33 years ago, during my sophomore year of high school, I put together the first of what would eventually become a nearly 20 volume collection of mix tapes, containing my favorite songs that I had gathered either from the radio, a cassette tape, or (eventually) CD. Today, we revisit those mix tapes for the fourth time and see how, or if, the soundtrack of my youth still resonates in today’s digital world and how much has changed over the past four years.
Volume 6 takes us through the end of high school, through the summer, and into the beginning of my freshman year of college. That summer, my sister and I made our first trip to Texas to visit our dad. He had moved at least two years before and I guess thought it would be a good idea to see us. Since I was trying to get ready to leave for college, I only stayed for one week while my sister stayed for two. I don’t remember much about my time there. We went to the old book depository where Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK. We walked to a comic book store, where I found that some states charge sales tax on back issue purchases. Aside from that, the trip holds no particular memory.
In the years since, visits have become fewer and farther between. I last went to Texas in 2005. His last trip to Illinois for a visit was 2006 and, if you include funerals, he hasn’t been here since 2010. The last time I saw him was 2018, after he had moved to Arizona and he came to see me while I was in town for spring training.
Sadly, this is not the original version of volume 6, which was lost after being borrowed by my sister for a party.
Side A
Genesis – I Can’t Dance
iTunes stats: 15 plays, most recently on 12/7/2021
The second single from the 14th studio album from Genesis, which received a 1993 Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group, notched a mere two in the past four years.
Ugly Kid Joe – Everything About You
iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 9/25/2019
Hitting #9 on the Billboard charts, the first hit for the California-based band was last heard before months before the pandemic even started, adding just two spins.
Joe Public – Live and Learn
iTunes stats: 17 plays, most recently on 2/8/2022
Ranked 16th on complex.com’s list of the best new jack swing songs of all time, the tune managed to add five new plays since our last check.
Boyz II Men – Please Don’t Go
iTunes stats: 11 plays, most recently on 7/22/2019
Just three additional plays for the final single from Cooleyhighharmony, which failed to crack the top 40 and hasn’t been heard since nearly eight months prior to COVID lockdowns started.
Def Leppard – Make Love Like A Man
iTunes stats: 15 plays, most recently on 2/27/2022
The second single from Adrenalize, and the first video with new guitarist Vivian Campbell, added four plays over the past four years.
Guns N’ Roses – Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 3/15/2022
The Bob Dylan cover has picked up eleven new listens since 2015.
Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Under The Bridge
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 7/22/2022
The first appearance of “alternative” music on these collections, which became the 8th biggest single of 1992, nearly doubled its play total with nine new plays.