Some of you are probably too young to even know this was once a thing, but there was a time when making a mix for a girl was every sucker-for-love types go to move. I’m not talking about putting together a soulless playlist on I-tunes and exporting it into a some girls external hard drive. I’m talking about sitting by a cassette player, dubbing songs from cd’s and tapes onto a cassette or cd. I’m talking about writing down the song titles and artists with your bare hands on that paper fold out that came with the blank cd/cassettes. I’m talking about optional artwork you might add to the cover and maybe even personal notes written to the girl you’re giving the cd/tape to. This took time and thought. You had to literally sit and listen to every song as it recorded and even consider the order of the songs. Often putting songs in a very particular order to somehow purvey a message. It was , in a way, an expression of art and desire , concealed as a casual thing you just did for a buddy. A buddy, I might add, that you wanted to have sex with.
In my mid teens to my mid 20′s, I was shy with girls. Because that was an era when people actually had to talk on the phone and communicate like humans, it wasn’t as easy as it is now. We couldn’t just send a text pic of our cocks and call it a day. We had to actually use words that came out of our mouths. Because that was never entirely in my comfort zone, I always would make girls mixes. If I liked you, I’d make you a mix (unless it was just some girl who had heard another mix I had made for another girl and asked me for one cause she too wanted cool music to listen to).
Making a successful mix for a girl was walking a fine line. You wanted to , first and foremost, give them good music. Music you legitimately enjoy. You also wanted to be subtle. Love songs were a must but making a whole mix of slow jams was kinda presumptuous. You had to spoon feed your intentions. I’d imagine crafting a mix tape that gets across the right emotions without being too overt could be compared to sculpting a bonsai tree. It was about balance. Pretty songs, funny songs, message songs and just songs you liked and wanted to share. It was truly a craft.
When done right, mix tapes would resonate with that girl. To this day, I’d like to think there are girls out there who, when they hear certain songs, they think of my bum ass. That’s the beauty of music really. It sticks around in a persons head and rattles their thoughts. There are still tons of songs I hear all the time that take me to a specific place and time whenever I hear them. A place I would otherwise assume I had long forgotten. With a proper mixtape, it could be like a deep tissue massage for the soul of some girls you once liked. AND it would get you laid.
Another cool thing about making mixes for girls was you could throw on that corny song you secretly like cause, well, there’s a good chance the girl would be cornier than you and like it just as much.
So, I decided to make some mix tapes for girls…Basically, I put together 4 mixes of songs. Each with an angle. Each going for a different vibe. I’ll upload the rest in the coming weeks. But, fellas, don’t be dissuaded by all this girl talk. These are still, for the most part, awesome songs. Songs that men are allowed to like (well, some of them are straight up embarrassing but that’s the point).
So, here’s part 1.
This is the more “upbeat” of the mixes. That doesn’t mean it’s for dancing but it has happier moods. This is the mixtape you wanna give a girl that you like, but you’re not crazy serious about. Like, you wanna bone her, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t.
Also, long time readers might be familiar with some of these songs , as I’ve been doing the “song of the day” thing for years now. Sorry about that but that’s how it is. Whatever, stop complaining for once and enjoy it. Free music , dude.
Mixtape part 1
NEW LINK
http://www.sendspace.com/file/7mtmwb
Alternate link:
http://depositfiles.com/files/wac5aa1h2
1)I only have love: Syl Johnson
2)Artibella:Ken Boothe
3)Fever:Little Willie John
4)Golden Brown: The Stranglers
5)Love that will not die: Johnny “guitar” Watson
6)You’ve made me so very happy: Lou Rawls
7)Why can’t we live together: Timmy Thomas
8)Left with a broken heart: john Holt
9)Missing: Beck
10)Ruby Lee: Bill Withers
11)Sexy Secrets: The Midnight Show
12)The First Taste: Fiona Apple
13)You push, I’ll Go: Baby Dayliner
This is funny! I too have made mixes for girls I’ve liked, in the past when I was in to vocally, sun-drenched west-coast house & garage – I play techno now so maybe not as much…
Regarding your point about tracks resonating with people and taking you back to a certain place… I have so many memories of various nights with a girl, a bed, a bad of weed and The Music Scene on wax setting the mood. She’s gone now, but the memories are well and truly etched in to my head revived every time I listen to it.
Mostly… we (me and my mates) also used the Music Scene to kick off every Mushroom session we’ve had over the past 2 years – ha! So sometimes there are mixed memories
Sort of a roundabout way to come out of the closet, don’t you think? You could have just posted “I own a Fiona Apple song” and left it at that.
Apple got joints, son. Don’t sleep.
Fiona def has some Jams. Reggie get with it douche
to which any respectable person with ears would have replied, “i own a fiona apple song too.”
Love seeing baby dayliner at the end
I think another reason the songs from mixtapes resonate so well (especially listening to them in the tape-era) is because that auto-reverse walkman is gonna keep playing that same 90 mins over and over and over until you finally make another tape, thereby chiseling those songs (and the order) deep into your subconscious.
Very true.
No R. Kelly?
It’s not that kind of party. There’s no subtlety to an R-Kelly song.
Yeah, R-Kelly = Booty for sure.
Missing is an incredibly heady and sexy song. I feel kind of drunk when I listen to it. Good pick.
Damn it! the mix got taken down
Pretty sure it’s still up. At least on my computer
oh no ..
Permission Denied.
This file has been identified as a copyright protected work and cannot be distributed using MediaFire.
I just downloaded it…I’ll look for an alternate upload site but it’s working for me fine. Is it working for anyone else?
Permission Denied.
This file has been identified as a copyright protected work and cannot be distributed using MediaFire.
The http://www.sendspace.com/file/7mtmwb link made me download a .exe file (actually .zip.exe). Don’t think it was the proper size either.. deleted it right away just to be sure. Other link worked fine, thanks!
Ughhhhhh…sendspace is weird though. finding the right download button is an issue.
yeah, could be I pressed the wrong one..
btw, first vinyl I ever bought was your ‘Music By Cavelight’. Still one of my fav’s so, thanks for that one as well :p
i was so damn bad at making these things cuz i’d never cater to a girl’s taste. There were a few girls who actually were AFTER ME…and I proceeded to lose them with a mix tape with just a bit too much Primus on it. I put a B-side off of Living Colour “Stain” once as an opening track.I was a handsome gent in high school but hadn’t the foggiest idea what i was doing.
ps- Fionas the real deal. always has been.
Question: what are some good places to take a girl out on a first date in nyc ?
New york has a billion restaurants. I need more info. Price range, what area you wanna eat in. Just don’t take her to BBQ and it’s all good.
I’m willing to spend 50 bucks per person and somewhere in manhatten would be good. Also any good or bad experiences you had with first dates?
Manhattan is a big island. Uptown? Downtown? East side ? west side?
as for first dates, I’ve only really been on a few real dates. I was always a more “meet up at the bar” kinda guy. Of the dates i did go on, they pretty much always ended well cause I only really went on dates that I knew were going to work. i’ve never been a risk taker in that sense.
“Artibella” needs to be authorized to listen.
Here’s a link. Hope it stays up for a bit:
http://www.divshare.com/download/19617471-c2c
i still have mixtapes made for me by boys in junior high and high school, bad cover art and almost illegible track titles. that shit’s legit. the first mix cd i ever received broke my heart a little. they’re just not the same.
Ah, mixtapes. I remember getting one back in highschool from a boy. It started out with Savage Garden “Truly, Madly, Deeply”…man, I ate that up. Men should still do this!
Pingback: The romance of making a mixtape « blue milk
What’s your take on making mixes for a new girl? We’re getting pretty touchy feely lately and I wanna put some good ass love songs on my next one, but I worry about lyrics like ‘I wispered I love you for all time’ being taken the wrong way. Its more about the mood of the song doh. Hmm..
I’d say you gotta go with a mostly light hearted mix with a few slow jams thrown in. Don’t overwhelm her with to many overt statement songs.