BY  MELANIE ULLE

The concept of a playlist is one we all understand. It started with the mixtape, which I used to capture songs right off the radio (“In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel stands out prominently), with the tail end or beginning of a DJ’s voice or an ad still tucked in there. That turned into the burned CD, and now we have the playlist. I have a playlist on both Apple Music and Spotify called Favorite Few that I share with friends, and it holds the songs of my life. It is a great comfort to me. I listen to it when I’m anxious, or blue, or nostalgic, or longing for feeling.

The playlist has become central to our lives. Even Urban Life Wash Park has a section called Mixtape, with a new playlist every month. When the playlist is showing up everywhere, on our phones and in our local community magazine, that means it’s a love language and we are all speaking it.

I think the playlist is an expression of who we are. Sometimes it’s flirtatious. Think about testing the waters with your high school crush. Will they think I mean “I Want Your Sex,” or that I just really like the song? Let’s just see…

Sometimes it’s retribution, (Taylor and Alanis) or a compilation of proverbial walk-up songs (Kesha and Flo Rida) in advance of a big meeting or pitch. I have a playlist that’s solely songs that remind me of my dad. It makes me happy and sad. Happy that I have so many memories with him and that we both love music, and sad that one day I won’t have a dad. There are times when I just want to feel sad. Sometimes it feels good to feel sad. I have a playlist for that, too.

Playlists are personal and authentic and thoughtful. Algorithms are not. I feel manipulated by algorithms, and that is why I listen to the radio.

(And not you, KBCO. You’re dead to me now. Bret Saunders had us hanging on, but you corporate demons took him from us, and my only realistic form of protest is never to listen to you again. Sorry, Robyn Hart, we still love you. It’s not your fault.)

I digress. Back to radio. You may be thinking, “But, Mel, where will I have access to a radio if I’m not in the car? And even in the car, I can’t recall how one uses a radio.”

Fear not. Most independent stations have an app. May I recommend downloading the KRFC 88.9 app? You can thank me later.

There is a place for both streaming services and live independent radio. One doesn’t have to exist by taking from the other. What I propose is this: radio is where you find your music, and streaming is where you share it.

I would like to offer a challenge, one that I am currently undertaking myself. Send a playlist to a different friend each week for eight weeks. Spend time on it. Really focus on the person, how they make you feel, what they love, what reminds you of them.

My sweet friend Dezi lives in Kansas City. She is a soul sister of over 30 years, and we are absolutely not meant to live apart. Last week I launched my personal playlist pilot program to show my love and appreciation, and she was my first subject. I led with “Amber,” because that is indeed the color of her energy, and ended with “Jane Says,” because… Lollapalooza 1992. I think the playlist accomplished what I had hoped. My goal was for her to feel 1) seen, 2) valued, and 3) missed. With the success of this pilot, I can now rebrand the program as the PPP, Personal Playlist Program, and start ticking off the rest of the loved ones on my list.

Spread the love the old-fashioned way and let me know how it goes.