Playlists and moods

I am a great believer in acknowledging your emotions and making the most of them as far as possible. If I am tired, I don't want to try and perk myself up - I want to give in to the tiredness. If I am excited, I want to fizz and leap around with excitement, not contain it.

When I bought myself an iPod a couple of years ago, the function I was most excited about was the ability to create playlists. Imagine - your very own 'mix tapes', as many as you like, and one to match every mood!

Among the dozens of playlists I have, there are some called:

• Energetic (good for walking in the sunshine)
• Happy songs
• Mellow
• Heartbreak (I don't have much of that in my life, but the songs are so good that its nice to pretend sometimes)
• Peaceful
• Sleepy
• Romance
• Upbeat

One of the times I listen to music most frequently is on the walk and tube journey home from work. For a long time now I've been trying to put together the ultimate playlist for this journey, but it has been a tricky task.

I first started off with one I called 'A walk through the City' and it has sweetly upbeat tracks like Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow by Michael Buble, I Get Around by The Beach Boys and Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison. But I am not often in a sweetly upbeat kind of mood when I come out of work, so although its a nice playlist to sashay about town in, wearing a new pair of shoes, it doesn't match my leaving-work mood.

Then after a couple of really bad weeks at work recently I created a playlist called 'Pretty cross' which has all the angriest, noisiest tracks I own. Tracks like Epoca by The Gotan Project, Stan by Eminem, You Had Me by Joss Stone and Firestarter by Prodigy. I absolutely loved walking home to this playlist - it matched my mood while work was so grim. But because it was reinforcing my mood, I would arrive home in an absolutely horrible temper, which didn't seem fair on G and the children.

Tonight at the tube station, I was scrolling through all the playlists again and after dithering for too long I plumped for the first playlist I ever put together - my list of favourite Country tracks:

• I'm Down To My Last Cigarette - by k.d.Lang
• There's Your Trouble - by The Dixie Chicks
• Lone Star State of Mind - by Nanci Griffiths
• Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue - by Crystal Gayle
• She's In Love With The Boy - by Trisha Yearwood
• Why Don't We Get Drunk - by Jimmy Buffett
• Hey Good Lookin' - by Tammy Wynette
• Annie's Song - by John Denver
• Save The Last Dance For Me - by Emmylou Harris
• Talking In Your Sleep - by Crystal Gayle
• Stand By Your Man - by Tammy Wynette
• Tonight The Heartache's On Me - by The Dixie Chicks
• Two Pina Coladas - by Garth Brooks
• Here You Come Again - by Dolly Parton

It turned out that this was just the playlist I need to listen to after work. It takes me out of my day by giving me happy, catchy tunes and memorable lyrics...

.

Her daddy says, "He ain't worth a lick
When it came to brains, he got the short end of the stick"

But Katie's young and man she just don't care

She'd follow Tommy anywhere!

(She's In Love With The Boy)

.

or:

So bring me two pina coladas

One for each hand

Let's set sail with Captain Morgan

And never leave dry land

(Two Pina Coladas)

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It turns out that the mood I am often in when I leave work is not one that I should give into, relish or enjoy after all; but one that I need to leave firmly behind at the office doors.

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