It’s almost the happiest time of year: bright lights, yummy treats, fun with family and friends, and sweater weather. I’m sure you know that I’m talking about Spotify Wrapped Season! As October starts and time dwindles to perfect your playlist, you should start thinking about what you want the world to see. Spotify Wrapped is a huge deal, and making sure yours is carefully curated enough to be posted on your public Instagram story is some serious business. If you’re anything like me, you take great pride in your excellent music taste and want to show off your cool underground bands and niche playlists. Spotify Wrapped is an amazing way to do that. It also reflects how big of a part music plays in our lives.
Spotify Wrapped happens at the end of every year, it’s a feature on the app where your music taste and most listened to artists, songs, albums, etc. are summarized in a cute and convenient little slideshow. Along with Spotify Wrapped, there are many other specially tailored-to-you features, such as Daylist, a playlist that changes throughout the day to match what you usually listen to around specific times. A premium subscription isn’t even needed! I don’t mean to sound like Spotify’s number-one ambassador, it’s just an excellent app for streaming music.
Now, the exciting stuff, like making your own playlists! My friend Camryn and I used to do challenges where we would devise a prompt and make a playlist to match it, like “Early 2000’s Ice-Skate Rink” or “Late Night Fires.” One of my favorite playlists I’ve ever made is a result of these challenges. I know some people just “like” all their favorite songs but I highly recommend finding at least one way to organize them, like by decade or genre.
I asked a few friends about their favorite musicians, playlists, and opinions on the positive effects of music in our lives. Addison Smitley, a former Crimsonian writer and one of my closest friends, had this to say about her music taste, “System of a Down is currently my favorite and so is Crystal Castles. The vibe their music has is funky and enjoyable. As for my playlists, I have one massive playlist that is 78 hours long with every song I listen to. However, I also have a side playlist with other songs that I really, really like. I listen to that one while drawing or doing other things.”
I also asked my long-time friend, Molly Nuezil, about her experiences with music and she responded as follows, “I love my emo music, so anything Pierce the Veil, Sleeping With Sirens (my favorite), basically 2017 emo music. To be honest, I don’t really organize my playlists but I am one of those people who have different playlists for just one artist.” She then told me about how much music means to her and how she enjoyed growing up with her dad’s band. “Music is literally my everything. I think if I hadn’t had it in my life, I would be a whole different person. I know music affected my family a lot with it being my dad’s career. His bands are so special to him and my family. He puts so much time into the music he writes, as well as learning new things on his guitar.”
Speaking of real-life musicians, I asked my best friend Jacob Heaton for his thoughts on the given subject matter, knowing he has lots of them. He answered, “My favorite song is Sweet Love by Anita Baker, my album is RENAISSANCE by Beyoncé, and my favorite artist is Whitney Houston.” He also said, “I like music with excellent vocals. I’m a trained singer so I understand how much artists work to get a developed and mature sound. I have respect for artists who you can tell have spent time perfecting their craft. Anyone can be a singer but most people in the industry aren’t good ones. I definitely prefer vocalists who have actual talent rather than nepotism babies who get record deals because of their father’s legacy.” Personally, music means a lot to me and I know Jacob feels the same way, so it was no surprise when his response to my asking ‘what music means to him’ was, “Music is all I think about 24/7. It brings people together. For example, my best friend and I like the same kind of music because it reminds us of the time we spend together. One of my grandmother’s favorite songs is Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers. She still hums and sings the song all the time. She’s 86 years old and still remembers all the lyrics. Music stays with people forever.”
It is safe to say that music is more than just your Spotify Wrapped (even though it’s pretty awesome). I highly recommend downloading the app and discovering more about music than you thought you could before. Music is an incredible form of art and deserves all the recognition it gets. I hope my article and my friends’ quotes have inspired you to dig a little deeper as to why your favorite song is your favorite. Music is not just background noise, it can set the tone for many important events in our lives. Needless to say, I love music with my entire heart, and it’s clear many others do too. I wish for whoever chooses to read this article that you find what music means to you.
