I love books, and I love music. When the two are combined, that love becomes so strong that it could probably take on the superhero trifecta of Batman, Superman and Spider-man and STILL win.
Rob Sheffield has done a phenomenal job of combining my two lifelong loves in his 2007 memoir, Love is a Mix Tape. The book takes the form of a novel, but each chapter is prefaced with the play list of a mix tape from his past, and the stories recounted in each chapter are the memories Rob has of making and listening to those tapes. He focuses largely on the transformative power of music: the idea that one song has the ability to transport a person to another time, another place, simply because of an inherent emotional connection. It's something that is difficult to explain, but something that (I hope) everyone has experienced.
The story that Rob tells with these play lists is one of a deep unconditional love - that which he felt (and still feels) for his first wife, Renée. In this book, Sheffield allows the world a glimpse into the world that, for a short time, he shared with Renée, a woman who he depicts as vibrant, energetic, and his musical soul mate. We are also allowed a glimpse into his world after Renée's sudden, unexpected death in 1997. Both worlds, though vastly different, were filled with music.
The following is the playlist that I think best suits this book:
1. Anything by the band Pavement.
Pavement was Renée's favorite band, and one of Rob's favorites, too. They were an underground New York band with a small but dedicated following in the 1990s. I recommend checking out "Carrot Rope" as your introduction to them.
2. "5 Years" by David Bowie
Rob recalls how he and Renée got completely wasted on their fifth anniversary and blasted this song on repeat, despite the fact that the meaning behind it is anything but celebratory. Renée did not make it to their sixth anniversary, which contributes tragic irony to the lyrics "Five years/That's all we got".
3. "Thirteen" by Big Star
Rob and Renée met in a bar in 1989. The bartender put on the album "Radio City" by Big Star, and they were the only two patrons in the whole joint who perked up, prompting their initial conversation about music. "Thirteen" was their common favorite song off the album.
4. "Heart-Shaped Box" by Nirvana
Rob admits to connecting more with Nirvana's In Utero more than their other, more popular albums, because In Utero was mostly about Kurt becoming a new husband, and the album was released around the same time that Rob got married, and he was facing many of the same dilemmas that Kurt sang about on the album.
5. "Mmmbop" by Hanson
Renée died on May 11, 1997, probably only weeks before this single hit the airwaves. Rob mentions a couple of times near the end of the book that there are songs he hears, even today, that he wishes he could share with her, because he knows that she would have loved them. This was one of those songs.
I urge you all to read this book, especially if you're a music lover. Rob Sheffield is an amazingly astute writer, and he paints a lovely picture of a girl who I definitely would have liked to have known.
Rob Sheffield has done a phenomenal job of combining my two lifelong loves in his 2007 memoir, Love is a Mix Tape. The book takes the form of a novel, but each chapter is prefaced with the play list of a mix tape from his past, and the stories recounted in each chapter are the memories Rob has of making and listening to those tapes. He focuses largely on the transformative power of music: the idea that one song has the ability to transport a person to another time, another place, simply because of an inherent emotional connection. It's something that is difficult to explain, but something that (I hope) everyone has experienced.
The story that Rob tells with these play lists is one of a deep unconditional love - that which he felt (and still feels) for his first wife, Renée. In this book, Sheffield allows the world a glimpse into the world that, for a short time, he shared with Renée, a woman who he depicts as vibrant, energetic, and his musical soul mate. We are also allowed a glimpse into his world after Renée's sudden, unexpected death in 1997. Both worlds, though vastly different, were filled with music.
The following is the playlist that I think best suits this book:
1. Anything by the band Pavement.
Pavement was Renée's favorite band, and one of Rob's favorites, too. They were an underground New York band with a small but dedicated following in the 1990s. I recommend checking out "Carrot Rope" as your introduction to them.
2. "5 Years" by David Bowie
Rob recalls how he and Renée got completely wasted on their fifth anniversary and blasted this song on repeat, despite the fact that the meaning behind it is anything but celebratory. Renée did not make it to their sixth anniversary, which contributes tragic irony to the lyrics "Five years/That's all we got".
3. "Thirteen" by Big Star
Rob and Renée met in a bar in 1989. The bartender put on the album "Radio City" by Big Star, and they were the only two patrons in the whole joint who perked up, prompting their initial conversation about music. "Thirteen" was their common favorite song off the album.
4. "Heart-Shaped Box" by Nirvana
Rob admits to connecting more with Nirvana's In Utero more than their other, more popular albums, because In Utero was mostly about Kurt becoming a new husband, and the album was released around the same time that Rob got married, and he was facing many of the same dilemmas that Kurt sang about on the album.
5. "Mmmbop" by Hanson
Renée died on May 11, 1997, probably only weeks before this single hit the airwaves. Rob mentions a couple of times near the end of the book that there are songs he hears, even today, that he wishes he could share with her, because he knows that she would have loved them. This was one of those songs.
I urge you all to read this book, especially if you're a music lover. Rob Sheffield is an amazingly astute writer, and he paints a lovely picture of a girl who I definitely would have liked to have known.
Details:
Love Is A Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 978-1400083022
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