If you know me, you know I have a wacky obsession for oddly specific playlists. And if you don't know me, I'm sure I'd bring it up within the first 20 minutes of meeting.
I started this weird hobby B.S. (Before Spotify) on an old app called "8tracks". At first, they stemmed from teenage fandoms and an obsession with coming of age movies. 8tracks was great for what it was, however, it only allowed tracks you owned to be put on playlists. It wasn't until 2015 that I was done with the BS.
Spotify changed everything. It was a way for me to use endless amounts of music to create whatever narratives or feelings I ever wanted.
Welcoming playlists that include titles like:
"When You Think You Have a Cavity in Your Teeth"
"This May Be a Car Wash but I'll Pretend it's a Sad Music Video"
"When it's 2am and You're in the Middle of Baking but You Run Out of the Ingredient and Then by the Time You Get to the Store You Don't Even Feel Like Baking"
"That Unsettling Feeling After the Sun Sets but it's Not Dark"
"Need 2 Sneeze"
For the longest time, I thought I was one of the only people who did this. Until I saw the 2016 Spotify 'Thanks 2016, it's Been Weird' campaign.
I haven't made the playlist above, but the panic I had when I first saw it thinking it was me was...not there. In the age of digital suspicion and data breaches, it would have been logical for me to be worried. However, I was so amused with the campaign, I almost wanted one of my playlists to become a chosen one.
I think about this campaign constantly. The graphics are consistent, the language is playful, but most of all it has that big idea. That we're all a little weird.