Miley Cyrus’s hit “Party in the USA” is a classic throwback song for Millenials and Gen Z. Photo from fanpop.com.
I often find myself unsure of what playlist to put on when my friends get in the car. Sure, I was probably either screaming the words to the “Hamilton” cast album or crying along with the sad songs on Luke Combs’ new album on the way to pick them up, but you never know what playlist is the right vibe for each group of friends.
There are my country-loving friends, the ones I blast Kanye with and even the ones who choose the weirdest Broadway songs and scream every word. But, when I’m not sure what people will vibe with, I immediately resort to my “Old Faves” playlist. Because who doesn’t love a blast to the past?
I recently created this playlist after “When I Look at You” by Miley Cyrus and “Potential Breakup Song” by Aly & AJ got back on the charts after singing them became a TikTok trend. I had forgotten about all the songs I played over and over on my bright blue iPod shuffle back in the early 2000s.
So, how should you go about making the perfect old favorites playlist? There are a few important things to keep in mind. A childhood, crowd-pleasing playlist can easily turn into a Disney favorites playlist if you aren’t careful. And while “Camp Rock” and “High School Musical” hits are always fun to rock out to, putting the whole soundtrack on your playlist is sure to get boring after a while.
The same goes for the mainstream old favorite songs that have become big again. Keep hits that have stayed popular like “Replay” by Iyaz, “Beautiful Girls” by Sean Kingston or even “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus to a minimum as well. The point is to make people say, “Oh my god, I forgot about this one!” not, “oh, good song.”
This leads to the most important part: padding your playlist with songs you know will please is great, but get creative. Some of my favorite songs on the “Old Faves” playlist are ones from vague memories of Nickelodeon commercials and elementary school bus rides home. These include “Kissin’ U” by Miranda Cosgrove, “Crush” by David Archuleta, “Holiday” by Green Day and “Glamorous” by Fergie.
If you can’t think of any songs that defined your childhood, then anything by Justin Bieber before his glow-up, Selena Gomez back when she was “Selena Gomez & The Scene” or Katy Perry and Lady Gaga during their feuding years are sure to make people sing.
And finally, if your passengers are not either excited or amused to hear these songs blaring from the car radio, especially during a time when we wish we were back in literally any other year, then you should reconsider your friendship.