Playlist for One?

Song of the Day: 'Peroxide Swing', Michael Bublé/Frank Sinatra

So my mom and I are going out of town this weekend. Nothing special, just to my grandparental units house, about three hours south of us. But this weekend it's just me and her, cuz my dad is in Oregon visiting his dad. Wow, lots of paternal relatives this weekend.

Anywhozlebees. Because the ride down takes three hours and I lurve me some music, she's asked me to make us a playlist. She doesn't always like my stuff - some things are too graphic or too repetitive or too loud, etc. But she's quite a fan of big band and jazz and that kind of yummy vocal musics, so there's a LOT of Frank Sinatra in this playlist.

It's been fun. I like going through all 4325 of my songs and finding the ones that we'll both like. Yes, I do in fact go through ALL my music. I like being reminded of how cultured and uncultured I can be.

I've always enjoyed making playlists for my various moods and environments. There's one called 'Summer', one for 'Soft Music', and even one entitled 'Nostalgia' - mostly stuff my dad played for us when we were younger or stuff we've come across in a family setting and all really fallen in love with. Regina Spektor was one of those awesome finds, actually from my dad.

Playlists make it easier when I'm hanging with people whose musical tastes I haven't yet been exposed to. I ask can limit their exposure to my collection so they don't get weirded out by my Italian folk techno or television show theme songs or really, really bad pop music.

I'm not sure entirely why, but I get kind of self conscious about my music. I do judge people by their music - not necessarily a binding judgement, but merely a preliminary kind of judgement to see how compatible we are. Which isn't to say I won't be friends with someone because I don't like their music - one of my best friends at school listens to mostly rap and hip-hop music, and I've yet to throw her over.

When someone's going through my iTunes or wants to listen to music and says I can put on anything, I get kinda twitchy. I'm worried they'll come across something and be all 'OMYGAWD, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LISTEN TO THIS' or 'DUDE, WTF IS THIS' (yes, these are prime examples of how my acquaintances actually talk).

Also because someone will inevitably come across something and exclaim JUST HOW MUCH THEY LOVE THIS SONG/ARTIST/GENRE/WHATEVER and I probably haven't gotten around to listening to it yet (aka Phil and most of my stuff by the Killers).

To be honest, I haven't listened to everything in my iTunes, but that could be for any number of reasons. The most common one would be because my laptop is relatively new, and I usually put on My Top Rated if anything, so it doesn't always get to the all the songs. Also because I skip some songs depending on my mood. Another reason is because I'm always adding new stuff I've found or been given from a friend or stolen from my sister's iPod, and I forget to go through and vet and rate everything. Or just never feel in the mood.

Some songs I have for the novelty ('Kung Fu Fighting' by Carl Douglas), some for nostalgia (*NSYNC FOR THE WIN), some because someone gave it to me and I haven't made a decision about it yet (the crapton of Moby I've got in there). But most of my music came from my CD collection, my family CD collection, or friends who know what I like and don't mind sharing.

To be sure, when I put My Top Rated on random for just me, I listen to almost everything, skipping very few because I don't like them. But when there's someone else in the room, my iTunes really likes to play the embarrassing songs I don't like to admit I actually enjoy like Selena Gomez (IT'S CATCHY, OKAY).

I guess it's partially because I think my music is very telling as to the kind of person I am - but no one can listen to all of my music in one sitting, so they really only ever get to know a small portion of me.

'Makin' music

is more to me than a pleasure

cuz me and music -

we go together like notes in a measure.' - 'As Long As I'm Singing', Bobby Darin