xoxo

I'm having a lot of difficult coming up with ideas for mix tapes. I don't know what about right now is making this so tough. My usual process isn't working... okay, can't blame the process because it works fine. The way I normally do things is to be very specific; create mixes to suit the situation. Rarely do I create a mix for the hell of it, and it has to do with song selection.

Everyone, no matter how diverse or lengthy their taste in music is, has a much smaller pile of songs that mean just a little bit more to them than the rest. These songs tend to appear more frequently on mixes than others. If you aren't careful, every mix you make could share the several key songs. You don't do it on purpose. It just happens because those twenty or so songs mean more to you and so when you're trying turn someone on to your musical tastes, you give the gold - the best of the best.

For example, right now I'm listening to Otis Redding's classic hit, Try a Little Tenderness [MP3], made famous in such films Pretty in Pink and Shrek. This is a classic and can be used for a variety of mixes because it's that good. Otis' wise words tell every young man exactly what he needs to know about women and relationships; Never take advantage of the love of a good woman ('cause it might save you). You gotta work at it. This song works well on a genre mix (classic soul/oldies), a great songs used in okay movies mix (see above), or a love mix (ladies, if a man put this kind of song on a mix for you wouldn't you think he'd try to heed that advice?). It's a very versatile song.

There is a problem with this song. The overly romantic sentiment can be misconstrued. If you're giving this to a friend but you want to be something more then great! Go for it champ. However, if you give it to your buddy but do so without any romantic sentiment or forewarning, like using themes one or two as stated above, then you could be in for some serious trouble. I'm going to echo High Fidelity for a moment. There are rules to these types of things. You have to be careful because you're using someone else's poetry to express your own feelings.

Considering all these things, I at a loss right now when it comes to making mixes. I need some inspiration.