On the importance of the playlist

It has often been said and heard that music soothes the savage heart. Several years ago it was discovered that certain music actually increased the growth of plants. Parents were also advised to rear baby to music like those compose by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in order to increase their (their baby’s intelligence). Does this work? One should look at the empirical evidence but what I do know is that I cannot live without music ever since I was a child – according to my mother I liked Puff the Magic Dragon by the Mamas and the Papas – I still do and a host of others I picked up through the years both classic, past contemporary and contemporary music.

Music media has also transformed through the years. Cylinder music, vinyl record, eight track, cassette tapes, cd, and digital music and this was accompanied by a series of gadgets from turn table to digital music players. Interestingly, retro-technology has also been making a comeback. One is often tempted to buy this turn tables just so one can listen to the vinyls.

Still in any form and shape we listen to music. It does not matter if it is recorded or live. The enjoyment of music is something an Ancient Greek and a millennial can readily relate to. Forms may change or not but as humans we still enjoy music.Thus the importance of a mixed tape or playlist.

One of the key things that a cassette player and recorder gave the ordinary human was the ability to pick songs/music and compile them in a mixed tape, the grandfather of the playlist. The mixed tape was easily reproducible, shareable and sellable. Bootleg cassettes were the initial problem of record labels and singers. In some cases, a mixed tape shared can be an expression of love, friendship and even ridicule.

Today we have at a click or a trip to the digital pirates music in digital format. Shared or even captured from clip converters almost anything is available from Orff’s Carmina Burana, Verdi’s Aida, and Ricky Martin’s La Vida Loca. Piracy though is an issue I will not tackle here . Instead let us go back playlists.

Each os us must have a playlist for each time and occasion. Personally, I think I cannot survive without it and the world loses its ouster sans a playlist whether it is stored inside one’s device. So what are the must have personal playlist?

A playlist for when you wake up
A playlist for work
A playlist for travelling
A playlist for chilling out
A playlist for just stress relief
A playlist for ruminating
A playlist for when you are sick or dying
A playlist for the moment just before sleeping aka a lullaby
A playlist for making love – Bolero Extended Version 🙂
A playlist for your wake
A playlist for cooking and dinning
A playlist for when you attack your enemy while playing a board game like Risk
A playlist as ambient music while leisurely talking ad drinking
A playlist for killing time and not getting boref
A playlist for not getting angry
A playlist for meandering
A playlist for all occasions

It has been said that if you see someone riding a bicycle then you see hope for civilisation but I can also be said that if you hear someone’s playlist then you realise this is civilisation.

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One Response to On the importance of the playlist

  1. Vicky Abagon says:

    While it is interesting to have playlists for all sorts of moods and occasions, I still like my whole music library on shuffle, because I like the surprise and the anticipation of waiting for the next song’s message and beat.

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