We interviewed Jeremiah, a young man who, for the last seven years, has been making a birthday mix for his significant other, April, every single year.
What Inspired You to Start This Annual Tradition?
Pretty simple really. As April and I spend so much time together, we develop a love for specific songs. So I thought it would be a nice thing to put together all of these songs into one definitive playlist and give it to her as a present for her birthday.
What Kind of Songs Usually Make the Cut?
It really varies from one mixtape to the next. For example, when I made the first one back when we were first dating, we were in the “honeymoon” phase. So everything we listened to was romantic and “lovey-dovey.” So I had plenty of good songs to choose from, such as “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith.
But things really backfired a year later. For “April’s Birthday Mix: Volume 2,” I used a bunch of songs from silly commercials that had been on TV over the last year. I thought it would be funny, but I think April was ultimately disappointed. Until this day, Vol. 2 is still the worst mixtape.
So We Guess No More Commercial Jingles, Right?
Actually, what I did for the following year was try to combine a mix of romantic songs and funny commercials. And this has seemed to be the winning formula until today. You want to pull at the recipient’s heartstrings and make them chuckle. I think I’ve found the perfect balance.
And What Format is the Mixtape?
I download all the songs and burn them onto a CD using my old laptop.
Wow, So Old School!
I know, and the laptop just keeps getting older. I only use it to burn the CD. So whenever April’s birthday is getting closer, I turn on the laptop, but it takes ages to load. These days, I need an entire day to get the mixtape ready.
Are There Any Other Steps You Want to Share?
Well, I bought a ton of cheap CDs and CD cases recently to stock up for future volumes.
I’ll remove the preexisting sleeves and artwork from the case, and print out a photo of me and April from the year just passed, with the words “April’s Birthday Mix Vol. X” on it. This is the album cover.
On the back of it, I’ll write a cryptic birthday message that provides clues for all of the songs. Also, I bought a CD player that we use only one a year – to play the mixtapes.
How Long Do You Think You Can Keep This Going?
Until people stop making music!