Spotify playlists are much more than folders of organized music, they are time capsules full of memories
By JHANA RHODES—jsrho@ucdavis.edu
I’m the Chief Executive Officer of Spotify. Who would’ve thought? Well, not me per se, because I’m totally lying. However, with all the money I spent on the monthly subscription to keep Spotify, I might as well own 90% of Spotify stock.
Yes, the monthly fee of $11.99 is expensive, and the unexpected charge always plunges my checking account into the negatives — but I’d rather give up my iced matcha green tea latte (with oat milk) every month before I give up a year’s worth of memories, emotions and nostalgia. There’s no way I will give up the freedom of skipping and shuffling unlimited songs without getting an ad. This is not to say that Spotify is unusable with the ads; However, when listening to my “Fall 2018” playlist, I don’t want to be stuck on an unskippable song that reminds me of Someone Who Shall Not Be Named.
Now that I think about it, my favorite thing about living life is knowing I’ll get to make a Spotify playlist about whatever I’m experiencing. Just broke up with my ex? I will probably make a passive aggressive playlist and publish it to my profile. Just finished watching “Wicked” for the fifth time? Playlist! Going through post-concert depression after attending Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet” tour? I’m downloading the whole setlist.
In other words, I make a playlist for everything. Whether the playlist is titled something vague like “Beach,” an unintelligible keyboard smash (there are a lot of those) or something particular like “Songs To Play When I Have The Aux So People Think I’m Cool,” my playlists are much more than songs in a folder — my personal diary comes in the form of a 305-hour-and-15-minute digital time capsule.
Spotify is just that: a time capsule containing playlists from some of my life’s best (and worst) times. Each playlist has become a historical artifact that I stumble across every now and then. And, when I do, I am reminded of eras of my life I would’ve generally forgotten about. It’s odd to think that the second I hear a particular sequence of songs in a specific order, I am instantly transported back to my cringe-worthy middle school days as an aspiring Tumblr blogger.
For example, I just listened to my “Mom’s Birthday 2023” playlist. The second I hear Beyoncé’s “You Won’t Break My Soul,” I think about my mom dressed head to toe in chrome and spinning around like a disco ball at Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour. Sure, it’s not necessarily the music that gets me feeling nostalgic, but rather the emotions and memories associated with the songs that make each playlist feel so personal.
However, my playlists aren’t personal just because my username is attached. They’re personal because they act as an outlet for self-expression: they’re how I reflect. While most world-renowned playlists are public for my nine followers, the deeply personal ones that conjure the most remarkable (and embarrassing) memories are private.
Creating playlists is like writing in a diary (or a journal if you’re Greg Heffley). Just like in a diary, you’ll make playlists about your accomplishments, milestones and heartbreaks, all while practicing some self-reflection. There have been many times when I made a playlist amid one of my “everything is going wrong” moods, only to look back at it three months later and realize that I am in a much better place. I could be experiencing any mood — joy, guilt, sadness — and you best believe I’ll make a playlist for each one. Though a playlist does not define who I am, it helps paint a clearer picture of the past versions of myself, helping me discover the person I want to be.
At the end of the day, Spotify may not be available to everyone (*cough* Apple Music listeners). But no matter what platform you use, most of us make playlists. I say ”most of us” because I know a few people who just shuffle their Liked Songs.
If you don’t already make playlists, I encourage you to start creating your digital time capsule. It can help you uncover old memories and create new ones, discover new artists and songs and, even though this is cheesy, encourage you to find yourself. Whether it’s your “Rise and Grind” gym playlist or your playlist dedicated to your partner, each sequence of songs is another opportunity to express yourself. So just try it: You might be surprised at the fond, exciting or heartbreaking memories you find. No matter what it is, hopefully you can take the time to reflect and discover something new about yourself.
Written by: Jhana Rhodes— jsrho@ucdavis.edu
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.
