Make a Mixtape of your Childhood
Music has always been a big part of my life. My parents always had the radio on or MTV playing in the background. Rarely does anything move my emotions as much as music.
So much has changed these days as far as music technology but I heard Sony is bringing back the Walkman. Get prepared! Personally I have the free version of Spotify which still allows playlist creation.
I’ve always loved compiling playlists. In high school, my sister and I would create mixtapes and give them as gifts to our friends. I had such a great time choosing the songs and even the order in which the songs were played.
Today, I have different types of playlists such as Kid’s Dance Party, Pump Up Jams, Worship Music, Baby Boy Playlist (Which I adore!) and a playlist with songs that remind me of my dad.
I’m an old soul so I gravitate toward old pieces of furniture, barely standing houses and clothing from previous decades. Lately, I’m reminded of the songs I listened to in my childhood. It’s music that I rarely come across but feel has a special place in my heart.
Songs such as “Jump” by Van Halen, Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On a Prayer” and Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” are a few that stand out. I remember riding down our dirt road in the back of a pickup truck with my cousins belting out,
“Woah, we’re halfway there
Woah, livin’ on a prayer
Take my hand, we’ll make it I swear
Whoa, livin’ on a prayer!”
Bon Jovi. Lyrics to “Livin’ On a Prayer.” LyricFind. 1986. Universal Music Publishing Group.
I mean singing at the top of our lungs, with so much emotion and hand motions — serious with our singing but laughing hysterically at the same time. That’s a good memory right there!
Sometimes I want to go back to those days. Wind in my hair. No cares in the world. Just screaming out music in which I didn’t comprehend the lyrics. To reminisce I’ve created a playlist of songs from my childhood. I’ve limited it to as early as I can remember through 6th grade. If you are interested you can listen to it here.
Playlists don’t have to fit a certain mold. Mine has classic rock and Disney songs, it has songs from my first cassette tape and songs from my parent’s records. Church songs and camp songs, whatever songs impacted me or ones I remember. The songs are personal to my upbringing, they are the soundtrack of my childhood. It’s music that played in the background while life was happening all around.
What song would be your #1 track? What song from your childhood makes you smile? I’d love to know what playlists you’ve created.
7 thoughts on “Make a Mixtape of your Childhood”
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I had forgotten about your blog. Nice! You took me right back to my childhood Fran. I am 99% sure that is Mom and Pop’s driveway that you and Jeanni are riding your bikes on. Mom probably made me move all the cars so you wouldn’t run into them! Fun! Playlists…. The Knack, the Car’s, Queen, Hank Jr., you know, all the greats!
I’m sure you had to move all the cars out of the driveway, no one wanted a dent from our wild rides! Thanks Uncle! I had to look up “The Knack” I was unfamiliar. My Sharona, classic! I love seeing your playlist thanks for sharing. I hope all is well.
My Playlist would be topped by “Hotel California”, a 70s Eagles tune that is like listening to a short, mysterious novella. In my opinion this could be the impetus behind an independent movie. I doubt the surviving songwriters would let it be tossed about and re-written to suit a current audience. Anyway “…up ahead in the distance I saw a shimmering light…” I have the vinyl, 8 track and my current playlist of their eponymous album.
I have over 400 songs on my Spotify list, everything from classical to opera to, of course, 70s rock. The only genre I don’t admire as much is country, which is almost an anomaly nowadays. Right now I just asked Alexa to play the aforementioned tune.
The Eagles, good stuff! Reta, I love hearing about your playlist. I never knew you were an opera fan. Any favorites you would recommend? You’ve inspired me to play some Eagles today.
I have to confess that my appreciation of opera is to a select list of individual songs from various artists and composers. An introduction would be to locate selections from Three Tenors. They did big shows live back in the 90s. A group of favorites are La Traviata, Turandot, Madama Butterfly and so many others. This makes me browse through my playlist on Spotify where I also see jazz from the 30s, ballets like Swan Lake, and some current favorites, Foo Fighters and Imagine Dragons. One of the beauties of living alone is that I can dance and sing out loud to my heart’s contents and no one complains.