I definitely appreciate them. I've discovered a lot of great music from mix CDs or playlists girlfriends have given me, and I like making them as well. It's always nice to get something that someone took the time to make for you, be it a playlist or a mix CD with a fancy cover and a title like "Beth's Awesometastic Rockin' Goodtime Mix."
That said, there is definitely an etiquette for mix-making that will ensure he actually listens to them and/or doesn't run away in fear.
1. Be mindful of song titles. If you're deep into the relationship, and have already expressed your undying love for each other, then feel free to ignore this one. But if it's early in the relationship, you might not want to load it with songs with "love" in the title. One or two is fine, but if you've got "I Just Called to Say I Love You" segueing into "I Honestly Love You" on a mix called "The Love Album" that you're giving him a couple weeks into the relationship, he might get a tad freaked out. (Also, avoid potentially stalker-ish songs like "Every Breath You Take.") Conversely, try not to make every song about failed relationships (don't go from "Bad Romance" to Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats"), unless you're trying to subtly break up with him. However, dirty songs are fine at any stage of the relationship. (Particularly if they are hilarious and catchy, like anything by Peaches or Ol' Dirty Bastard.)
2. Don't overload on your favorite artists. Let's say you're a big fan of, oh, Jack Johnson. So you include your favorite Jack Johnson song in the hopes that he'll like it. But how can you choose just one Jack Johnson song when they're all such precious sound diamonds? So you put another one on the mix, and then a third. And of course he has to have the live version of "Taylor" with the audience singing along and special guest appearances by Dave Matthews, Bela Fleck and some dude from Phish. And pretty soon, you've given him half of a Jack Johnson album. Ease him into your favorite artists with a choice track and he might just surprise you and become a crazy Jack Johnson fan. (Or at least a mild Jack Johnson fan.)
3. Pay attention to what he likes. Ideally, your mix will express your feelings and expose him to your favorite music. But remember you're also making it for him, so keep his taste in mind. If he's a hip hop fan, throw in a hip hop track or at least some R&B. Take note of artists he does like, and try to chose similar artists for a track or two. (For instance, if he likes Radiohead, he might dig Muse or Sigur Ros.) Also, if he's mentioned that he actively hates, say, country music, maybe leave the Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts off entirely. (Or opt for accessible artists like Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson as a gateway.)
4. Variety, variety, variety. I'll make a confession here: When I was in college, I was into music that could generously be defined as "mopey." (Another way to describe it might be "whiny.") This led to a lot of mixes heavy on the Tori Amos and The Cure that probably made the recipients more than a little concerned about my mental health. That's not to say you shouldn't include the occasional heartbreaking love song or moving piano-driven ballad. Just mix it up with a little Bell Biv Devoe or Journey or Outkast-- anything upbeat.
5. Don't forget the cover. I'm a sucker for a nice handmade cover; something fun that makes the mix stand out on my shelf. Even if you make him a playlist on iTunes or online, include a personalized song list or email him a snazzy cover design that he can print out when he burns the mix to CD. And don't rule out good old-fashioned markers, stickers, glue, glitter, whatever. Nothing beats an actual physical object made with love.
Do you have any tips for making the perfect mix CD or playlist? Any memories of favorite/least favorite mixes you've received?
That said, there is definitely an etiquette for mix-making that will ensure he actually listens to them and/or doesn't run away in fear.
1. Be mindful of song titles. If you're deep into the relationship, and have already expressed your undying love for each other, then feel free to ignore this one. But if it's early in the relationship, you might not want to load it with songs with "love" in the title. One or two is fine, but if you've got "I Just Called to Say I Love You" segueing into "I Honestly Love You" on a mix called "The Love Album" that you're giving him a couple weeks into the relationship, he might get a tad freaked out. (Also, avoid potentially stalker-ish songs like "Every Breath You Take.") Conversely, try not to make every song about failed relationships (don't go from "Bad Romance" to Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats"), unless you're trying to subtly break up with him. However, dirty songs are fine at any stage of the relationship. (Particularly if they are hilarious and catchy, like anything by Peaches or Ol' Dirty Bastard.)
2. Don't overload on your favorite artists. Let's say you're a big fan of, oh, Jack Johnson. So you include your favorite Jack Johnson song in the hopes that he'll like it. But how can you choose just one Jack Johnson song when they're all such precious sound diamonds? So you put another one on the mix, and then a third. And of course he has to have the live version of "Taylor" with the audience singing along and special guest appearances by Dave Matthews, Bela Fleck and some dude from Phish. And pretty soon, you've given him half of a Jack Johnson album. Ease him into your favorite artists with a choice track and he might just surprise you and become a crazy Jack Johnson fan. (Or at least a mild Jack Johnson fan.)
3. Pay attention to what he likes. Ideally, your mix will express your feelings and expose him to your favorite music. But remember you're also making it for him, so keep his taste in mind. If he's a hip hop fan, throw in a hip hop track or at least some R&B. Take note of artists he does like, and try to chose similar artists for a track or two. (For instance, if he likes Radiohead, he might dig Muse or Sigur Ros.) Also, if he's mentioned that he actively hates, say, country music, maybe leave the Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts off entirely. (Or opt for accessible artists like Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson as a gateway.)
4. Variety, variety, variety. I'll make a confession here: When I was in college, I was into music that could generously be defined as "mopey." (Another way to describe it might be "whiny.") This led to a lot of mixes heavy on the Tori Amos and The Cure that probably made the recipients more than a little concerned about my mental health. That's not to say you shouldn't include the occasional heartbreaking love song or moving piano-driven ballad. Just mix it up with a little Bell Biv Devoe or Journey or Outkast-- anything upbeat.
5. Don't forget the cover. I'm a sucker for a nice handmade cover; something fun that makes the mix stand out on my shelf. Even if you make him a playlist on iTunes or online, include a personalized song list or email him a snazzy cover design that he can print out when he burns the mix to CD. And don't rule out good old-fashioned markers, stickers, glue, glitter, whatever. Nothing beats an actual physical object made with love.
Do you have any tips for making the perfect mix CD or playlist? Any memories of favorite/least favorite mixes you've received?
I am INSANELY bad at making mix cd's. My wonderful boyfriend loves me anyway. I was planning on making one for him this year but I changed my mind and got him the It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia dvd set.
i remember i did a mix cd for my boyfriend for last christmas when we weren't even together and i mixed songs that made me feel great and reminded me of him and how he acted with me :-)
That's a great idea. Include a few songs that remind you of him, or songs that you listen to together.
I know, I know. It's just that you make one really huge assumption - that the maker has good taste. Don't mean to be a cynic, but I've stumbled on a few mixed CDs of my guy friends (who were gifted them by their girlfriends) & they're usually hot messes! But I agree, if you've got great taste, this could probably work. :)
oops, I meant to reply to your reply to MY reply, not this reply (wait, I just confused myself)...hopefully you know what I mean :)
Say what? Make somebody a CD of music that's not their "music taste?" Why? I mean why don't you go ahead & buy your Duke basketball-loving boyfriend a bunch of Carolina sweatshirts while you're at it? Sorry, but this makes no sense to me. Maybe I'm missing something...
Shouldn't he try new things? Like I said, I'm not saying give him a mix of all country songs if he hates country. But exposing him to new music? I don't see a problem there. If it's all just music he already listens to, he could do that himself. A good mix includes songs you think he'd like, stuff you both like, songs that are personal to your relationship, etc.
Wow. Back in the day of cassette tapes, I did something for a guy I was madly in love with, but was friends with. I wanted to tell him how I felt, but didn't have the guts to do it in person. Plus, he and I were musicians. So, I wrote out what I wanted to say, and then thought of song lyrics that would convey that. Then, I went through my and my best friend's music collections to get those songs, fast-forwarded to that lyric, and laid it down on tape, pausing at the end until I was done. I told the whole story of our friendship, things we did (including how the cops came to the public golf course where we ALMOST made out until we heard the sirens, and I even got a siren from "Black Gold"), included serious lyrics from Rod Stewart, and humorous ones from Violent Femmes and Mario Lanza ("Ah, sweet mystery of life at last I've found thee!" Ok, it's serious, but not in Young Frankenstein! LOL!). The whole thing was 20 minutes long! I gave it to him, he listened to it, and said, "Gee, thanks, but I don't feel the same way about you! I'm flattered though!" Dang! I felt like I wasted a grand idea on someone who didn't appreciate it. Can't do that with CDs nowadays! Damn shame!
This is so incredibly sweet I believe I have Diabetes from reading it.
I really love the idea of making a CD for my boyfriend however, we have completely different taste in music (i.e. he loves techno and I have functioning ears). I still might give this a try though. For all you iTunes lovers out there, don't forget about Genius! I love that thing. Also, there is an album that iTunes released last Valentines day (I think it was made by Starbucks) called Sweetheart. It has some great covers on it by Katy Perry, Jem, Death Cab for Cutie, and A.C. Newman.
I love that cd too!
The Department of Eagle's cover of Elvis's "Love Me" is so good. The cover of "I Put a Spell on Your" that She & Him did is great too.
Hmm.. I've never made a mixtape for a boyfriend, although admittedly I've only had one, and the only thing I listened then was Disturbed. He was not at all interested.
However my best friend and I make mixtapes all the time. Anytime we're driving anywhere that's over forty minutes, we make a new CD for it. The key for making it fun is to take turns making the CD, and the other person is not allowed to see the contents of the CD until they are played. Also, generally you use the opposite person's playlist, although there's no rules against downloading a few songs that you like for it. We have different tastes in music, but each CD has a few songs that we both enjoy and can sing at the top of our lungs. It's fun! Y'all should try it.
I set up a whole night for my boyfriend. I made dinner, got all dolled up and when he walked in I had a bottle of his favorite beer and asked him to hit play on the CD player. I created a mix of songs (we had a conversation earlier about songs we thought were romantic) of songs we both like and some that he hadn't heard yet, but that set the mood. I threw in some new jazz tunes, some singer/songwriter stuff and some old favorites (think Van Morrison "Into the Mystic"). It was a huge success.
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