The Lazy Genius Podcast - #167 - How to Make the Perfect Playlist

Episode Date: July 20, 2020

Did y’all know I really dig playlists? Like so much. And I’ve been told, especially after my holiday playlists last year and my quarantine groove playlist this summer, that I’m really good at them. I will agree with you. This is not a space I choose to be overly humble. I learned from the best. Helpful Companion Links Playlists I’m proud of: nine curated Christmas playlists plus my Quarantine Groove list for the summer. My sister Hannah makes seasonal playlists for our patrons over on our Patreon show The Lazy Sisters. My buddy Bri McKoy is also a bomb playlist maker. Check her out on Instagram. Here’s my profile on Spotify for easy access. Download a transcript of this episode. This podcast is hosted by Kendra Adachi and executive produced by Kendra Adachi, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. Today, it's a really fun episode. It's 167, How to Make the Perfect Playlists. Did y'all know I really dig playlists? Like, like so much. And I have been told, especially after my holiday playlist last year and my quarantine groove playlist this summer, then I'm really good at them. And I will agree with you. This is not a space. I choose to be overly humble. I learned from the best. My sister is the queen playlist maker. She shares playlists like every season with our Patreon community. And they're amazing. And then I'm also buddies with Bree McCoy, who you can follow on Instagram. And I get access to her playlist too. We all love a good playlist. But we all also, like, and by we, I mean, all of you

listening, we all have different tastes in music, right? I get asked pretty often where I find my music and how the playlists are so good, but you need to, like, learn how to make playlists on your own with what you like and the music that you have access to. And so today, I'm going to tell you. So first, let me tell you quickly how I find new music. music. I listen almost exclusively to music on Spotify. I pay for premium because it's worth every daggum penny and I listen to music constantly. Premium matters to me because they don't shuffle playlists or albums. I don't like shuffling. We are against shuffling. Like morally, shuffling is the destroyer of playlists. This is a really serious business. So I love Spotify.

obviously because it doesn't shuffle. But because I can, you know, I can search for an artist or an album or whatever anytime. But Spotify also has great playlists on its own. And what I love, they're made based on mood. And that's kind of the magic bullet. Mood. Spotify does it very well. So I'll listen to like a mood list of, you know, whatever.

And then anytime there's a song I hear that I really, really like, I'll hit the heart and I'll save it. I also listen to song recommendations from friends and some strangers on the internet. There are a handful of people that I personally have pretty similar taste to, whose taste I trust. And so I listen to most things that they suggest. I don't always like it, but almost always. And here is an extra little tip. If you have an artist that you listen to, especially on Spotify or on some sort of streaming platform, and you really, really love them, I will usually buy the album, even though I listen to a lot of it on Spotify, because when we buy

even like a vinyl record or a T-shirt, or if you buy music from the specific artist, they get all of that money rather than just like a tiny cut from Spotify. So if there is an artist that you really, really love, still listen to them on Spotify, but maybe considering buying the actual physical album from them or something from them to be able to support them even more fully. Okay, so now, really you can find music however you like. You can use Spotify, you can use anything. But in this age of the internet, I just think Spotify is where it's at, at least for how I listen to music. So that is where I put my energy. Okay, now, for the playlist part, which you can do however you find music, wherever you live in your music world, here is the thing. The beauty of being, the beauty of being a lazy genius is that.

you can be a genius about things that matter, right? You choose where to put your genius energy and where you put your lazy energy. Playlists matter so very much to me. So I am absolutely a playlist genius. I spend time on it. I don't just throw a bunch of songs in a list and then listen willy-nilly. There is no willy-nilly here. Now if you want to be lazy about playlists, you're in luck. The internet is ready for you. Everybody's making playlists and you can just listen to the work other people have done. It's a gift and you should take it. But for me, I choose to be a genius. I choose to do an entire podcast episode about the steps of putting together the perfect playlist because I care about it and you might too. If you're wanting music for a baby shower or a party,

whenever we can have those again. When you want music that's just right for your daily walk or for your road trip to grandmas, for washing dishes alone, or for doing work in your home office that has like a very open door policy with your kids, you might want a specific kind of music for that. You might need to be a genius about a playlist. If that's the case, I've got steps for you. I'm very excited. do this. Okay, step number one. Start with your playlist triumvirate. You need three specific things to be your decision makers in starting your perfect playlist, like the Roman triumvirate. You need the three. Those things are a specific song, a specific mood, and a specific event. One of those three is usually the impetus for creating the playlist in the first place. There's a song you love so much,

and you want to use it as like a springboard for other songs that make you feel the same way. You want a playlist that will take you from stressed to calm so that mood is your beginning step. Or you're hosting a backyard social distanced anniversary party for your parents, and so that event is the starting point. okay however the perfect playlist has direction and the narrower you start the more narrow you start the better the playlist will be so that means that even though you're starting with one particular inspiration like a song or an event or a mood you need all three you need the triumvirate so if you're starting with a song think about how it makes you feel and the mood you want to

evoke from listening to that song. And then imagine where you'd listen to it, what you'd be doing. What about if you have the event first, you know, the anniversary party, for example. So then think of the mood you want the music to have. Bees specific. Don't just say fun. Justin Bieber is fun. So are the Beach Boys. So are old Disney songs. Bees specific in the mood to help narrow your music choices later. And then to finish your triumvirate, in this case, name one song that feels like it captures that mood for that event perfectly. And then use it as kind of the musical inspiration for the playlist. So the triumvirate, it can be developed in any order, but you need to put words to all three. Now, real quick, if you have a playlist titled like washing dishes, does that mean that you're only allowed to listen to that when you're Washington? No, no, no. But the specificity is what makes the playlist great. The more narrow you get,

the more specific you get, the better the playlist. So start with your playlist triumvirate, make it specific, name all three things. Again, I hear it. I hear how an hinge to this all sounds, how crazy I sound. But this is how you become a genius about playlist, guys. Trust me on this. Okay. Step two. Start adding songs. I just like create a list, like new playlist, or you can title it or whatever, I make the list on Spotify, and then I just drag songs into it, right? It's as simple as that. You will now add, in whatever order that they come to your mind or that you discover them, you just keep adding songs to your playlist, list, your gathering place, that fit your playlist triumvirate. They fit the mood you chose. They make sense at the event that you chose, and they

hold hands fairly well with your inspirational song. Now, does that, mean that all the songs have to sound the same or be from the same genre? No, it doesn't. In fact, that will make your playlist probably a tintsy bit boring. But they need to just sort of make sense. For the most part, if you are staying true to the mood and to the event, your songs will likely make sense together. My sister is working on a playlist for me. I commissioned her to make a playlist for a certain event, hashtag my launch party. And I told her, I wanted it to be super fun and celebratory, kind of like shoulder boppy music.

You know, you're like sort of dancing a little bit. But it was also like kind of cool. Nothing too moody or slow, right? So that's two of the three pieces of the triumvirate, right? It's the mood and the event. And then I gave her three inspiration songs. that are nothing like each other on paper. Nothing. But they fit the mood in the event. Those songs are, Hold on, I'm Coming by Sam and Dave, you know, hold on, I'm coming, that one. Don't Want to Bees without

you by Penny and Sparrow. And then forever by Justin Bieber. Those are very different songs. But they all fit the mood. And I can hear them all being played at the event. So those songs, go on the list. For this step, I don't want you to judge your songs harshly. You will have time to cut later. If they fit now, drop them in the list. If you need to take them out later, you can and will. But don't assume they won't fit yet.

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can spark awe, wonder, and in hell. the quality of public life. You can find us wherever you listen to your podcasts. Now, in terms of where you find these songs, I look through my saved songs and Spotify, and I just sort of scan through, right? I will look at other playlists that I've made that probably have songs that would fit with whatever my current playlist is. And after I've added a few, Spotify will actually give me suggestions to add to my playlist, like at the bottom of the playlist. So I might listen to a few of those to see if any of those fit. You just kind of gather from here and there. You know, you'll think of artists that would fit well. You'll search their catalog

really quickly. You know, don't spend forever on this. And also, don't do it all at once. I like to add songs to a playlist like over a few days. So when I'm listening to other music and I hear a song and I'm like, oh, wait, that could be great for that playlist I'm working on. I'll just drop it in really quick and I'll do the rest later, right? Super fast. So step two is you just start gathering songs. Step three, pick your first and last songs. So first, what's kicking off your list? You'll hear that song the most because we don't always make it to the end of playlists.

And we're very engaged when we first start one. So pick a first song that will not get old, that captures the mood that gets you excited to keep listening. and then pick the final song. Go through your list. What's a good way to wrap it up? Now, before you commit to that final song, I want you to play the end of the final song and let it go right into the start of the beginning song, as if the playlist was on repeat, because that's generally what happens with playlist as well. Is there a good connection there? Do those songs hold hands? Is the transition seamless? Perfect playlist, have seamless transitions from song to song.

And you find that out by listening to the end of one, go into the beginning of the next one. So before you land on your final song, make sure the final song, and the first song actually hold hands. Okay. Step four. Put the songs in order. Here is where the magic happens,

and also here's where the time happens. Perfect playlists are perfect, not just because they have great songs on them, that fit the mood and the event, but that the songs seem to go in just the right order. That is not an accident. Even if you have songs that fit, if they're put in the wrong order, the magic is gone. So what makes the order the right order? It's just what we said about the end song and the beginning song holding hands. Every song has to hold hands with the songs before and after. It's hard to know exactly how that happens from playlist to playlist. It's hard to

make a formula for that because music is just so different from each other and also like your interpretation of it is going to be different. But I will say this. I find that choosing a song that's just a notch different from the one before it helps. Maybe it's a notch in genre. Maybe it's a little difference in like it's a difference in tempo or instrumentation or something. like that, but then there's also a connective tissue. So maybe it's a different genre, but the song, one song ends with piano and the next song starts with piano, or something like that. So you're just trying to find kind of some connective tissue. If you have, okay, so here's an example, if you have a summer barbecue playlist you're working on, playing seven Beach Boys songs in a row,

it's nice enough. I mean, it's fine. It'll work. But it's not interesting or fun, at least in the way that a perfect playlist can be interesting and fun. But if you played, rumor has it by Adele. Okay. That has a fun, strong, like, shimmy vibe, right? And then you follow it with Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel. Those are very different genres. I would do it for you here if I didn't have to pay like a million dollars to play the songs. Those are very different genres. They are very different songs from different eras. But they both fit the vibe and the event. Okay. And then the transition. The end of rumor has that fun, like, tinkly piano, you know, that's like, that's so accurate. And it's like the tiniest bit dark. And then that goes right into that

slightly dark, but still very poppy, upbeat guitar from the beginning of Mrs. Robinson. That's a great transition. It's surprising. Those two songs together are surprised. but they both fit the mood, they both fit the event, and they hold hands with each other. The perfect playlist has thoughtful transitions, has thoughtful songs that hold hands with each other. It's that feeling when you're listening and you just keep saying like, oh, I love a song. Like every time a song comes on, you're like, I love this song. It's like the list gets better and better. That is done with great purpose.

And spending time on transitions is how you get it. So putting the songs in order, it's really, that's where this all happens. And it's building from one song to the next, right? Now you already picked your first song and you already picked your last song. Look down your list for a song that would be a nice follow for whatever the last song was. And you just keep doing that, right? You just go in order. Step five.

Cut ruthlessly. One song will kill a playlist. Truly. If songs aren't chosen as you get further down the list, you know, if they just keep like making their way down and they're not finding a happy home. And you also, listen, you also really don't want your list to be enormously long because it'll get old and frustrating. You need to cut songs. You've got to cut songs. They will find their place in another playlist another day. My sweet spot of playlist length is somewhere around 17 to 25 songs.

More than that and it just gets too overwhelming. Less than that, I think it's just not, you just like know what's coming. You lose the surprise. So as you're dumping songs into the list in step two, shoot for maybe like 25, maybe 30 songs, and then stop. Maybe they'll all work, but likely if you won't, right? So you'll still have a good number to pull from. When you're putting your songs in order, be ruthless. If it doesn't fit, if it can't hold hands with songs on either side of it, if you find yourself skipping it when you're listening, need to take it out. It doesn't work. It'll ruin your playlist. You have to be ruthless. This sounds very intense when we're talking about a playlist. This whole episode is very intense.

But this is why I'm a genius about it. This stuff matters. This is why my playlist are good. Step number six. Listen to the whole thing all the way through. If you start losing interest during a song, move it or cut it. If you get tripped up by the way one song goes into another, move it or cut it, listen with a purposeful ear. If you at any point leave the mood, you know, you just kind of like are removed from that mood that you wanted to be in or you want to skip a song. That particular song, it just doesn't belong. It's like, is it a Chanel quote? I think it's Chanel or it's like you get dressed and, you know, you put on all your jewelry and stuff. But before you leave the house, you remove one thing. You have to edit. That's how this is. You need to remove as much as necessary. It is better to have a perfect playlist of 12 songs than like a playlist of 18. And that's how you do it. That's how you do it.

Okay, so I'm going to put links to some of my playlists in the show notes. But really, if you go to Spotify, because that's where all my playlists are, if you go to Spotify and you search Kendra Joyner, J-O-Y-N-E-R, Kendra Joyner Adachi on Spotify, and you click on it, like as a user, I'll show up as a user, you'll see a lot of the playlist I've made. Some are very specific and might mean nothing to you. Some have not gone through such a harsh process of being put in order like this. You know, I've perfected this as I've spent time on playlist. But others, like Quarantine Grove, they are here for your pleasure. Seriously, I think Quarantine Groove, it might be one of the great playlists I've ever made.

It's so good. And then once winter rolls around, my holiday playlists are, they are chef's kiss. I say this, I say this with like all humility and also great pride because I put a lot of work into them. And it shows. Like they're really, really great. And I really love them. And I humbly offer them to you with a lot of pride that they are good. Okay.

So this is really fun for me to talk about. I love making playlist. And I hope it gets you excited to make your own perfect playlist. It's like such a fun project. I think that this is something that we kind of need right now. It's the middle of summer. We're like, what are we doing? Like to have something that's like in the back of your brain that you're sort of working on,

like creating a playlist for something specific, it's really magic. It's so fun. So if you like music, try to make one, try to make a playlist using these steps and see how you feel. And then it's there forever. The playlist is always there. for you. It's just so fun. Okay, that is it for today. Remember, be a genius about the things that matter, even if they're silly like playlist. Still be a genius about things that matter to you and lazy about the things that don't. I'm Kendra, and I'll see you next week. Have you ever felt like you were

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