PLAYLIST: ALL THINGS RANDOM - A COLLECTION
I'm starting to feel my calling in life could be DJing millennial class reunions
I have an ever-growing playlist on my Spotify titled "R.A.S." that is a grab-n-go assortment of the most random collection of music you may ever come across. Unlike my other playlists which each have a pretty clear theme or direction, R.A.S. is a melting pot of spur-of-the-moment, reminiscent, A.D.D.-driven tunes.
One should enter this playlist with expectations of dancing, singing along and reminiscing. "I haven't heard this since _______" is a phrase heard often when these songs enter through people's earholes. This music doesn't just grab your attention, it takes you back in time. Places you in a moment that only exists in your memory. Six year-old you plugged into your dad's stereo, wearing his oversized headphones and watching yourself dance in the reflection of the entertainment system's glass door. You know, the headphones with the 12 ft. chord that becomes impossibly tangled every opportunity it gets? Or how about the school dance your freshman year of high school when you hear the opening strings of "All My Life" by K-Ci & JoJo and, using your peripherals, you scope out that one special someone you're praying will come ask you to dance but then she never does? That was teenage heartache at it's finest.
Most songs make their way onto this playlist after some far away sector of my brain is triggered by a past memory, something someone says or after hearing the melody of a similar sounding song. Even something as simple as snapping my fingers can translate into the rhythm of a handful of different songs.
Here are a few play-by-play examples of a song taking form in my head:
1. Last week at work while a few of my co-workers were discussing the alignment of some particular part one of them says aloud "We'll just move it over." Quicker than the shock from an electric fence, George Thorgood's "Move It On Over" floods my mind. My eyes light up, a smile spreads across my face and I then spend the following thirty minutes snapping my fingers and quietly singing to myself.
2. I have a friend named Tim. Nearly every time I see him the name "Tim" permeates into "Tim Tim-ney, Tim Tim-ney, Tim-Tim-Turoo". So for some completely bizarre reason, Mary Poppins seems to be embedded into my brain.
Come into R.A.S. preparing yourself for a daggone good time. I dare you to try and listen to this playlist without snapping your fingers, swaying your head or tapping your toes. It ain't gonna happen, bruh. These songs grab ahold of your nerve endings and flood them with juice. More powerful than three scoops of pre-workout and you don't have to worry about the jitters (in most cases).
However, reader beware, this playlist is all over the place. One moment Dion will have you juking and jiving, but with a sudden smack in the face your bottom lip is quivering as Christina Aquilera tells you she's giving up on you. Don't fret though, Trick Daddy is next in line to remind you you're still a thug. Plus, Miley still adores you.
Appropriately titled, R.A.S. stands for Random Assortment of Stellar. The proper way to listen to this playlist is to put it on shuffle and eagerly await what comes next. You can expect your favorite jamz from the '90's including Alanis Morissette, Marcy Playground, Paula Cole and Sugar Ray. The 2000's: My Chemical Romance, Wheatus, Usher and Taking Back Sunday. The greats: David Bowie, Elvin Bishop, Don McLean and Cat Stevens. The party tunes: DJ Kool, The Weeknd, Cardi B and N.E.R.D. The too-cool-for-school: The Runaways, Misfits, The Rezillos and Body Count. Rounding out this selection are the most random: the Grease soundtrack, Hall & Oates, Wilson Pickett and Nancy Sinatra. The above are, of course, just a tiny sample of the juicy goodness that awaits inside.
So what do you say? Shall we crack open this jar of tasty jamz? Spread it across a toasted dance floor and party?
Click play in the playlist below and let the good times begin.
**Have music you think would make a nice addition to this playlist? Please comment below.
(Taste test R.A.S. below)