that college is the best four years of your life. Well, as sophomores realize the school year is coming to an end, they’re understanding they are halfway to the completion of their college experience. This feeling can be perfectly summed up by “Halfway There.”

When James sang the chorus, he puts into words what a lot of sophomores are feeling at this very exciting-yet-disappointing time in their lives:

“We’re halfway there // We’re looking good now // And nothing’s gonna get in the way // We’re halfway there // And looking back now // I never thought that I’d ever say // We’re halfway there.”

It just really sums up how exciting college has been, but also how kind of scary it is. Sophomores are two years away from going out into the scary real world, and I know, for me at least, I am not ready yet to make that jump. Big Time Rush, why are you doing this to me?

‘We Are’

I mean, come on.