Before I hand them over, I want him to know I put every one of the 115 songs in a specific order. I want him to know why I started off with classic metal and transitioned into folk. I want him to know the reason I chose the songs I did.
But as the discs make their way from my hands to his, I only stare at my shoes and mumble, "I hope you like these."
In my opinion, it isn't my place to dictate how someone listens to a CD I give them.
In an perfect world, my crush will take my CD and listen to every song in the order I intended, then call and ask me to marry him.
Wait, scratch that last part.
Maybe he'll just text me "cool mix."
I'd be fine with either.
What I'm getting at is no matter how much effort you put into making a mix for someone, it's not up to you to dictate how they listen to it.
Maybe they'll send you a song-by-song breakdown of your mix, praising your immaculate taste in music - and maybe they throw the CD in the side pocket of their car door and forget about it.
Back in July, Stephen Thompson of All Songs Considered wrote "The Good Listener: When You Make Someone a Mix, What Do They Owe You?" and it got me thinking about mix tape etiquette.
The article focused on a tangible return, but the consensus from commenters was that a mixtape is a gift and doesn't necessarily require a mix in return, but acknowledgment of the gift is appreciated.
Personally, I give the recipient a month or so, and if I haven't heard anything, I'll ask, "So have you listened to that CD yet?"
Inquiring any further is rude.
All I can ask is that the person I create a mix for listens to it with an open mind. They don't have to love it, or even like it, but I'd like them to appreciate the time and effort I put into crafting it.
So until my crush finishes listening to the 8 hour mix I made him, I'll wait patiently and hope he finds a song he loves, a song that he connects with, or a song he wants to call me up and talk about.
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