Pitching My Spotify Playlists: A Shameless Self Promotion

Cell phones on silent, the show is about to begin.

Anyone who knows me knows how much effort I put into my Spotify playlists. I firmly believe that there isn’t one mood, life event, hour of the day, letter of the alphabet, not one THING, that isn’t encapsulated in one of my playlists. So without further ado, I introduce you, reader, to the collective works of Caelyn Nordman, cnordman00, on Spotify.

1. screamalong sessions
   • This was one of my first playlists I made and the name is exactly what you can expect from this early beauty. “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield, “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga, and “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood are all staples to the car-jam fests you have with your friends. I truly believe this is a no skip playlist.
2. golden age goodies
   • Frank Sinatra, Etta James, Billy Holiday, Al Green, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald will transport you back in time to the old school night clubs filled with jazz and swing. I have to give my grandmother and grandfather credits for this one; their vast record collection was my inspiration. 
3. math class daydreams
   • You know those moments in class — for me it was always math class — where you totally tune out and get lost in some fantasy world and suddenly the bell rings and you snap back to reality much to your own annoyance? Yeah, that is this playlist’s vibe. Each song acts as either inspiration for a daydream plot line or as the setlist for the background music. Check out “Second Time” by Bruno Major and “Love Affair” by UMI.
4. The Bride
   • Ohhh yes. THIS PLAYLIST. If anyone has every seen Kill Bill, you know that Uma Thurman takes on a new name, the Bride, to wreak havoc on those who tried to kill her four years prior. Now, the essence of this playlist isn’t necessarily murderous, but it’s certainly manic, ruthless, and completely badass. You take no shit when listening to the Bride — and God help anyone who tries anything funny.
5. main character montage
   • Think “Come On Eileen,” “Jessie’s Girl,” “December, 1963,” and “Dancing in the Moonlight.” All the hits from your favorite movies to really make you live in the moment, like a true main character. I listen to this a lot when I’m walking around UMass because why wouldn’t everyone be part of my story?
6. ghost blanket thoughts
   • Ghost blanket thoughts holds a special place in my heart. This was my most listened to playlist at the height of COVID and it brought me a lot of comfort during that really hard time. The music is surreal and relaxing. It makes me think of summer nights, looking up at the stars for hours on end, wrapped from head to toe in blankets. See “Babe I Know” by Nathaniel Rateliff, “Space Song” by Beach House, “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd, and “Clean” by Taylor Swift.
7. im yer dad
   • No, not the GRLwood song, although it’s pretty good and you should check it out. This playlist is inspired by dads everywhere, and certainly my own dad is included in the mix. We used to run to this playlist and honestly, say what you will about Dad Rock, but the songs slap. “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi, “American Saturday Night” by Brad Paisley, and “Layla” by Derek & the Dominos all have a great canter. 
8. stairwell love affair 
   • This title is actually a line from a song on this playlist, “Vanilla Curls” by Teddy Hyde. This playlist makes me happy. Every glimmer of hope we find in situations of potential love is encapsulated in this little work of art. I like to think of it as an exciting beginning, the honeymoon phase before the relationship has even started, the affair of the mind. 
9. don’t drink and dive
   • This was my summer playlist and it’s SO good. The best way I can capture this vibe is with a description of the day you would listen to it. Imagine this, you get up early to go to work but much to your surprise, you get called off (you were overstaffed). You decide to grab a nice breakfast with your friends and you hit the beach right before lunch time. It’s just the right amount of hot with a cool breeze on the shore, so when you jump in the icy water and go to lay on your beach towel, you’re not sweating, and you’re not cold. You listen to this playlist on the beach, then on the drive home, during your post-beach shower, and finally, back in the car when you go to meet up with everyone for a hefty dinner. You go to bed with the window cracked, “Charms Travel” by Babe Rainbow playing in your head. 
10. coco with milk
    • This playlist is sexy. Truthfully, that’s the best way I can describe it. I listen to this when I am getting ready to go out or when I need to hype up my roommates to do something crazy at 11:00 p.m. on a Tuesday night. My personal favorites have to be “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails, “One Time” by Marian Hill, “Acquainted” by The Weeknd, “Gorilla” by Bruno Mars, and “DICTATOR” by REI AMI. Do yourself a favor and listen to this while you get dressed in the mirror; I promise you will feel absolutely euphoric. 
11. f*ck timothee chalamander
    • So this playlist is also sexy like “coco with milk,” but in a much more subtle way. The previous playlist was obviously seductive while this one is much more sneaky. Nonetheless, when you want to feel sultry — and kind of smart? IDK how to describe it better than that — this is your jam. Start with “Goodie Bag” by Still Woozy, “Lost Horse” by Asaf Avidan, and “Pretty Life” by Terrell Morris. 
12. endings: and other clichés
    • I’m not sure if you guys are familiar with the song “As the World Caves In” by Matt Maltese, but it was big on TikTok for a while. People took the song really seriously and it truly is a beautiful work of art. However, what people don’t know is Matt Maltese originally wrote this song about a meme romance between Donald Trump and Theresa May. I just thought it was funny that this song people found so beautiful, myself included, was written about someone that the youth of America generally didn’t like. Matt Maltese is a clever songwriter, and a lot of his music is beautiful with a hint of satire. I made this playlist to cope with the drama one faces when ending relationships, willing or unwilling. We can laugh at the universality of heartbreak; it will make us all feel better.
13. TS: 0-60mph, TS: 60-0mph and TS: 30mph
    • Technically these are three separate playlists, but given that they are all Taylor Swift themed, I included them together. “TS: 0-60mph” is your typically manic, excited, happy, extremely sad, murderous, angry Taylor Swift that you scream along in the car with your best friends (“You Belong With Me,” “Better Than Revenge,” “Gorgeous”). “TS: 60-0mph” still has you screaming along in the car with your best friends, but in this case scenario you are all sobbing while you do so (“Back To December,” “All Too Well,” “the 1”). Lastly, “TS: 30mph” is her calm and content songs (“Hey Stephen,” “Holy Ground,” “willow”).
14. big oofs
    • There is little to say about this playlist other than if you are hurting and benefit from a good cry, start here. Good luck bestie <3.

Shoutout to the playlists I didn’t include in this one, check out “milkshake date,” “herbal essence (2),” “single hand steering,” and “cursed crisp” (if you dare).

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