I wish it was possible for services like Spotify or Pandora to give me a song radio that would all give me the same feeling as the first song I chose, but alas, only I know how I actually feel about a song and so it is up to me to weed through the suggestions. It can take quite a while to fully build a playlist (generally 10-20 songs) and it feels like a painstakingly slow process sometimes.
There are moments of magic, however. I’ll stumble upon a song in another playlist or while listening to a song’s radio list and it will fit just right (though I’m generally not too keen on Spotify’s picks for me). I remembered “Once Upon A December” from Anastasia, which fit snugly in the second spot on my list. The song radio for those two led me to several other Josh Groban songs, and then “Think of Me” from The Phantom of the Opera.
That feeling of magical wistfulness, a melancholia that is not so much sad as it is contemplative. A tranquil melody building to epic crescendo. The kind of song you like to imagine yourself singing, in an enchanted moment when dreams come true.
That’s been my playlist for the past week or so, off and on all day (I mix it up with a couple other playlists, but play this one on repeat probably 10x daily). Eventually, I’ll get sick of it and move on to a new theme, but for now, I’m enjoying the ride!
If you’d like to see this and my other playlists, you can find me on Spotify @authorjmariejohnson. Or click here to go straight to it!