Recently, a close friend of mine shared a playlist she made with songs that made her think of me.
It’s one of the sweetest things a friend has done for me, and I’ve been listening to this playlist with a smile on my face. Currently, I’m trying to gather songs that make me think of her.
Crafting playlists is not a task to be taken lightly. Note the key word “craft.” There is a certain effort that curating playlists requires, especially those made for other people.
You need to take into account another person’s taste in music, but not include a bunch of songs they already know — you want this person to be on their toes. Stay familiar but also seize the opportunity to introduce them to new music.
This is not to say that making a playlist is a purely scientific, detached exercise, or something that should stress you out. First and foremost, it should be done with the heart and a sense of joy.
Sharing music is one of the ways we connect with other people, and I think it’s beautiful.
Though people may have similar tastes and like the same artists, there is also a personal element inherent to listening to music. As we go about living our own lives, we experience them in our special ways; this extends to the experience of listening to music.
When we go to concerts and scream our heads off and dance like crazy people, we become truly lost in the moment. Part of the appeal to this is being with other people who love the same people and things as you, whether that be in a packed room or an entire stadium’s worth of people.
Music is meant to be shared and enjoyed with other people.
When I think back to family gatherings when I was young, I remember someone pulling out a guitar and singing, or my godfather, always the designated DJ, bringing his booming stereo system to parties, blasting Ukrainian music for the whole neighborhood to hear beyond our backyard.
On the flip side, music is one of the most personal things a person can have. In my lowest moments, music has been there for me, even as cliché or melodramatic as that can sound. Even when you’re alone, with music you aren’t, because there’s someone on the other end of your headphones crooning a tune that resonates with you and letting you know you can get through whatever it is that’s causing trouble in the moment.
That brings me back to the main point of this all: the intimacy of music.
Because music can be so highly personal and deeply connected to who we are as individuals, when we take the time to share it with our loved ones, we bestow upon them a piece of ourselves. It’s vulnerability.
It’s putting someone in our shoes, and giving them a glimpse of who we are.
At the end of the day, playlists can take all sorts of forms. They can be silly, light-hearted and fun, or as serious as honoring a friendship or a romance. There’s a reason why making mixtapes and burning CDs were all the rage in the past, both in our media and in real life.
With a click of a few buttons, sharing music is easier than ever nowadays.