Were you one of those people that would spend hours, sometimes days, perfecting your mix tape?? I sure was… circa 1998 or so. I didn’t have the technology to burn CD’s until years later. And even then, it was never the same. There was something euphoric about hearing a song come on the radio and pressing RECORD on my boombox. Yes, I said boombox.
For those of you that do not know what a mix tape is, let me enlighten you. A mix tape is a home-made compilation of music, recorded in a certain order, traditionally to an audio-cassette. Selections can be favorite songs, or linked to a certain mood, or tailored to the tape’s intended recipient. More about mix tapes here.
Photo Credit to PhotoPin
Even once I had the software and materials to burn CD’s, it was just never the same for me. Sure, hand picking music to (legally) download was fun and all. But it never gave me the exhilarated feeling that I would get when I would hear a song on the radio that I wanted to record. I feel like I may the only person who feels this way, but I accept that.
Photo Credit to memegenerator.net
My music selection would vary depending on my mood. I had three or four different tapes that I would record and re-record over a million times. Songs from Lynyrd Skynryd. Bone Thugs N Harmony. Johnny Cash. En Vogue. Reba McEntire. And even N’SYNC. I am proud to say that I am a music lover of many genres. Still to this day I can listen to Kid Rock and then follow it with some Adele. Just who I am.
Sure these days I have playlists on my IPod. I love my playlists. I have my mellow mix. My outlaw country. My gangsta rap. Plus countless more. Then there are my playlists for individual artists. Maroon 5, AC/DC, Eminem, Jack Johnson and many more. I just don’t feel the same passion that I felt with my mix tapes.
I don’t have a point to this post, so I hope you weren’t looking for one. But if you share my lost love for mix tapes comment below with the songs you remember recording on your boombox!
The Jewells Within 