Aquarius Season Mixtape 2021
This playlist is dedicated to my very good friend and favorite Aquarius Stephanie. Sorry, Harry Styles.
Aquarius: the 11th sign of the Zodiac, a fixed air sign, an individualist who’s all about the collective. They are the rebels and revolutionaries, not quite of this earth. Often accused of being unconventional for the sake of being unconventional, Aquarians are actually just forever thinking about and processing the big picture, like twelve steps ahead of everyone else. They live inside their heads and on the moon.
I adore these esoteric little weirdos, so I wanted this playlist to be as weird as possible. And it is weird. Le freak, c’est chic indeed.
Before we dive into the track list, I would like to leave you with my favorite Mumford & Sons music video, and one of my favorite music videos of all time, which I think captures the delightful irreverence of Aquarius. They might have a tendency toward pretension and heady intellectualism, but it’s always tempered with a heavy dose of never taking themselves too seriously. (Lead singer Marcus Mumford is an Aquarius, and I everything about that last sentence also applies to him and his band, I think.) If you need me, I’ll be watching this on repeat.
Liner notes:
* indicates an Aquarius musician
“Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” by The 5th Dimension: Is it cliche to start with this track? Yeah, probably. I don’t care. Feel free to skip if it’s too cheesy and earnest for you; “All My Friends” works just as well as an opener.
“All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem*: I could probably write a whole post about how much I adore this band and its Aquarius frontman/founder James Murphy. I adore the combination of intellectual, often pretentious lyrics layered over infectious dance beats. I adore “Shut Up and Play the Hits,” the documentary about the band’s “final” concert at Madison Square Garden. (Watch it if you haven’t.) I adore the fact that Bowie played a part in Murphy’s decision to get the band back together. And I adored seeing them live at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom after they reunited.
So yes, I love LCD Soundsystem a lot. I mean, I almost named my cat James Murphy. And to me, “All My Friends” is the quintessential LCD Soundsystem song.
“Pursuit of Happiness - Extended Steve Aoki Remix” by Kid Cudi feat. MGMT and Ratatat**: Kid Cudi and MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden are both Aquarians.
“Rebel Rebel” by David Bowie: So many Bowie songs have very Aquarius themes. But this one is what I got for my first ever tattoo, so it won.
“Wedding in Finistère” by Jens Lekman*: I actually heard the song and thought the lyrics were perfect before even googling Jens Lekman's birthday. A happy coincidence.
“Hopeless Wanderer” by Mumford & Sons*: Lead singer Marcus Mumford is an Aquarius.
“Treat People With Kindness” by Harry Styles*
“Circles” by Megan Thee Stallion*: “I'm a February baby / I'm a big flirt.” Meg has also shouted out her zodiac sign in other tracks and tweets.
“Children of the Revolution” by T. Rex
“Basket Case” by Bastille**: This one gets a double star because Bastille member Kyle Simmons is an Aquarius, and it’s a cover of a Green Day song. Billie Joe Armstrong? Also an Aquarius. An incredibly (typically) politically involved Aquarius, at that.
“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd*: That plastic surgery stunt? Big Aquarius energy.
“I Feel The Earth Move” by Carole King*
“Modern Girls & Old Fashioned Men” by The Strokes and Regina Spektor*: Just Regina for your Aquarius musician, here.
“Cantina Band” by John Williams*: aka a musical interlude to dance with aliens. Something I imagine Aquarians do often.
“Blitzkreig Bop” by the Ramones*: Producer and original drummer Tommy Ramone is an Aquarius. Also, apparently none of the Ramones even really know what this song is about.
“Bite Down (Bastille Vs. HAIM)” by Bastille and HAIM**: Another Bastille/Aquarius collab, thanks to Danielle Haim’s February 16 birthday.
“Solsbury Hill” by Peter Gabriel*: This is probably my favorite Peter Gabriel song, but he also did this very Aquarius, collaborative thing where he covered a bunch of other people’s songs on an album called “Scratch my Back,” and then put out an album of all of them covering his songs, appropriately called “And I’ll Scratch Yours.”
“Le Freak” by CHIC
“Ein Musikalischer Spass (A Musical Joke), K. 522: IV. Presto” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart*
“Devil’s Spoke” by Laura Marling*
“Little of Your Love” by HAIM*
“Sussudio” by Phil Collins*: Two Aquarians in one band? Ok, Genesis.
“Holiday” by Green Day*
“Whenever, Wherever” by Shakira*
“Wake Up in the Sky” by Gucci Mane* feat. Bruno Mars and Kodak Black: Had to close this one out with an air sign trifecta: Aquarius Gucci Mane, Libra Bruno Mars and Gemini Kodak Black.
