This playlist for my show northern exposure (every Friday from 8 - 10 am) was made with the idea that it was the soundtrack for your classic romantic comedy. I decided this imaginary film would be titled, Love At Second Sight, the story of college friends Julia and Teddy who reconnect and fall in love, just after Julia has broken up with a boyfriend and decided that she must be single for a year in order to grow. In identifying the composition of songs I wanted to use, I thought it would be nice to have a mix of newer and older releases. I also pulled from my collection of favorite songs about love, crushes and heartbreak.
“Dancing on My Own” and “Nobody” are classic dancing-while-crying songs after the bitterness of heartbreak has finally started to fade. There are a lot of The Greeting Committee songs on this playlist, but they do love and loss so well that I could not help but include them. “Can I Leave Me Too?” is a killer break-up track, putting into words the feeling of having no control over a situation you wish were not happening. On a more somber note, there is also Bahamas’ cover of “Always On My Mind” which provides the metaphorical gut-punch of realizing you may have made a mistake that cannot be fixed. I’ve said it before on my show but Wolf Alice’s “Don’t Delete The Kisses” recorded live at Spotify Studios is maybe the best song ever written about what it is like to have a true crush on someone. All the time spent thinking about what they’re doing, re-using their jokes as your own, eagerly leaving the party with them, writing their name on every scrap of paper that might cross paths with your pen. “I Always Knew” is the song that plays when you leave that party after the first big kiss (or at least it was for Teddy and Julia.)
Once they’ve finally accepted they are in love and quit fighting their feelings, “Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold” is thrumming as they run across the city looking for each other. The song’s refrain of “it’s alright” quells the nervousness of making a big leap for another person.
"Hands Down" is the epitome of first falling in love: “I don't want anything but all of you/I know I swore, I said / I'll never love again / But man, oh man, you're my best friend.” The song reminds me of the end of car rides, the fluttering feeling when you know you’re about to say something important, and finally feeling comfortable enough to sit in silence with someone. “With you, it’s like I’m coming home again.” I think that’s all any of us want, right?
These are just my thoughts on some of the songs on this playlist but I love every single one, and I hope you find at least one that speaks to you today.
Happy Valentine’s Day
xoxo,
Walden