Because it's Friday, let's indulge in a little bit of nostalgia, shall we? If you've been looking for the perfect soundtrack to fill your upcoming weekend, look no further than birthday playlist generator Retrojam. It will quite literally provide with the soundtrack to which your entire life has taken place. For reals. All those one-hit wonders you loved when you were 12 and forgot about... that song that launched that now internationally-famous superstar everyone adores... the comeback song from a band everyone had all but forgetten... they're all here. It's not Throwback Thursday anymore, but who says Flashback Friday can't be a thing?
Like most online generators, Retrojam is super easy to use; all you need to do is input your birthday (month, day, and year), click the big, blue "GO!" button, and voila! You'll be whisked away to a magical place full of Spotify playlists for each year of your life. I didn't listen to a whole lot of '80s music when I was a kid and I still don't listen to a lot of it now, so my first five playlists are mostly full of things I don't feel one way or the other about — but after that? Hoo boy. So music. Such nostalgia. Wow.
Although Retrojam is all kinds of awesome, it does have one major failing: You can't personalize it beyond the date at which it begins. That means that it doesn't account for anything outside the standard educational path, and it ends after whatever year people your age typically graduate college. Didn't go to college? Too bad; your playlists include ones for each of those four years anyway. Went to grad school? As far as Retrojam is concerned, you didn't. It would generate playlists for any other notable life events, either: The year you entered the workforce, the year you met your life partner or got married, the year you had your first kid, the year you quit your job and traveled the world until the money ran out, and so on. Because of its limitations, the musical snapshot Retrojam provides will always be incomplete.
That said, though, it's still pretty cool; if you like having your nostalgia buttons pressed, you'll probably get a kick out of it. Here are a few highlights from playlists; head on over to Retrojam to compile your own.
Birthday Playlist: Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds (1985)
Second Grade Playlist: All That She Wants by Ace of Bass (1993)
Fifth Grade Playlist: One Headlight by The Wallflowers (1996)
Seventh Grade Playlist: One Week by Barenaked Ladies (1998)
High School Junior Year Playlist: A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton (2003)
College Freshman Year Playlist: Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day (2004)
College Senior Year Playlist: Umbrella by Rihanna (2007)
Images: Garageolimpo/Flickr; Giphy
