Monday, December 22, 2008

Soundtrack to Life

Several years ago, Brian Harris (a friend from college) shared an idea with me that I have since adopted with particular friends. Brian called it a soundtrack for your life and the idea was to record a cd with the music that would be your life's soundtrack and to swap the cd with a friend who has done the same (I still have the cd that Brian burned for me). Needless to say, it was a great way to learn of different bands and get a little insight to a friend's tastes of music. There was a list of rules that Brian came up with, which I have modified slightly when I have done this same swap with other friends over the years.
It has been a while since I have shared this idea with any of my friends, so I figure that I would send it out to all of my friends, acquaintances, and anybody who happens to be reading my blog. Feel free to read through the purpose, the rules, and to share what you come up with for yourself.

PURPOSE:
The purpose of the soundtrack is to expose friends to new or different bands and discover one another's taste in music. One should not try to analyze the lyrics to figure out the person as lyrics may or may not reflect the person's own life. For example, some songs may be included that have a particular sentimental value, may be what one was simply listening to at a particular period of one's life, or may even be chosen for the lyrical content, but that can only be discovered by asking the compiler of the soundtrack, not by attempting to analyze and figure it out on one's own. Each individual has his or her own rationale for compiling the songs that he or she chooses and it may be extremely different from your own.

RULES:
1. You may choose any songs of your choosing for your soundtrack, but an artist can only appear once on your soundtrack (for example, I could not have two songs by The Smiths, but it is perfectly fine to have one song by The Smiths and another by Morrissey--who is the lead singer of The Smiths but later branched out on his own).
2. All songs must fit on 2 cds.
3a. Burn a disc with your soundtrack and swap it with a friend who has done the same.
3b. If you are swapping with someone from a distance and do not wish to mail the cds (or if you would like to swap with me, but don't want to burn discs or get my address, etc.) you may simply send the playlist with the name of the song and the artist. This will allow for the person to look up the music on their own if they like.
4. Swap the cd and playlist with your friend.
5. If you like, you can ask your friend why he or she chose a particular song for the soundtrack, but the friend reserves the right not to share that information if they do not desire to do so.

THE INVITE:
So, if any of you would like to create a soundtrack and swap it with me, I would be delighted. You may either burn me a cd and I will do the same for you, or you could simply type up your playlist and send that to me through whatever means you prefer (mail, facebook, email, or in the comments posting). Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

SOUNDTRACK TO THE LIFE OF BRETT HALL
CD #1
1. (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons--Nat King Cole
2. Game--Beady Belle
3. Brother--Annuals
4. Under the Milky Way--The Church
5. All of My Heart--ABC
6. Immature--Björk
7. Over the Water--The Cardigans
8. Wake Up Soon--The Beloved
9. Unlovable--The Smiths
10. I Feel My Savior's Love--The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
11. A Long Term Plan--Acid House Kings
12. Lullaby--The Cure
13. A Praise Chorus--Jimmy Eat World
14. Young Folks--Peter, Bjorn & John
15. Reflected--Ronderlin
16. Galapogos--Smashing Pumpkins
17. Temptation--New Order
18. 24 Hours--The Sundays
19. Sæterjentens Sondag--Ole Bull

CD #2
1. Different Names for the Same Thing--Death Cab for Cutie
2. Only Got One--Frou Frou
3. Fidelity--Regina Spektor
4. I Feel It All--Feist
5. The Next Step You Will Take--Club 8
6. Running Out of Reasons--Magne f
7. What Else Is There?--Røyksopp
8. Unsound--Savoy
9. Seasick, Yet Still Docked--Morrissey
10. Figures--The Whitest Boy Alive
11. Summer's Evening, Op. 71, No. 2--Edvard Grieg
12. The Late Sea--Bernard Herrmann
13. The Secret Life of Daydreams--Jean-Yves Thibaudet
14. I Don't Like It Like This--The Radio Dept.
15. Birthright--A-ha
16. Släpp In Solen--Ingenting
17. Summer on the Westhill--Kings of Convenience
18. Road Trippin'--Red Hot Chili Peppers
19. The Great Salt Lake--Band of Horses
20. Astri, Mi Astri--Alte Sponberg
21. Half Acre--Hem

3 comments:

Ana said...

oohhh, i love such stuff....count me in, count me in!!!

if you want me to, i can mail you the cd's...im somewhat a snail-mail person, so prefer that over emails :)

if you are ok with it, just send me your addy at anagahan at gmail dot com
ill do it at the beginning of 2009 though...once the Christmas traffic in the mail is over, there is a less chance that things get delayed or lost :)

and of course, have a Very Merry Christmas Brett and a prosperous New Year, fulfilled with joy and happiness, great health, infinite amounts of love and many precious moments spent with the people you care for and care for you

all the best from the other side of the world!

Merrie said...

Still waiting for my cd to come in the mail.... ;-}

Nicole said...

There was absolutely no way possible to truncate my list to only 2 CDs. Mine ended up being 3 CDs plus a bonus EP.