The End Credits of Your Life

While browsing through some of Songza’s quirky new playlists the other night, I wondered to myself,

If this day was a television episode in the story of your life, what song do you think should accompany its end credits?

I often joke with my co-founder following any triumphant business move that the end credits of that particular day should close out like they do in these two clips:

We all have a playlist of songs queued up to close out the episodes of our lives. Perhaps you’ve reached a new milestone in the gym; perhaps you got that job you thought you surely lost; perhaps you’re on the verge of a breakup; perhaps you’re still trying to figure your life out. Whatever season the “you show” is on, there’s no shortage of songs suited to reinforce its themes and underscore its story arcs.

Last season, my show took a minor melancholic twist: I broke up with a girlfriend and found myself simultaneously falling out with one of my boys. My end credits were being backed by self-loathing, synth-laden tracks like this and this.

No bueno.

I had to reevaluate the type of show I was trying to produce. I decided I was done producing boring melodramas and wanted to go back to producing an upbeat comedy/underdog story. A few tweaks later, my end credits are now thankfully being backed by songs like this and this.

It’s amazing how a dash of musical motivation can enhance the power of suggestion. If you’re not happy with the direction that your show is going in, shake it up; talk to your audience; re-write your script; fire troublesome cast members; hire a badass crew; change the filming location; do what gotta do. You are, ultimately, the producer.

Start production of each episode (the duration is up to you – is an episode of your life 1 day? 1 week? 1 month? 1 year?) by asking yourself:

How do I want the next episode of my life to end, and what song do I want accompanying its end credits?

Then do whatever it takes to get the song to play against an imaginary black title screen with the words “PRODUCED BY ME.”