To be fifteen in America in 2017 was to have “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran everywhere, Star Wars: The Last Jedi on every screen, and Stranger Things on after school. That year, gas cost $2.42 and the Nintendo Switch was the new thing. Born in 2002? You turned 15 in 2017 — a teenager from 2015 to 2021, right in the window a soundtrack bonds to you for life.
Compiled by the Original Lore archive from period charts, box-office and price records. How we build these · sources noted throughout.
Shape of You — Ed SheeranThat marimba loop was inescapable; it played in every store, every gym, every awkward first date.
Despacito (Remix) — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin BieberThe whole country tried the Spanish, windows down, one endless bilingual summer of pure heat.
Believer — Imagine DragonsYou believed it, screaming 'pain' in the weight room, sure struggle was forging you into something.
HUMBLE. — Kendrick LamarKendrick's flip-switch beat was the swagger you borrowed walking into rooms you didn't yet own.
Bad and Boujee — Migos ft. Lil Uzi VertRaindrop, drop-top became the whole hallway's shared language for a season you thought would never fade.
The marimba-pop hook was utterly inescapable in 2017 — top of every chart and playlist for months. A 15-year-old knew every word of that flirty bar-room chorus; it was the year's default singalong and remains one of YouTube's most-watched videos ever.
the year-end #1 was this very song — Shape of You by Ed Sheeran.
the movies you are watching in 2017
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Beauty and the Beast
Wonder Woman
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Spider-Man: Homecoming
the tv shows you are binging in 2017
Stranger Things
Game of Thrones
This Is Us
The Handmaid's Tale
Big Little Lies
the games you are playing in 2017
Super Mario Odyssey
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
Splatoon 2
Minecraft
Call of Duty: WWII
what things cost in 2017
What things cost in 2017
Gas (per gallon)
$2.42
Movie ticket
$8.97
First-class stamp
49 cents
minimum wage
$7.25/hr
the average income
$61,372
trending this year
Dennis Cortés (Unsplash), CC0 / Public DomainiPhone XLiam Dawe / GamingOnLinux; PNG by VulcanSphere, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Nintendo SwitchPaolo Neo, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons'Stranger Things 2'BDaniel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsFidget spinnerJrubenc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPUBG
the gadgets you just got
Dennis Cortés (Unsplash), CC0 / Public DomainiPhone XLiam Dawe / GamingOnLinux; PNG by VulcanSphere, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Nintendo SwitchPhoto by Maurizio Pesce (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AirPods_(cropped).jpg · CC BY 2.0Apple AirPods (first generation)Photo by Frmorrison (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amazon_Echo.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0Amazon Echo (Alexa) smart speakerDennis Cortés (Unsplash), CC0 / Public DomainSamsung Galaxy S8
what everyone is snacking on
annulla, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsFlamin' Hot CheetosPhoto by Erick1222222 (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Takis_fuego.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Takis FuegoSKopp · CC BY-SA 3.0Oreo Thinsjules / stone-soup (Flickr), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsReese's Peanut Butter CupsQuant, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pringles_Chip.jpg) · CC BY-SA 3.0Pringles
what everyone is drinking
Fauxey, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Can_of_La_Croix.jpg) · CC BY-SA 4.0La Croix sparkling waterMichelle oshen (New York, US), via Flickr/Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unicorn_Frappucino.jpeg) · CC BY-SA 2.0Starbucks Unicorn FrappuccinoOto Zapletal — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Bull_energy_drinks.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Red Bull energy drinkChristian Gidlöf, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coca-cola_50cl_white-bg.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0Coca-ColaBxxiaolin, edited by Pittigrilli, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Can_of_Monster_Energy_drink_sold_in_China_(0.33_l),_on_white_background.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Monster Energy
what made the news in 2017
Donald Trump sworn in as president as a massive Women's March follows the next day
Hurricane Harvey floods Houston while Hurricane Maria devastates Puerto Rico's power grid
The Great American Eclipse sweeps a total solar eclipse coast to coast across the US
Las Vegas concert massacre becomes the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history
The Trump White House (Executive Office of the President), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Public Domain (US federal government work)Donald Trump inaugurated as 45th US PresidentNASA/Aubrey Gemignani, Public Domain · Public Domain (NASA)Total solar eclipse crosses the United States1st Lt. Zachary West, U.S. Army / Texas Army National Guard · Public Domain (U.S. federal government work)Hurricane Harvey devastates Houston, TexasPhoto by Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz (Mariordo) (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Las_Vegas_Strip_shooting_site_09_2017_4734.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Las Vegas mass shooting at Route 91 Harvest festivalAlec Perkins, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons#MeToo movement sweeps the world after Weinstein scandal
what everyone is saying
"Covfefe"A typo in a Trump tweet that went instantly viral in May 2017
"It's lit"Slang for something exciting or great, ubiquitous in 2017
"Salt Bae"Turkish chef Nusret Gokce's viral salt-sprinkling pose, viral January 2017
"Cash me ousside, howbow dah"Danielle Bregoli's Dr. Phil catchphrase that exploded into a meme in early 2017
"Distracted Boyfriend"Stock-photo meme of a man checking out another woman, peak 2017
