Expectations, structure, pattern recognition. We use these things, consciously and subconsciously to build our lives. They impact the partners we choose, the clothing we wear, the people we let into our social circles. It also impacts the music we listen to, and subsequently, the playlists we make. We ask ourselves, “Does this song fit the vibe?” “Should I go to that party?” “Is this outfit giving lesbian?” “Can I put pickles on my peanut butter sandwich?”
When I look back at my long life (I’m 24 years old), all of my most cherished moments have been from embracing, albeit reluctantly, those unexpected, chaotic events that we tend to shy away from. So, when a friend who I had met only a month prior asked me as we were driving home at 11:36 p.m. if I wanted to go to the city, I said no. We both had a class at 9:30 a.m. the next day. They asked insistently, 15 more times. They said it had always been their dream to see the Statue of Liberty. I stopped at a gas station, filled up my tank, bought an energy drink and turned the car around. A friendship-defining moment.
Like unexpected moments, unlikely combinations, whether they be meals, music or friendships have come to be my most treasured. So here is a playlist of songs that maybe, typically, shouldn’t be played together in a singular car ride to see, through the rusted grates of a fence, the shining effigy of the Statue of Liberty at 2:30 in the morning. Songs that maybe don’t fit a cohesive vibe. Songs that might mess with our pattern recognition, and songs that kept us awake on that long drive back to New Paltz.
My Way by Frank Sinantra
Naked in Manhattan by Chappell Roan
T.V. Off by Kendrick Lamar
Father by The Front Bottoms
Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac
Psycho Killer by Talking Heads
Family Ties by Baby Keem, Kendrick Lamar
We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel
Wet Dreamz by J. Cole
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