Curiosities

Sorta Like a Mix Tape

Posted by goodsoundwaves on

I grew up in the height of the mix tape. I made mix tapes for my girlfriends when I was in middle school and high school, though I’m pretty sure it was all about the sound rather than the message (have you ever really listened to the words of some of those “love” songs?!).

These days we find ourselves largely making playlists on our preferred streaming services. For me, creating a mix tape was so much more personal than putting together a playlist. If you had the songs you were dubbing from cassette to cassette. If you didn’t you spent hours chasing down the right songs on the radio. Then there was the album art and the creative (or downright silly) names we gave the mixes.

When I create playlists, I like to imagine them as a mix tapes. I’ll group the tracks into themes. Then I’ll sort them into the right order and keep the playing times to fit on a CD. I’d suppose it’s an exercise in keeping the spirit of the mix tape alive in my own way.

This set is a series I put together to as mix tapes full of mostly love songs from the 1980s. About those “love” songs I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of great sounding songs pleading forgiveness for doing something wrong that I don’t think fit the theme. As the saying goes, “your mileage may vary.”

Vol. 1 Be My Baby

  1. “Walking Down Your Street” The Bangles
  2. “Every Little Kiss” Bruce Hornsby & The Range
  3. “Take Me Home Tonight (Be My Baby)” Eddie Money ft. Ronnie Spector
  4. “Let My Love Open the Door” Pete Townshend
  5. “Handle with Care” The Traveling Wilburys
  6. “Amanda” Boston
  7. “A Girl Like You” The Smithereens
  8. “Photograph” Def Leppard
  9. “Dancing in the Dark” Bruce Springsteen
  10. “More Love” Kim Carnes
  11. “Waiting for a Star to Fall” Boy Meets Girl
  12. “I Don’t Want to Live Without You” Foreigner
  13. “The Promise” When In Rome
  14. “The Voice” The Moody Blues
  15. “Romeo’s Tune” Steve Forbert
  16. “The Lady in Red” Chris De Burgh
  17. “Fall at Your Feet” Crowded House
  18. “You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)” Jeffrey Osborne

Vol. 2 Hearts on Fire

  1. “Ain’t Even Done with the Night” John Mellencamp
  2. “Tonight She Comes” The Cars
  3. “In Your Room” The Bangles
  4. “Abracadabra” Steve Miller
  5. “Make Me Lose Control” Eric Carmen
  6. “Self Control” Laura Branigan
  7. “I’m on Fire” Bruce Springsteen
  8. “Leather and Lace” Stevie Nicks ft. Don Henley
  9. “Don’t You Know What the Night Can Do?” Steve Winwood
  10. “I Wanna Be Your Lover” Prince
  11. “Rock with You” Michael Jackson
  12. “Slow Hand” Pointer Sisters
  13. “Shake You Down” Gregory Abbott
  14. “Baby, Come To Me” Patti Austin & James Ingram
  15. “Sexual Healing” Marvin Gaye
  16. “Do That to Me One More Time” Captain and Tennille
  17. “Hearts on Fire” Randy Meisner
  18. “Hungry Eyes” Eric Carmen
  19. “Lay Your Hands on Me” Thompson Twins
  20. “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” The Police
  21. “Midnight Blue” Lou Gramm

Vol. 3 Rock You Tonight

  1. “I Can’t Hold Back” Survivor
  2. “Caught Up In You” .38 Special
  3. “Need You Tonight” INXS
  4. “Hungry Like the Wolf” Duran Duran
  5. “Magic Man” Heart
  6. “Start Me Up” The Rolling Stones
  7. “Burning for You” Blue Öyster Cult
  8. “Simply Irresistible” Robert Palmer
  9. “Gimme All Your Lovin'” ZZ Top
  10. “Rock You Like a Hurricane” Scorpions
  11. “Talk Dirty to Me” Poison
  12. “Kiss Me Deadly” Lita Ford
  13. “Cradle of Love” Billy Idol
  14. “Seduce Me Tonight” Cycle V
  15. “Rockin’ Into the Night” Survivor
  16. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” Def Leppard
  17. “You Shook Me All Night Long” AC/DC
  18. “Think About You” Guns ‘n’ Roses

Vol. 4 My Sweet Love

  1. “Here Comes My Girl” Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  2. “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” Michael Jackson
  3. “The Way You Do the Things You Do” UB40
  4. “Always” Atlantic Starr
  5. “Seven Wonders” Fleetwood Mac
  6. “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” Starship
  7. “Anything You Want (You Got It)” The Traveling Willburys
  8. “Eternal Flame” The Bangles
  9. “When I See You Smile” Bad English
  10. “You Are” Lionel Richie (The Commodores)
  11. “Angel Eyes” Jeff Healey Band
  12. “Shining Star” The Manhattans
  13. “Heaven” Warrant
  14. “Never Tear Us Apart” INXS
  15. “Sweet Child o’ Mine” Guns ‘n’ Roses
  16. “Right Down the Line” Gerry Rafferty
  17. “What You Get is What You See” Tina Turner
  18. “As Long As You Follow” Fleetwood Mac
  19. “You Are My Lady” Freddie Jackson

Vol. 5 High on You

  1. “The Way You Make Me Feel” Michael Jackson
  2. “Together Forever” Rick Astley
  3. “Doing It All for My Baby” Huey Lewis & The News
  4. “Hysteria” Def Leppard
  5. “Almost Paradise” Ann Wilson & Mike Reno
  6. “Love Song” The Cure
  7. “High on You” Survivor
  8. “Got a Hold on Me” Christine McVie
  9. “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
  10. “Magic” The Cars
  11. “Finer Things” Steve Winwood”
  12. “She’s Got a Way” Billy Joel
  13. “When I’m with You” Sheriff
  14. “True” Spandau Ballet
  15. “My Destiny” Lionel Richie (The Commodores)
  16. “Everywhere” Fleetwood Mac
  17. “Love of a Lifetime” FireHouse
  18. “My Destination” Boston

Vol. 6 What I Needed

  1. “Do You Believe in Love” Huey Lewis & The News
  2. ” Just What I Needed” The Cars
  3. “Don’t Get Me Wrong” The Pretenders
  4. “The Longest Time” Billy Joel
  5. “Waiting for a Girl Like You” Foreigner
  6. “Suddenly” Billy Ocean
  7. “You Make My Dreams” Hall & Oates
  8. “Never Gonna Give You Up” Rick Astley
  9. “Lonely Ol’ Night” John Mellencamp
  10. “Silly Love Songs” Paul McCartney
  11. “This Time” Bryan Adams
  12. “Let’s Stay Together” Tina Turner
  13. “You Got It All” The Jets
  14. “All the Man That I Need” Whitney Houston
  15. “Cherish” Madonna
  16. “Roll with It” Steve Winwood
  17. “Love in Store” Fleetwood Mac
  18. “Is This Love” Survivor
  19. “I Melt with You” Modern English
  20. “Bring It All Home” Gerry Rafferty