by Vedabrata Rao

Music has been the bedrock of my relationship with my wife and partner in crime for the past 6 years since I have known her. In fact, when we met in 2017 in our respective post-graduation programs in Ahmedabad, music definitely helped me get her attention. Married only as of November 2023, our time together has always had an inkling of a tune or another — either to wake up to a good mood, enjoy an evening with friends, party all night, exercise, or simply reminisce. This playlist is, of course, very personal to me and I’m sure she has her own version of what she would call ‘our’ songs. I can’t talk about each and every song (while some more popularly known) and loved ones need little introduction of any kind. I will, therefore, cherry pick some tunes and the memories that I have with them.

 

Up — Sing Street

Knowing my love for eclectic music, early in our relationship, she suggested we watch this movie called Sing Street. It’s such a sweet coming-of-age movie, about a boy who finds music, love, and freedom. The film is directed by John Carney, who has made a name in the genre of musical dramas and has brought us other beautiful films like Once, Begin Again, and recently Flora and Son.

Venus Flytrap — Feng Suave

Spotify did what Spotify does and one day I just happened to hear this song. I remember her and I were in Alibaug, near Mumbai, when she properly listened to this song with me. We made this trip to take a break from the city. It was more than that though. It was a time in our lives when we weren’t sure if we would remain the same ‘us’, maybe we just didn’t realize how much more we would be.

Roz Roz — The Yellow Diary, Shilpa Rao

A more recent find than others on this list. I’m not a Bollywood enthusiast. I think I am what they call a music snob and frankly Bollywood doesn’t do it for me. That said, regional and Hindi language Indie artists have been bringing such a fresh wave of sonic pleasure for years now. Sometimes you may listen to a song for a while, but don’t truly hear it until that one day it suddenly speaks to you. This song did to me; I was sure that if my partner and I had to go up a stage to do a “couple dance” in any event during our wedding celebrations with the family, then I’d have wanted to do a choreographed piece with her on this song.

Until Morning — James Vickery

This one is spicy. Sensual. I love(d) COLORS at this phase in my life, when I discovered artists like Billie Eilish, Dennis Lloyd, Haute, and James Vickery. This is about 6–7 years ago now. I am sure this song, among a few others, had been instrumental in my attempts to woo her.

Warm on a Cold Night — HONNE

This song has its own Wikipedia page, where you can find quotes from various notable figures in international press and publications. The reason I mention Wikipedia is because, despite my best efforts, I simply can’t remember where or how I first heard this track. Once I did, though, and once I met her, the two just clicked. To this day, when I play it with her, she does sometimes say “Damn, you got me with some of these songs.” She vividly remembers walking up to my dorm room in college and hearing it for the first time. I remember playing the right songs knowing she was on her way to come see me.

In Love With You — Erykah Badu, Stephen Marley

One of our friends actually introduced us to this beautiful song. It wasn’t soon after that I proposed to her, and through that evening and many evenings around it — this song played on loop, non-stop.

Dancing In My Room — 347aidan

Another wonderful discovery — thanks to the Spotify Algorithm. Not your typical love song, but when we heard it — it was just SO cute. We have belted out this song on road trips and whenever we need a little ‘pick-me-up’ at home.

Outside — TENDER

Everyone has that one person with whom they share a repertoire for discovering music. She introduced me to TENDER, and what a song it is. It’s what I would call a smooth electro-soul kinda track that makes you groove just enough, but feel so much more. When she introduced me to this one song back in college, I knew I wanted to hear more of her music.

Something About Us — Daft Punk

This is a timeless classic that we have all heard (I’m guessing). I love the concept of the album this track is from. Daft Punk turned every song into a musical anime, following the story of space alien musicians kidnapped by the capitalistic goons of Earth, to exploit their musicality. Track after track, in sequence, it comes together and forms a musical masterpiece called Interstella 5555. We’ve both loved this song for a long time, and will continue to feel pure joy whenever we hear it going forward.

Candy — Paolo Nutini

Nutini’s music is a vibe. I think I have a man-crush on him and his voice. From fun tunes like ‘New Shoes’ to sensuous ones like ;Scream’, Paolo can do it all. Back in college, when she and I listened to ‘Candy’ (almost daily), I couldn’t have fathomed that years later, someone would perform this song live at our wedding.

With this, I leave you to discover some more tunes that are meant to be shared and made memories with. Check out This Is Us now on Spotify!