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Twin Cities Mom Collective

Vintage Valentine for the Digital Age

If you are of my certain age, you have most likely given or received at least one mixed tape. They once were the height of romantic gestures, like a book of love poetry without the harking and art thous. They were the perfect DIY valentine, low cost, high effort and extremely personal. A mixed tape was capable of saying “I love you,” “I’m thinking of you,” “I know you,” and “Have a good workout” all at the same time. They were simultaneously cooler than a greeting card and less risky than actually creating something of your own. Other than John Cusack standing outside my bedroom playing a mix made just for me, there is, nothing that says “I love you” quite like a mixed tape.

Vintage Valentine for the Digital Age | Twin Cities Moms Blog

Alas, like many other things, I remember fondly from my youth (1985 –Bowling for Soup), mixed tapes have become a lost art. I shudder to think that there are adults out there who have never actually made or received a mixed tape. Mixers no longer painstakingly choose and place songs into a specific order for the object of their affection. Where is the romance? Music today is compiled using the algorithms of Genius and Spotify into endless playlists.  Where is the soul? How can a music lover pour his or her heart out in the age of digital music?

Whether you want to tell your husband “our love keeps getting better” (A Little Dust on the Bottle –David Lee Murphy) or show your son that you are cool and you love him (Stereo Hearts –Gym Class Hereos), a virtual mixed tape is the way to go. On the other hand, if you want to tell your valentine “I’m really not that into you” buy them an iTunes gift card. So whether you are out of practice or never practiced in the art of tape mixing, I’m here to help with just a few of the rules of making a mixed tape.

Vintage Valentine for the Digital Age | Twin Cities Moms Blog

  1. What Do You Want To Say – Before you begin, it’s important to focus on what you want your mix to say. Making a mixed tape is “using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel” so first decide how you feel.
  2. Song Choice – Now that you know what you want to say, choosing the songs to say it is the most important part. If you’re trying to say “I love you, daughter” try I Love You Too- Ziggy Marley. If your message is “I’m so proud of you son” try Pride and Joy – Marvin Gaye. Perhaps you want to share some of your personal favorites (right now I love Use Me Up – Lake Street Dive). Be sure to vary your musical genres and eras. Nothing says “I phoned this in” more than twenty pop songs from the last two years. If your recipient is young or your message is very narrow, it might help to read the song lyrics. I like Shooting Star by Bad Company, but Johnny dying with sleeping tablets by his bed doesn’t fit into the “You’re Amazing” mix I’m making for my kids.
  3. Song Order- You have a message and the songs to convey it, next you need to take the listener on a journey. Leaving the songs in alphabetical order is the equivalent of buying chocolates from the gas station on the way home – the thought is there, but not the effort. Rob Gordon (another John Cusack reference) from High Fidelity sums it up nicely. “You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don’t wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules.”
  4. Length- Fortunately for you, I still have a stockpile of mixed tapes (though I no longer own a cassette player), so I can verify that the average mixed tape contains between 15 and 20 songs. Try to stay in this range, it’s just enough songs to fit a CD if you choose to burn your mix and not too long of a listening commitment for your recipient.
  5. Final Touch – By now you’ve successfully poured your heart and soul into this musical representation of your inner most thoughts, but if you’re like me, it probably doesn’t feel finished. A truly complete mixed tape came with a personalized cover and liner notes. Obviously, your virtual version doesn’t need a carefully collaged cover, but that doesn’t mean you have to skip the liner notes. If you really want to wow your sweetie pie or explain to your children you’re not just old and crazy, present your mix with the list of songs and why you’ve chosen them.

No promises your Valentine will love a mix tape as much as I do, but I can help with that mix too (Forget You – Cee Lo Green).

Vintage Valentine for the Digital Age | Twin Cities Moms Blog

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