On May 17, 2018, I asked my Facebook friends to help me create a music playlist. I was picky about the rules in my posting:
Help me build my ‘Names’ iTunes playlist. The rules… songs titled with just a single name; Alison, Eloise, Lola, Veronica, these all qualify.
Anything with more than one word is out, so that means; Bennie and the Jets, Ricki Don’t Lose that Number, David Watts… sorry, all are DQ’d.
By 322 comments later, a new 225 song playlist that runs for 14 hours and 20 minutes was born, and so was a a tradition that for me helps bring the ‘social’ to social media… crowdsourced playlists.
There have been 20 more crowdsourced playlists since this original, and I thought it might be fun to pull them all together in a bit of a retrospective. I hope you enjoy them!
Foreign Tongues
Date: Sep 1, 2018
The Prompt:
OK music loving friends. Help me build another playlist. This one called ‘Foreign Tongues’. The rule is that it is a cover version of a familiar tune, performed in any language other than english. Hamba! (Zulu for Go!)
Result: 19 comments, 8 songs, 44 minutes
My Favorite Song: Ça Plane Pour Moi, Plastic Bertrand
A tougher ask to be sure
Honky Tonk
Date: Nov 15, 2018
The Prompt:
I’ve begun a playlist based on just the word/s ‘honky tonk’. (One word or two?) Suggest an addition OR another word inspired playlist
Result: 35 comments, 28 songs, 1 hour 32 minutes
My Favorite Song: Honky Tonk Badonkadonk, Trace Adkins
That was the final playlist of 2018.
Friends
Date: Feb 6, 2019
The Prompt:
I need your help with a new playlist. Share your favorite songs about friendship. I’ll share it back when finished. Thanks!
Result: 56 comments, 51 songs. 3 hours 8 minutes
My Favorite Song: You’re My Best Friend, Queen
Personal Anthems
Date: Feb 21, 2019
The Prompt:
What’s your personal anthem? The song/s that can juice you with a needed dose of inspiration or adrenaline or mojo on demand? Sure, it’s kinda personal. They’re personal anthems after all. Here’s my current playlist, an hour of pump you up gold. What’s yours?
Result: 29 comments, 24 songs, 1 hour 30 minutes
My Favorite Song: Walls Come Tumbling Down, Paul Weller
Phone
Date: Nov 16, 2019
The Prompt:
Hey Friends, looking for your help on a new hive mind playlist. The theme is ‘telephone’ and the playlist will include songs thematically related to phones and phone calls. Inspired by today’s listen to The Jam’s ‘Setting Sons’ (40th Anniversary today h/t Neal for that tidbit), the first song is ‘Girl on the Phone’. Help me build from there… GO!
Result: 172 comments, 67 songs, 3 hours 58 minutes
My Favorite Song: Wichita Lineman, Glen Campbell
COVID Isolation
Date: 4/5/2020
The Prompt:
TLDR: Give me your COVID-19 rock block or playlist, minimum of three songs. Be uplifting, be dark, whatever you want.
More detail: Yesterday iTunes random selection while I was on a pharmacy run. The Damned “Sick of Being Sick”, The Tubes “What Do You Want From Life”, then U2 “Beautiful Day”. Deep!
My brother’s followup suggestion; “Fever”, “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” and “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It.”
You get the idea. GO!
Result: 64 comments, 94 songs, 6 hours 10 minutes
My Favorite Song: Don’t Stand So Close to Me, The Police
Pandemic! Crazy times for a list inspired by a pharmacy visit! We still had to play it on repeats if we were gonna flatten the curve right?
Transportation Tragedy
Date: July 10, 2020
The Prompt:
New playlist: cars wrecking, planes crashing, boats sinking. GO!
Result: 103 comments, 61 songs, 4 hours 21 minutes
My Favorite Song: 30,000 Pounds of Bananas, Harry Chapin
Salute to the USPS
Date: Aug 23, 2020
The Prompt:
New Playlist! To celebrate the US Postal Service, share songs about the mail! Letters, stamps, anything mail related. Include a clip if you can!
Result: 39 comments, 13 songs, 45 minutes
My Favorite Song: Please Mr. Postman, The Marvelettes
Remember when our corrupt orange president tried to interfere with the election by slowing down the mail? Fuck that guy. And here’s to the mail carrier’s, greater Americans and public servants than HE ever could be.
Election Day
Date: Nov 3, 2020
The Prompt:
My friend Bryan suggests an Election Day playlist is needed, and that’s an excellent idea! Give us your favorite political songs, especially looking for mention of campaigns, candidates, voting! It may provide some useful distraction through today’s long wait! Share the video link if you can find one!
Result: 26 comments, 10 songs, 41 minutes
My Favorite Song: Elected, Alice Cooper
Another you’ll have to repeat to get through your wait in line at your polling station.
Country Drunk
Date: Nov 25, 2020
The Prompt:
Playlist time! My thought was I’m gonna make a playlist of country music drinking songs, then the rational part of my mind asked, “How’s that different from tuning in to any country station on the radio?”. Fair point rational mind! So I had to refine and go with ‘FAVORITE country drinking songs”. My playlist so far is this, what would you add?
Result: 45 comments, 44 songs, 2 hours 33 minutes
My Favorite Song: Beer Never Broke My Heart, Luke Combs
Country Cheat
Date: Dec 30, 2020
The Prompt:
Seeking your help on a new Country Playlist! The ‘Country Drunk’ playlist turned out so well, it needs a companion I’ll call ‘Country Cheat’. Please share all your favorite country music songs about cads and cheaters… go!
Result: 60 comments, 34 songs, 2 hours 1 minute
My Favorite Song: Stay, Sugarland
Swear It!
Date: Jan 10, 2021
The Prompt:
New Playlist! And this one’s gonna be good. A lot of “bad” words have crossed my lips of late, and partly inspired by the Netflix series “History of Swear Words”, I want a playlist of songs with swearing. And not just in the lyrics, give me songs that swear in the title. Don’t be shy and cute with asterisks and such, and just share the best fucking ones.
Result: 115 comments, 63 songs, 3 hours 36 minutes
My Favorite Song: Fuck You, Wesley Willis
Celebrating Mom!
Date: May 7, 2021
The Prompt:
Time for a new crowd sourced playlist, and this time we’re honoring Mothers! Please share any songs about Mothers, Moms, motherhood, etc. Bonus points if Mother or Mom is in the title, but not a requirement. Share a link to a video or online version so we can listen. We’ll get this built so we all can play it on Sunday.
Result: 90 comments, 52 songs, 3 hours 6 minutes
My Favorite Song: Loves Me Like a Rock, Paul Simon
Ages
Date: Jun 20, 2021
The Prompt:
OK Friends, it’s playlist time! And it’s one for the ages! Give me songs that mention a specific age in the title or lyrics. I’ll seed the list with “I’m Eighteen/Alice Cooper”, and “When I’m 64/The Beatles”. Thanks for helping me grow the list!
Result: 104 comments, 58 songs, 3 hours 36 minutes
My Favorite Song: I’m 18, Alice Cooper
Beaches
Date: Aut 8, 2021
The Prompt:
OK Facebook, summer’s not over yet and it’s time for a new playlist. Please give me your favorite songs about the ocean, waves, and beaches! GO!
Result: 79 comments, 62 songs, 3 hours 42 minutes
My Favorite Song: Theme from “The Endless Summer”, The Sandals
Space
Date: Nov 18, 2021
The Prompt:
New playlist time! Prepping for an early morning alarm in hopes to catch some lunar eclipse action, I’ve been inspired to seek a new playlist. The theme, Space. Give me your favorite songs about celestial things. Go!
Result: 66 comments, 43 songs, 3 hours 5 minutes
My Favorite Song: Space Oddity, David Bowie
Sun & Moon
Date: Oct 29, 2022
The Prompt:
Need a new playlist! Songs with titles that include
or ! GO!!
Result: 101 comments, 83 songs, 5 hours 23 minutes
My Favorite Song: Sun and Moon, Miss Saigon Soundtrack
Flying
Date: Sep 28, 2023
The Prompt:
Hey Facebook! It’s time for another crowdsourced playlist. There’s an airshow coming to town this weekend, and so I’m looking for tunes about planes and flying. Go!
Result: 88 comments, 49 songs, 3 hours 14 minutes
My Favorite Song: 99 Luftballons, Nena
City Songs
Date: Oct 29, 2023
The Prompt:
It’s time for a new crowdsourced playlist, and this one is called ‘City Songs’. I want songs that have a city name in the title. A city mention in the lyrics isn’t good enough, it must be in the title. Bring it on!
Result: 293 comments, 181 songs, 11 hours 34 minutes
My Favorite Song: To Live and Die in LA, Wang Chung
2024 Eclipse
Date: April 4, 2024
The Prompt:
OK music lovers. I read about an Eclipse playlist on Spotify made by an AP reporter, but I know WE can do better. Songs should mention the Sun, the Moon, Eclipses, or generally meet this notion of looking skyward at a celestial event. We need it by Monday for our Eclipse watching music, so GO!!
Result: 153 comments, 129 songs, 8 hours 40 minutes
My Favorite Song: Standing Out in the Universe, Paul Weller
I owe a great debt of gratitude to all who have indulged my whims and played along. There are many among my Facebook friends who embrace these challenges with a fervor that really delivers. I won’t attempt to credit all by name, as I would surely overlook and insult someone, but you know who you are and I thank you. It’s good Facebook fun that I hope to continue as the music moves me.