The Mixed Tape - Jack's Mannequin

High Fidelity holds a special place in my heart. In addition to being one of my favorite books and movies, it’s also the first movie that John and I ever watched together.

Oh and it has that truly excellent Springsteen cameo which makes perfect sense because if you’re gonna have a wartime consigliere, there is no better choice than Bruce.

There is no question that can be asked that Bruce Springsteen cannot answer.

I don’t owe our relationship to this movie or anything but we definitely started by trading mix CDs back and forth.

God, I love the first mix he made for me.

It had this great Pedro the Lion cover of Mazzy Star’s Fade Into You and Van Morrison’s Jackie Wilson Said and Listen To The Darkside by Charlie Mars - a song whose lyrics hit real close to home.

Driving home after our first date, I can’t say that I was in love with John (not just yet), but I was definitely in love with his taste in music.

Seven years later, we both referenced these mixes in our wedding vows…which was both unexpected and perfect.

When we moved into together, we stopped making mixes for one another because sharing music we loved just came easier - “Babe! Listen to this!” - but we recently binged High Fidelity on Hulu and I am inspired anew.

Sidebar: If you haven’t watched it, please do. Zoe Kravitz is charming, curmudgeonly and a total fucking mess as Rob but you love her so much, Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Cherise is the Jack Black character we have always deserved and the soundtrack is diverse and delicious which, of course it is because Questlove is the Executive Music Producer.

Hey Will. It’s Mom.

Firstly - hi little McNugget!

Look at you, kicking away. You’ve been kicking a lot more often lately and I’ve gotta tell you, I love it.

Your little flips, flutters and cartwheels makes it feel like we’re hanging out and I cannot wait to hang out with you in person.

It’s always you and me/Always/And forever.

It looks like I’ve swallowed a pumpkin whole, but as far as pregnancy goes - it’s been pretty good.

Thanks for that. Let’s see if we can keep it up for labor.

I’ll make you a deal - you make labor relatively easy, safe and painless and I promise that one day each semester, I’ll let you play hooky and we’ll go out for burgers, shakes and quality time anywhere you want.

I’ve started making a birth mix for you so when you enter the world, you’ll do so to the sounds of Bowie, Bruce, Bob Marley, Prince, Hans Zimmer and this really pretty mandolin version of Zeppelin’s Going To California.

It opens with Grouplove’s Welcome To Your Life because if there’s one thing your mama lacks, it’s subtlety.

I’m going to make you a lot of mixes:

Music To Dream To - This will probably feature a lot of pretty Beach Boys harmonies, acoustic Zeppelin and Kings of Leon’s Back Down South. I’ll probably throw in some interludes of storm sounds too - I always sleep better during a storm.

Saturday Morning Sunshine - All of that great, soul-nourishing music that Atlantic Records made in the 60s, Amy Winehouse and God, that great live version of Big Star’s Thirteen. Music that smells like home fries, bacon and warm maple syrup and feels like letting the sun in at home.

Stamps In Your Passport - Because I want you to have a whole mess of stamps in your passport and I want you to listen to music from all over the world. Bossa Nova from Brazil, Flamenco from Triana in Seville, Gnawa from star-kissed Moroccan rooftops, Irish Trad Tunes from cozy little pubs in Galway, hypnotic Qawwali as sung by the great shahenshah e qawwali, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and of course, bhangra because Mama was raised in Southall and ain’t no beat as hypnotic as a dholak beat.

Check it out. Daddy is white as hell and the only connection he has to Southall is when we drove through it on our way to Heathrow Airport, but he and your uncles came into our wedding to Punjabi MC’s Mundian To Bach Ke and they rocked the shit out of it.

When you get married, we’ll do the same for you.

I hope you love music the way that Daddy and I do, Will.

I hope live shows makes you feel like you’re connected to something greater than yourself. I hope lyrics give you solace and help you to understand your place in this world. I hope great songs speak for you when you don’t feel like you can find the words. I hope you experience that great moment where you can’t tell where your heartbeat ends and the drumbeat begins.

But most of all, I hope we can share a lifetime of music together.

See you soon.

We love you xx