I have compiled Mix CDs for most of my life at this point and they mean a lot to me. As a teen I wasn’t (and am often still not) very good at sharing my feelings and making mix CDs was a way for me to connect to my mom and show her how I felt and what was important to me.

I am scared that one day the CDs will get scratched or lost and that I will somehow lose the record of these mixes and forget when and why I made them.

So I wanna list all of the important details about all of them here so that the information is safe forever.

Annas Mix 1:

(27 min, upbeat happy mood)


I reworked this one multiple times. The first version had almost none of the same songs. I started making my numbered mixes when I was about 12, so the reworked version is probably from when I was 13-14. It’s mostly older music I found through movies and TV shows. My mom really enjoyed this one because it’s not as depressing as most of my other mixes and she loves Janis Joplin.



“It’s Alright, Baby” by Komeda
“Soul Kitchen” by The Doors

“I’m A Believer” by the Monkees

“The Joker” by Steve Miller Band
“It’s Alright” by The Impressions

“Surfin’ U.S.A” by The Beach Boys
“Me and Bobby McGee” Janis Joplin
“Stranger in a Strange World” by Leon Russel




Annas Mix 2:

(36 min, as depressing as it gets)


Also a reworked one from when I was about 14. I made this for really bad days.

I wouldn’t leave my house/room at the time for any reason (also refusing to go to school) and would spend most of every day by myself. My mom would often drive me around for 30-40 min and we would listen to these mixes, so I at least would get out of the house for a little while that way.



“Needle in the Hay” by Elliott Smith

“No Name #1” by Elliott Smith

“Between the Bars” by Elliott Smith

“2:45 a.m.” by Elliott Smith

“Like a Monkey in a Zoo” by Daniel Johnston

“I’ve been alone too long” by Soko

“A Minor Incident” by Badly Drawn Boy

“Trouble”(Cat Stevens Cover) by Elliott Smith

“Voice from the Mountain” by Nick Drake

“Eleventeen” by Kimya Dawson

Annas Mix 3:

(32 min, very upbeat, only 80s bangers)


I consumed a lot of media as a child/teen that was made by women who were teens in the 80s and who would frequently mention 80s music and films that were important to them as teens. Because I have a need to get pop culture references I started watching and listening to a lot of stuff from the 80s and developed an obsession with collecting and watching 80s teen movies. A lot of the music from this mix is from those movies.



“Faith” by George Michael

“Shadow Dancing” by Andy Gibb

“Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield

“Pretty in Pink” by Psychedelic Furs

“We are not alone” by Karla Devito
“Heart of Glass” by Blondie

“Shy Boy” by Bananarama

“Kiss” by Prince




Annas Mix 4:

(19 min, pretty, romantic, a bit melancholic)


This is the first mix I am still proud of and like a lot. It used to be longer but I cut a few songs at some point that were not perfect enough for me when I was feeling perfectionist at some point.
As with the other early mixes almost all the songs are from movies and shows I love. Watching a lot of tv as a kid and teen was my main gateway to developing my own music taste and an interest for researching music history.



“I don’t mind” by Slumber Party

“Only Yesterday” by Taken by Trees

“These Days” by Nico

“Oh Yoko!” by John Lennon

“Ooh La La” by The Faces

“I Will” by The Beatles




Annas Mix 5:


(27 min, sad, but somewhat hopeful, mostly 70s)


This is one of my favorite mixes from back then. Also from when I was 13-14.

I had a 60s/70s wannabe hippie phase and would mostly wear a floor-length patchwork skirt and some John Lennon sun glasses. 
I had just watched Harold and Maude and The Graduate for the first time and through that learned of Cat Stevens and Simon and Garfunkel. Also my estranged father had sent me a couple of CDs as a gift to bond with me, one of them the White Album, which was my introduction to the Beatles.
 “Trouble” was my favorite song for a long time and “Cry Baby Cry” is still my favorite Beatles song.



“Been Smoking too long” by Nick Drake

“Way Over Yonder” by Carol King

“Trouble” by Cat Stevens

“If you want to Sing Out” by Cat Stevens

“Blackbird” by the Beatles

“Where Do the Children Play” by Cat Stevens

“April Come She Will” by Simon & Garfunkel

“Don’t be Shy” by Cat Stevens