Song [Selection] Game

Source: Kelsey Smoot

Instructions:

We have played this game in two different formats: conversation and prompts. Both are outlined below.

Song conversation: 

  • One person starts with the AUX cord. That person selects a song to play. 

  • The next person must play a response song that is informed by anything that was evoked by the previous song (e.g. a theme in the lyrics, the feeling created by the melody, the vibe facilitated by the pace, etc.)

  • Participants take turns until the game reaches a natural conclusion (i.e. when they arrive at their destination)

  • Unless the connection is straightforward (like a song about sunsets is selected in response to a song about sunrises), each participant must explain the logic behind their choice

Song prompts:

  • One person gives another person a prompt (e.g. “Your life is being made into a  movie; what is the song that is played during the climax in the trailer? The tension is rising and something exciting is about to happen.)

  • The other person chooses the desired song to play

  • After playing their song, they provide the other participant a prompt (e.g. “The love of your life has broken up with you and it's that quintessential moment when you're outside with a boombox trying to get them back. What song will you play?”)

  • Participants take turns offering prompts and selecting responsive songs until the game reaches a natural conclusion (i.e. when they arrive at their destination)

Praxis (why + theory):

In this game, we gain unique insight into someone’s inner-self by learning what they like to listen to within certain contexts through the hypotheticals we create. In many ways, the prompts are just as revelatory as the song played in response. Ultimately, the game facilitates a cultural exchange through the introduction of new songs and fosters intimacy between participants as logic gives way to personal stories or testimonies (e.g. “I chose this song because I actually played it for my ex-partner after our first fight”). Either that, or a song the other person knows is played and the two are now singing along together. Thus, through music we articulate our interior lives to another person, and form the inside jokes that we never forget.