Lost Item from our Youth: The mixed tape

I was thinking about this the other day. Now, everyone who knows me knows that I love to communicate through song. I'm really big on playing songs with lyrics that are able to convey my feelings sometimes better than I can.

This came about because I am famous for putting lyrics on my Facebook page. My cousin saw a set of lyrics and said to me, "Now, if I could only get my boyfriend to read those. They are dead on what I'm feeling."

It brought me back to my youth and the coveted item of teeny-bopper girls (ok, and teenage girls) everywhere - the mixed tape. The one thing every boy could afford that, if done right, was guarenteed to make even the frostiest of ice queens melt into a puddle. Girls that scored this holy grail of youth ooohed and ahhhed over it with their girlfriends, as they all listened to the song choices that were made.

Then they all dissected the lyrics - what could they mean? Did he mean it this way or that? Why did he put THAT song on there?

As we got older, we gathered courage, and were able to SPEAK to the opposite sex in ways that transgressed the "You've got cooties." variety of speech we'd gotten used to over the years. It was also a relief to be able to speak face to face as opposed to using the (never worked right anyway) game of telephone. But, when it came to breaking the ice, the mixed tape still held a spot in the repitoire of nervous teenage boys.

Now, though married and somewhat older, I would love to be able to give someone a mixed CD, have them listen to the lyrics, and totally understand how I feel about them. (In marriage you're expected to TALK about it - blech - cuz sometimes ordinary words just don't do it).

So I started thinking and fantasizing. If I was younger (still in this time period) and single, what songs would I put on the mixed CD I would give to my "intended". Since I have almost 3000 songs on my iPod, I figure if it's not on there, it wouldn't be on my CD anyway.

So here we go - let's say 15 tracks, and not necessarily in order. (I'm linking to the lyrics cuz not everyone will know the songs).

Iris - GooGoo Dolls
Lips of An Angel - Hinder
Another - Glen Burtnick (had to link to an earlier post for these lyrics as I can't find them on the web)
I'm Ready - Bryan Adams
Everything - Lifehouse
In Too Deep - Phil Collins
Hold Onto the Nights - Richard Marx
Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
For Just One Moment - John Tesh (duet with I can't remember who )
Bring Me to Life - Evanesence
Together - Styx
When There's Time for Love - Lawrence Gowan
Blue Monday - Fluke
They Don't Know - Tracy Ullman
Closer - Nine Inch Nails


So who's on your list?


Stay sane inside insanity ~ and never forget your towel.