Apple Music Playlists are the New Mixtapes

What does your playlist say about your state of mind?

It all started when I decided that Chicago was the next destination.

For a long time my Apple Music playlist was entitled Rando Cool and included a rotating mix of everything from Esquivel to musical theater to classic rock. Some blues, some funk, some hip hop.

While not a certified gym rat, working out is sort of my meditation, my Zen place. I like to plug into some tunes and just work my muscles. Feels good and it’s a positive habit to continue. At some point in the past year, I crafted a playlist called Wichita to listen to while working out or walking around. Marvin Gaye, Redbone, Beastie Boys, Bowie. As the list grew, I realized it was a reflection of how I was feeling about my time here. Lovely Day by Bill withers. Sweetness and Light by Lush. I’m Free by The Soup Dragons. Lucretia Mac Evil by Blood, Sweat & Tears.

The new playlist is simply Chicago Redux.

In high school I used to make mixtapes (using cassette tapes and albums) to impress girls. They were usually pretty sappy but heartfelt for a girl crazy fifteen-year-old. Some George Michael, a touch of Peter Gabriel, a little Richard Marx. That practice continued with CDs but less love songs and more music I wanted to share with friends. Lots of The Beatles. Punk, serious blues, BeBop jazz (especially Clifford Brown), some metal.

Now my playlists, my mixtapes and CDs, are solely for me. They pump me up or help me reflect on the moods I’d like to proliferate in my day. Like my mom who listens to music when she cleans the house or decorates for the seasons.

Chicago Redux started with my trip in October and the discovery of Dead Sara, an American hard rock band from Los Angeles established back in 2000. Hard rock with lady vocals. Angry but melodic, driving with a hook. I dove into Dead Sara, then Cherri Bomb, The Pretty Reckless, Plush, and Royal Blood. Each dive gave me more chick rock and the playlist became three hours of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Great stuff to rock out on a road trip. Great stuff to blast a workout.

I think I’m going to continue this practice, creating playlists that put me in the headspace I’m inviting. I think, next year sometime, I’ll pop on Wichita and it’ll remind me of the wonderful time spent with my family and, while Kansas ain’t my jam, the time when I was broken and hobbled and a place where my mom lived took me in to heal.