Once upon a time, the single greatest gift you could give a friend and the most important way to convey your feelings to your boy/girlfriend was through the magic of a mix tape. That tape represented hours hovered over a tape deck, laboring over getting the song order just right then making sure you hit “Record” and “Stop” at just the right moment. I used to spend entire weekends at my dad’s house- home to literally hundreds of LP’s- carefully preparing tapes that fit just the right theme housed under a catchy title. (My personal favorite was “Dancing with My Seat Belt On”).
Things have changed a little bit. We (sadly?) no longer have the limitation of a tape, now free to create endless playlists that can go across all ranges of musical genres. Though I will forever regret the lost value of a mix tape, current media has been a gorgeous experience of discovering new music while pulling in old favorites (Cake, anyone?).
Athletes take music personally. I know of several athletes who create a playlist that is perfectly synced with their run through the Monument 10k. Some people want EDM to keep them pumped up, some want to jam out to classic rock, while still others find heavy metal to be a requisite part of their strength sessions.
I keep a playlist on Spotify specifically for Endorphin Fitness. It’s a challenge to find something that will work as background music to personal training sessions and as inspirational for group workouts all while staying clean in language and (relatively) family friendly. I can’t say that I always nail it, indeed I’m sure there’s something on there to annoy everyone. In any case, if you’re interested, you can find the playlist here:
I hope you let me know if I need to add something to the list (or take off)!
