JBot Mania

If you’ve been on  the Apple site at all exploring the new iPods, you’ve heard about the Genius playlist. If you’ve updated your iTunes recently you would have seen it too. I decided to try it out.

After a weekend that went from frustration to exasperation to anguish to desperation to something strangely like elation, it was time, yet again, for music to comfort me. I decided that my jumping off point for Genius would be “Madly” by Tristan Prettyman. I thought that the song was relatively upbeat - not all that telling of my mood. Needless to say, I was wrong.

“Madly” by Tristan Prettyman

Madly madly madly
Well tell me that you need me
Show me I’m the only and that’s all I need to know.

I’m envisioning some alarm going off in the sterile white Apple Genius department where these lists are loving created by hand and it said something like “Hip girl needs songs to dwell on and hopefully release lingering heartache”.

It turned out to be spot on. What’s fantastic is that the list is generated from your own music.

All in all the 25 songs it picked took me quickly through the roller coaster that we all ride when all is said and done. Upbeat to uncaring and quickly back to that sinking feeling of nearing the end, to contemplative, to upbeat again, then assertive even playful, and soon, angry, quickly to wistful and soon desperately hoping it will be fixed in some grand cinematographic fashion, followed by solemn and then finally, sadly accepting and quiet.

All that in 25 songs.

Genius offers suggestions along the side which is where the “genius” is for Apple because I bought 7 of them.

“Apologies” by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

My love is like a blanket
That gets a little bit too warm sometimes
I wanna wrap somebody in it
Who can hold me in his arms
Cause when it got a little too hot in there
He was always stepping out for air and he froze
Oh he froze

The other six also spanned my little spectrum of emotion from sad to love songs I’d love someone to send to me one day and then some upbeat distracting tunes.

“Until You” by Dave Barnes

I need you now and forever
So stay right here with me
Don’t ever leave
Love was kept from me like a secret
And I swore that I was through
Until you, until you

The city settles down
I watch you as you sleep
There’s a silent celebration for
Every breath you breathe
Now this all makes sense
With you as company
I left all I knew and found
A better part of me, yeah

“Lucky” by Jason Mraz featuring Colbie Caillat

Lucky I’m in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Lucky we’re in love every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

I’m done distracting myself with cleaning. Now I have to do actual work. It requires concentration. We’ll see how often my mind wanders. I think I’ll end the day with

“Near to You” by A Fine Frenzy

He and I had something beautiful
But so dysfunctional, it couldn’t last
I loved him so but I let him go
‘Cause I knew he’d never love me back