You Should Make Out More. This Playlist Can Help
Studies confirm it!
There are few things I love more than music and making out, never mind doing them at the same time. That’s the closest thing to heaven I’ve ever felt. Like the thing that makes being alive worth it.
There's a moment when the perfect song meets the perfect kiss, and suddenly you're not just on Earth anymore – you're somewhere between heaven and the cosmos, surfing on the soundwaves in the ether to a Led Zeppelin guitar solo. I've spent years collecting these moments, curating them into what might be the best makeout playlist you'll ever experience. Maybe. It also could just be a me thing, which would be very embarrassing after all this hype.
But before we dive in, let’s acknowledge how horribly, horribly horrible it is to have the wrong music playing. As beautiful as making out to music is, there’s also a deeply troubling shadow side. Let me tell you about the time I learned what not to play during a makeout session. This one time in high school, I was about to make out with this real rock n’ roller looking guy in the music room after school, but then he started serenading me and sang “Wild Horses” by The Rolling Stones whilst on the piano bench. Only problem was, he kept singing “white horses” because he didn’t know the lyrics and also that’s, like… not a hot song at all. Also, this was acapella. And it was like… really quiet. And eerie. And intimate for all the wrong reasons. The fluorescent overhead lights suddenly got way too bright. My uniform got scratchy out of nowhere. I had to rapidly dissociate to cope, so I ended up just oddly staring into space for, like, way too long and we didn’t make out. Or when this guy once played Clarity by Zedd and tried to make out with me when the beat dropped after he TRACED MY LIPS WITH HIS TONGUE like it was the Mickey Mouse face that Disney channel stars used to trace with that stick right after they said “...and you’re watching Disney Channel.”
But when it’s right. It’s so right. It’s. So. Right. It’s like your souls are two inches in front of you at a private concert also making out in the ether. The first time I ever really enjoyed a makeout session, I had already been playing music. I had a little floral record player I got from Urban Outfitters (cue the image of me holding the record like that and judge me, it’s fine, I understand.) It was playing the live Led Zeppelin album The Song Remains the Same.
I was with a guy who looked like the best of the ‘70s and the ‘90s came together — large lapels and frosted tips (I know this isn’t helping, but trust, he was hot). His back is resting on the wall behind us, one leg sprawled out, one knee bent so he can rest his arm on it. He looks like the cover of an album I would’ve played on repeat.
“This song is called No Quarter,” Robert Plant announces from the record player and the eerie intense keyboard blasts from the tinny speakers and swirls through the incense-heavy air. I feel like I’m in an altered state of consciousness — like we’re underwater on a different planet. Everything is heavy, a good kind of heavy. Like the warm feeling in your body after consuming the perfect amount of red wine. It was the first time I was able to get out of my head and into my body, even if it didn't last, but that’s not the point. In this case, I think I was making out with Jimmy Page's guitar solo more than the person, but it was a taste of heaven, and actually what I consider a spiritual experience.
THAT SAID, if you’re anything like me, you kinda cringe at the thought of “setting the mood” and get weirdly embarrassed choosing a song just to have a good makeout time. (No for real, why does that make my cheeks hot? Like, so embarrassing, like the same feeling of walking up to someone on a date who is already there or in their car. Anyone? Anyone? Just me?)
Anyway, that’s why I made this playlist. It starts kinda slow, brooding, and sexy and you can play it far before any makeout sessions have begun and spare yourself, but still enjoy the magic of the make out when it starts to happen.
Here’s my challenge to you: try having a makeout session. Not sex, no pressure to do anything else, just makeout for a really really long time. I seriously, genuinely, whole-heartedly feel that if we all did this, the world would be a better place.
In fact, even science says so!! Making out has a bunch of benefits backed by research. It releases feel-good hormones like oxytocin, endorphins, and dopamine – which reduces anxiety, provides natural pain relief and a mood boost, and activates the brain’s reward system. The increased heart rate from passionate kissing supports cardiovascular health, while saliva production during kissing helps with oral hygiene and potentially boosts immunity. AKA if you needed more of a reason other than just making out, get on it!!
So, what I’m trying to say is you’re welcome. To just simply kiss is one of the main reasons I think the “honeymoon” phase is so fucking fantastic. To me, to be immersed in someone and move with them like that is even more intimate than sex sometimes. To take the expectation of sex out of the equation and just flow is really…. Odd. It can catch you off guard, but so is everything else that’s magical.
Like any good makeout session this playlist takes you on a journey — slow deep and brooding to lighthearted and ethereal. Have fun.
And if this isn’t your flavor, totally fine. Then tell me what is because I’m always looking for different experiences.
What would you add to the makeout playlist? I wanna know because the longer the playlist is, the better ;)
While editing this piece I was listening to Pelican's instrumental doom metal album, What We All Come to Need. Very loudly. It's wonderful for editing, but if you're looking to get romantical, I suggest Ani's playlist
Omg, thank you for the oxytocin boost. This is EXACTLY the post I needed to read today (election anxiety running sky high). You’re so right, absolutely nothing hotter than a long make out session to a good playlist!