In the second episode of “High Fidelity” (2020), one of my favorite TV shows, the main character Rob shares her thoughts on what makes a good playlist.
“You get to use someone else’s poetry to express how you feel,” she says to the camera.
This struck me. As a kid who had a hard time verbalizing how they felt, music did – and still does – allow me to find those words.
I’m a retired band kid of seven years and have parents with eclectic music taste. I love collecting vinyl records, CDs and sometimes cassettes – basically anything to do with music.
My preferred music platform is Spotify; I believe in Spotify supremacy (sorry Apple music lovers). There’s just something about seeing the “Glee” cast as my number-one artist on Spotify in my wrapped every year that keeps me coming back.
I was a sophomore in high school when “High Fidelity” aired, and was so inspired by Rob’s insights that I started to incorporate some of her rules into my own playlist-building.
As a creator of 96 playlists and counting, here is a guide on how to build a perfect playlist.
Step One: Pick a Theme
You’ll need a theme to base your playlist on. This could be a certain mood, feeling, event, a single song or a car ride where you almost hit a deer, who knows – just get creative!
One of my favorite parts of creating a playlist is giving it a name and a fun cover photo. I like to add memes that fit the theme or unhinged pictures of my favorite artists. Some of my favorite playlist names are: “everyone shut up,” “slamming my fists on the table,” “lady whistledown who?” and “moms minivan.”
Step Two: Curating Your Queue
Okay, now that we’ve got the basics out of the way, let’s get to the fun part: picking songs!
When selecting songs, you want to make sure they’re entertaining. The last thing you want is to skip a song halfway through; it ruins the flow.
I often start out my playlists with an upbeat groove that gets me moving and going, like “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, “Countdown” by Beyoncé, “End Of The Line” by the Traveling Wilburys or a recent favorite of mine, Role Model’s cover of “Somebody Else” by the 1975.
Once I’ve got at least three or four upbeat songs, I take into consideration the mood or theme of the playlist. I start by scrolling through my liked songs, since those are the ones I know the best. If I find a track that I think would match the vibe, I play a little part of it, so I remember what the song sounds like, and then I add it or move on to try something else.
I continue that routine for about five more songs, then, I like to add a fun, out of nowhere, “did AI generate this playlist” kinda vibe, like “Rockstar” by Nickelback or “Islands in the Stream” by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. I like to Rickroll my friends but instead of “Never Gonna Give You Up” I just play Nickelback.
After my fun and games, I like to bring down the mood just a little because that’s life. I try to add some more mellow music to chill out. Some of my personal favorites are “I Think I Like When It Rains” by WILLIS, “Tender” by Blur and “Don’t Forget Me” by Maggie Rogers.
I could go on and on with song suggestions, so if you ever need one, let me know!
After a few chilled-out songs, I’ll add maybe one or two upbeat, toe-tapping songs, like “All Falls Down” by Lizzy McAlpine, “Body” by Briston Maroney or “Changes” by Joy Oladokun. I like adding songs like this to subtly signal the end of the playlist through their mood and tone
Step 3: Finding That Closer
Finally, we’ve reached the closer song.
For a finale, I usually opt for a slower song because I think it can wrap up a story nicely. That’s what I try to do: tell a story with other artists’ words. Some of my favorite closers include “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, “Pluto Projector” by Rex Orange County” and “I’ll Follow The Sun” by The Beatles.
Step 4: Pump Up The Jams, Pump It Up
Now that you’re done, celebrate by listening to the playlist you just made! That’s all I have for you now, but I can’t leave you empty-handed! I love NPR, so here is a guide on playlist building from an NPR Tiny Desk producer. Happy listening!
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