Public Playlist: Shimmy & Shake

This is far and away my most pandering playlist. And that is just me being honest. I still enjoy almost all the songs, but if a pop song is popping off in the charts, I am not afraid to blindly hit add to playlist. This assortment of songs is built on pop hits for the masses, so I have to be willing to put opinions aside for the sake of creating the most popular pop playlist possible. The MPPPP some might say. 

I have remained firm that the first two songs in the playlist will always be "Wildest Dreams" followed by "There She Goes." I feel like those two songs set the tone for what I am trying to achieve. (And just to be clear, that "firm" decision is subject to change at any given moment.) From there, I try to randomly assort different artists, vibes, and eras so it appeals to a wide variety of people upon an initial glance. Some other unofficial rules that I loosely follow when maintaining this playlist:

1. Aim for about 180 songs and never more than 200

2. At least 75% of the songs have to be able to be jumped to

3. Focus on current music and keep the 2010s era at a minimum (this is proving very difficult for me)

4. Keep 3-7 obscure songs on the playlist. Untapped potential hits 

With all that said, the number one thing I have learned about myself from creating this playlist is that I am addicted to 2000s and 2010s pop. While I relentlessly try to create a current and relevant pop playlist, I struggle to find songs that make me feel as euphoric as Vanessa Hudgen's "Sneakernight". But alas I continue to try to perfectly curate this playlist into a 10-hour collection of the best vibes possible. It’s a hard job that absolutely nobody has asked me to do. I run my Discover Weekly dry every week trying to find something new and fresh for all my loyal followers. It turns out that the popstars we know and love are wildly famous for a reason, and that is because they are far superior to all the rest. But rest assured, if there is a popstar to be discovered, I will find her (or him…I guess). I’m not opposed to male popstars, just skeptical.

This playlist has led me to be forced to face some difficult questions including but not limited to:

1. What is my attachment to “Round & Round” by Selena Gomez, and why is it still on the playlist? Great song, but the song was not front of my mind prior to this playlist, and now I can’t let it go.

2. What was I going through when I concluded that “Long Live” is an upbeat pop song? Inspiring? Yes. Something I want to shimmy to? Probably not.

3. Did the pop genre peak with former Disney stars that were most likely singing for their lives? Vanessa Hudgens, the cast of Lemonade Mouth. Need I say more.

4. Can men be popstars? This is open for discussion.

5. Will listening to 1989 ever feel the same post Eras Tour? So far, the Eras Tour rendition of 1989 is proving to be difficult to top in the day to day listening experience.

6. Why do I care so much about people following and enjoying this playlist? I have countless playlists that I hope are never seen by another pair of human eyes, but I crave validation on this one.

Lots to think about. I hope when you look through this playlist and determine that it is just a mediocre playlist, you think back to this blog and remember that in many ways, this playlist is eating me alive. Happy listening and jumping!