I had a lovely barbecue tonight with a group of friends, and I rushed beforehand to make a playlist in my iTunes appropriate for use during summery barbecues. I wanted it to be a mix of fast and slow, classic rock and danceable party beats, sing-along classics everyone can join in during, and various bands I’ve found and loved along the way.

There were several moments during the party when I wished we could turn off the lights, lay down on the thick rug under my dining room table, and listen to the music turned up high with our eyes closed– maybe while holding hands. I know that sounds sappy, but that is where my playlist took me during my party. (And since it was my party, I can fantasize about communal hand-holding if I want to.)

Some of the tracks that were especially evocative for me were:

• Anything by Pearl Jam, the Beastie Boys, or DMB. Since I found out they’re headlining Outside Lands, I’ve been craving them and re-living the shows I attended in the 1990s.
• “Savoir Sonic” by Analog Jetpack, my friend and co-blogger, Rob Getzschman’s band. He was the first independent musician I really knew, and tonight I was touched by how far we’ve both come since we met in college.
• Songs from Jeff Buckley’s “Grace” and Iron and Wine’s “Our Endless Numbered Days.” I remember sitting in a parked car under a streetlamp with the boy I loved while he played Grace for me for the first time (probably in 2002 or 2003). It was like having your eyes opened. Music to disappear in. And ages after we broke up, the same boy sent me a copy of Endless Numbered Days out of the blue with a simple note explaining that he’d thought I would like it. I did, and listening to it breaks my heart in a very sweet and irresistible way.
• Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al.” I thought this song was so cool when it came out. Chevy Chase was in the video, for crying out loud! I felt cool just listening to it, and that hesitant, childish sense of what coolness might be like still creeps up on me when I hear it.
• Everything by Rodrigo y Gabriela that came up sent me straight back to Outside Lands 2008, watching them from above the crowd and tearing my eyes from them occasionally to quietly revel in how engaged the audience was. It’s rare that I pay rapt attention to anything, but they had me wrapped around their nimble fingers.