The Science Of Mixtapes
June 22 2010
For a long time, I thought a mix tape could get a girl to fall in love with me. While this may seem like a completely ridiculous statement, my ideas stemmed from Hollywood, which in retrospect was probably a terrible move on my part. Movies like High Fidelity and, more recently, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist made me think that I could make a girl swoon by putting together a list of well thought out tracks and burning a CD. It was only a matter time before I realized that by doing this, I would only have a girl fall in love with my music.
That being said, the mix tape is still a powerful weapon. While you don’t necessarily want a girl to fall in love with you because of a tape, a strategically timed compilation at the right point in the game can give you that final push into what could be a happy relationship.
Ok, so I’ve never attempted to make a CD for a girl at the peak of that ‘will they/won’t they’ sexual tension, but I have spent a lot of time both making mixes and attempting to explain the science behind a perfect mix. As Rob Gordon in High Fidelity puts it, “the making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem.”
Step 1: Know Your Audience/Occasion
This step may seem like common sense, but it is by far the most important step. Obviously you’re not going to bust out your best romance songs on a tailgating pump-up CD for the big game. In the same way, you want to make sure your audience appreciates you making a mix tape. Not everyone appreciates music like you do, which is why your football friends call you a fairy for taking the time to craft such a perfect tailgating mix. With girls, it’s even more important. If you think the girl in question may not appreciate a mix tape or may not really like music, GET FAR AWAY FROM HER IMMEDIATELY. SHE IS MOST LIKELY AN ALIEN SENT FROM ANOTHER PLANET TO DO EXPERIMENTS ON YOUR BRAIN. Once you define your audience, you can successfully move on to the next step.
Step 2: Know The Message You Want To Send
Before you even start dragging songs to that playlist entitled “Songs for Jill <3,” you need to stop and make sure you know what your goal is. There is a very fine line between “this mix CD is great, I’m really glad you’re my friend and know such great music” and “this mix CD is the deciding factor that I do want to have an actual relationship with you.” Being on the right side of that line comes by committing to your message. For example, my friend Spencer and I had a joint birthday party last year titled “The Romance Explosion,” and we thought all the attendees should receive a compilation of songs. Appropriately, we committed to making the ultimate love song mix. In knowing the message we wanted to deliver, we were able to easily select the perfect songs.
Step 3: Use The Classics
Although you want to impress your audience with your extensive knowledge of those awesome bands you love but no one has ever heard of, you can’t go wrong with a classic that fits in perfectly with your message. Not only does a classic give the listener something they know–which in turn hooks them in to listening to the rest of the disc—it’s also a way to reinforce your message. A classic uses its inherent popularity to reiterate your point. By using “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel as our first song, we created the image of using a boom box to symbolize that ultimate sign of affection
Step 4: Don’t Be Afraid of the Wild Card
At first glance, “Wicked Games” by Chris Isaac is as far from a love song as you can get. It sounds incredibly depressing, but placed in the right spot still symbolizes the right message. Instead of saying you have strong feelings for this girl, the wild card song says that without this girl, you will be a wreck. While seemingly out of place to the untrained eye, the trained ear realizes the Wild Card is the perfect fit for the overall message of the mix. A mix tape is all about being creative, and this is the point where your creativity can really shine. Now I wouldn’t suggest throwing a country song into a death metal mix, but don’t be afraid to send a mixed message. It’ll make you a bit more mysterious, and girls love mystery.
Step 5: Stick To Your Guns
While the classics and the wild card are good to intermingle throughout the mix tape, the majority of the songs are going to be about who you are. You want them to reflect your music tastes while at the same time hitting that all-important message (see step 2). What good is an effective mix if you don’t feel strongly about the songs? Any guy can get a girl to like a mix tape by putting on Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, but you’re going to hate yourself when “My Heart Will Go On” becomes “your song” because you put it on the mix. When you craft the tape, you need to make sure it has your voice. Someone who knows you well enough should be able to listen to that CD and know it’s yours by the songs that are on it. Even if it’s just one song that gives it away (Southern California by Speechwriters LLC), having your unique fingerprint on the mix makes it that much more intimate.
Step 6: Post-Production
Even though you may be done creating the actual mix at this point, slacking off on a title or album art is just lazy on your part and shows no dedication. That playlist in iTunes may be called “Songs for Jill <3,” but please do not write that on the CD. Take a few minutes to come up with something creative. Spencer and I spent a good day texting each other ideas for CD titles before finally settling on “Sweet Nothings: Bryan and Spencer’s Intimate Songs For Intimate Times.” Make the name fun- it’s great to throw in some humor, but still keep that little bit of sentiment. Creating a case is also a nice way to go a few extra steps. Instead of taking a normal jewel case, cut out a case by using a cardboard box. The flaps of the box make a natural fold, and you can buy stick-on CD holders on Wal-mart for a buck. Then you can make your own art and put it right on the cover. You can also kick it old school and make a legitimate mix tape, as long as you’re confident enough she still owns a tape player.
Step 7: The Results
What’s the point of following the steps if they don’t bring you the results you want? With “Sweet Nothings,” the results were astounding. Not only did everyone at the party love the mix, but we also began getting messages from mutual friends who had heard about the mix asking for a copy. We had multiple friends hook up with someone while listening to the CD. Even Spencer and I had two girls literally run up to us saying they loved the song that was playing after we blasted the mix at a random party. As for our next project, we’ve already decided we’re going to make the ultimate break up mix.
Just for you….
“Sweet Nothings: Bryan and Spencer’s Intimate Songs For Intimate Times”
- “In Your Eyes” – Peter Gabriel
- “Truly, Madly, Deeply” – Savage Garden
- “This Modern Love” – Bloc Party
- “Moondance” – Van Morrison
- “Just The Way You Are” – Billy Joel
- “Against All Odds” – Phil Collins
- “You Belong To Me” – The 88
- “Please Me Like You Want To” – Ben Harper
- “Southern California” – Speechwriters LLC
- “Kissed By A Rose” – Seal
11.“Nothing Better” – The Postal Service
- “Pictures of You” – The Cure
- “Wicked Games” – Chris Isaac
- “Hand on Your Heart” – Jose Gonzalez
- “Delicate” – Damien Rice
- “Ressurection Fern” – Iron and Wine
- “Wonderful Tonight” – Eric Clapton
- “Fields of Gold” – Sting
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