Remove ImagesLove & the Mix Tape
A compilation of local artists’ favorite love songs
February 09, 2006
Mix tapes tell your friends, relatives and that one guy you think is
cute in third period gym who you are and how you feel about them. Of
course, now we have CD's, MP3's, and iPOD playlists to satisfy our
romantic musical yearnings. But nothing can replace the heart and soul
we put into making a lo-fi mix tape. Anyway, here's what some Maui
musicians would put on theirs.
"I'd Die Without You" by P.M. Dawn
Marty Dread, Reggae Ambassador:
There are so many memories associated with this one. Every time there's
been a deep connection with me and someone, this song shows up in some
form—whether it's at a bar or on TV. It's that whole "without you,
there's no me" sentiment. It's a bit idealistic, romantic—and it's the
song for me.
"Holding Back the Years" by Simply Red
Elan Rae, percussionist: [singing] "I'll keeeeep hooolding on…" I'm
hopelessly, romantically depressed when I'm really in love. And I get
emotionally bundled up—I'd probably put this song on a mix tape and it
would have some misconstrued meaning but that's just me. Anyway, this
song makes me feel mushy inside.
"For All We Know" by Donny Hathaway
Gene Argel, jazz vocalist/keyboardist:
This song is so beautiful. To say it's "soulful" is not good enough.
The words are so touching. It's about illusion and reality, or the idea
that love is real for the moment and everything else is an illusion. Or
I might pick a classical song, like [Samuel Barber's] "Adagio for
Strings"—it's so powerful, so emotional, it just makes you feel like
your heart is going to explode.
"Embraceable You" by Ella Fitzgerald
Angela Benoit, vocalist of Benoit Jazz Works:
So beautiful, so romantic. I made a tape with 11 love songs on it for
my husband Phil (eight years ago for our 11th wedding anniversary) and
that song was the first one I put on it. In fact, we recorded this song
on our latest CD, A Man and a Woman.
"My My My" by Johnny Gill
Kanoa, vocalist / guitarist / drummer / beatboxer of Gomega:
This song's about appreciating the person you love. It makes me feel
blessed being a man loving women. It's also about being intimate and
telling them what you want—women like that. They don't always like
surprises, sometimes it's sexier to tell them what you're going to do,
like, "it's all for you."
"Hey" by The Pixies
Erin Smith, vocalist/guitarist:
It's kinda creepy but also a very sexy, couple-y kind of song. It's
dirty-sexy—Frank Black's a bit esoteric and there's this whole sort of
motif of people being chained together—but it's also just… pretty.
"Put It In Your Mouth" by NWA
DJ Rainbow: I love the
words. It's all about licking it, sucking it, dipping it, tasting
it—it's hilarious. No, I haven't put it on a mix tape yet but I'm gonna
for Valentine's Day. You've inspired me!
"Start All Over" by Voodoo Suns
Anastasia Gilliam, vocalist of the Voodoo Suns:
Can I pick one of my own songs? This is about a couple deciding to
either give in to their differences or deciding to love each other and
start over again. It's on our CD, Songs from the Haleakala Kitchen. MTW