Skip to main content

Playlist Throwback: I Can Drink In Canada!

I thought it would be fun to dig out some of my old 'Mix CDs' for my devoted audience's enjoyment, perhaps with some bonus commentary. (Prepare yourself for lots of college navel gazing, essentially.)




Perhaps the best mix I've ever made, and definitely my very favorite, is this gem from 2001 titled 'I Can drink in Canada!' - which I made, obviously, for my 19th birthday.

This collection of songs feels like an actual time machine that takes me back to my freshman year of college. It's a perfect storm of college influences (a guy my roommate was seeing loved Ben Folds Five, Sublime is racy enough that it made me feel very grown-up), high school hold-overs (Sugar Ray, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and selections from the 'Can't Hardly Wait' soundtrack, obviously), and all the "punk" covers that were so prevalent at the time ('Jenny', 'Take On Me'). I have used this mix as an all-purpose pick me up - it's seen me through term papers from hell, marathon cleaning sessions, car trips, and dance party prep for nights out.

Being a college freshman is a weird experience, right? Trying to assert your independence, trying to assimilate to a new environment, trying not to lose the connection to the friends and family you left behind, trying desperately to leave your friends and family from home behind, trying to be noticed and successful and fit in, figuring out that a little bit of partying is not going to destroy you. (Maybe this is all just me?) And, though none of these songs have any super deep meaning, this CD feels like all those emotions rolled into one. It sounds like figuring it out.



(How awesome is it that I'm so nerdy that all my CD's are clearly labeled with an artist & song track listing?  My neuroses are making the Playlist Throwback feature so much easier to do!)  

Comments

  1. Needs more sweet home Alabama.

    "citizenship?"
    "all american"
    "what sport?"

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Repeat Songs of the Week

New Year, new music, right? Theo Katzman / Hard Work I've written about how charmed I was by Theo Katzman when I first saw him .  His new album, Heartbreak Hits, is outstanding from beginning to end - a full profile of what a broken heart feels like.  'Hard Work' is a stand-out for its spot on sentiment (I put in the work, why can't I reap the benefits?) and it's rocking chorus. Ben Phipps / I Don't Think So This is pure pop magic with a side of knowing when to call it quits. Adam Levine / No One Else Like You I have no idea how I'd never seen the movie 'Begin Again' but once I did, I listened to the soundtrack non-stop.  Though I didn't 100% believe Keira Knightley as a powerhouse of vocal talent, her acting was lovely and Mark Ruffalo was outstanding.  Adam Levine as as the recently douche-ified star boyfriend, James Corden as the dedicated friend, and Hailee Steinfeld as the sullen daughter round out an outstanding cast. ...

RTE Bonus: 2017 Grammys Significantly Delayed Blog

Standard disclaimer on how this is less fun on the west coast; I am social media unspoiled though so let's see what goes down.  Though, since Justin Bieber has publicly declared that the Grammys aren't relevant anymore, is there any point? Kicking off with a heavy hitter, Adele right out of the gate.  Her hair and make-up look phenomenal and that dress is so much better than what she's worn in the past.  New styling team?  Her pipes remain as impressive as ever though, this song was not one that really did it for me.  Or maybe that spring where I did nothing but listen to '21' and cry on airplanes ruined Adele for me. Is James Corden actually stuck in the stairs or is this a bit.  Oh, it's a bit.  Got it.  Was the point of that, "James Corden is good at physical comedy?"  Because this sequence is not doing a whole lot for me.  I have a lot of of love for James Corden because of a lot of his gimmicks, his appearance in 'Begin Again',...

RTE Bonus: The Grammy Awards Live Blog

8pm Why is Taylor Swift co-opting Brit Brit's Circus tour costumes?  Also, that bunny is creepy.  She sounds better than she usually does live though, so there's that.  And, are those clowns with clown hand puppets?  Yes, Tay-Tay, we know.  You're a big deal. (On a side note, I love her song 'Trouble' so much.  But, narratively, wouldn't it have made sense to release 'Trouble' before 'Never Ever...'?) Oh LL Cool J.  I'm liking the hometown shout outs.  Plus, the signature Kangol hat. The lights hanging in the theater look like the lights that Mumford & Sons used during their summer tour. My favorite thing so far?  Panning to all the unimpressed celeb faces in the crowd. Grammys for Grammy!  Aww, LL, that's adorable. Oh Adele, I love you so much.  You may need a new stylist. ELTON JOHN AND ED SHEERAN!! I read about how Elton John told the Grammy people that they had to have Ed Sheeran perform because Ed is just...