01 - Friendsgiving
I’m on a mission to do 1,000 things that create good energy, and this is the first.
One of my best playlists I’ve ever made, Friendsgiving is a 4-hour playlist for the background or the foreground. Napkin not included.
Because sometimes there are too many good songs and you don’t have time to put them together for the ultimate gathering of friends over family: Friendsgiving. You need the right mix of upbeat music that you can dance to but don’t have to, like “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan, with some nostalgic groove, like “All Right Now” by Free. You need the best friends who haven’t seen each other in weeks… months, even, able to laugh over the soundtrack while the guy who’s lightly stoned can sit on the couch and appreciate this small moment, watching his friends get together as if no time had passed. You need to pay attention, yet not realize music is on. You need someone around the table to go, “Oh my god, this is from Parent Trap, I love this song!” when she hears “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” by Natalie Cole. She’s so excited that she starts singing, “LOV-ING YOU, is some kind of wonderful,” while not spilling a drop of wine. At the same time, the two friends who finally did rub elbows as if no one could see. You need something with funk and soul that people will recognize from pop culture, like “Get Down Tonight” by KC and the Sunshine Band, so people can forget that they’re too full of food and friends when the apple pie is brought out. And you’ll need something with a little bounce to keep your head nodding during coffee, like “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” by Talking Heads.
I made that playlist.
Starting with “Feelin’ Alright” by Joe Cocker, one of my all-time-favorite-no-skip songs. Literally name a time when that song wouldn’t make things better? With a voice that pinpoints its 1969 release, to the piano that could be in a really cool version of Charlie Brown, and the early funk drums to hold the laid-back rhythm together, this track feels like a house party with only your closest of friends. And, of course, Joe is off in the corner playing the piano again. He sings like he’s drunk a glass of whiskey, and it’s not perfect. But it also is perfect.
I built this playlist so I didn’t have to think about the soundtrack when we were going to squeeze all our close friends into our small apartment a few years ago.
And now you, too, can have this trusted good vibe. You’re welcome.
Notes on the cover
I love making playlists, but nothing feels like they’re finished until they have a cover. A proper piece of album art.
I designed this one to look like a table covered in brown paper instead of a tablecloth. A sense of play even for grown-ups. I imagined the woman who put this Friendsgiving together would have hand-drawn placemats with a sharpie, in a cool, unbothered way that looked effortless.
I pictured that she would be listening to “Can’t Hardly Wait” by The Replacements while she puts the finishing touches on the table, trying not to sweat as she accepts the things she won’t have time to do before her friends arrive. I pictured that she’d have butterflies from secretly loving to host her friends on this most special young adult holiday, Friendsgiving.
This is a snapshot of your seat at the table.
