Don’t worry; this isn’t a call for help and I’m not feeling homesick!
Any opportunity to write about travelling whilst enforcing my musical opinions on people is one that I’ll take, so when Kylie of Cornish Kylie got in touch with me asking if I was interested in putting a Mixed Up Mixtape post together there was only ever going to be one answer!
Kylie’s theme this week is ‘homesickness’ – something that I am fortunate enough to have not experienced all that much of so far. There have, from time to time, been a few moments where I find myself missing the comforts of home and – of course – the people. I suppose the five songs below are ones that represent these things.
Kid British – Piccadilly Gardens
“So if I go far away, and my head starts to sway, my heart always thinks of home…”
This song surely resonates with anyone who grew up in the north of England. There’s mentions of your mood being swayed by the weather (how true?) and the local tap water making you feel at home – which reminds me how much I hate not being able to quickly grab a glass of water from the tap here in Asia!
Stereophonics – Traffic
“Is anyone going anywhere? Everyone’s gotta be somewhere…”
A nice reminder that whenever I choose to return home, I’ll have a lot of great people and things to come back to.
Eels – Where I’m From
“Ran far away, but I have to admit; sometimes I miss where I’m from…”
Eels are a band that, due to things in my personal life, I’ve had a real affinity with over the past year of so. I find myself relating to so many of their songs but none more so than this one – which essentially says that no matter what your reason for leaving home, it’s ok to return every now and then.
The Rifles – The Great Escape
“Today could be the day you might make a change, lock yourself in doors and plan a getaway…”
Seize the moment and do whatever the hell you want to do to make yourself happy – pretty much exactly what I’m doing right now.
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Road Trippin’
“Road trippin’ with my two favourite allies, fully loaded we’ve got snacks and supplies…”
This song always reminds me of some great nights or weekends I’ve had with my mates, where we’ve jumped in the car (impulsively or not) and headed off for an adventure. Whether it was a random jaunt to Burnley Tesco or a weekend away in Edinburgh, a good time would be had by all!
What songs would you add to a ‘homesickness’-themed mixtape. Let me know!
Rambling Northerner 
Loved listening to your mixtape! I’ve never heard Kid British before so that was a nice discovery… although I have to say the tap water in Cornwall tastes better than anywhere else!! I LOVE Eels too so that was nice to see in there. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Cheers Kylie!
Sadly Kid British broke up at the end of 2012 but one of the members is doing quite well as a solo artist under the name Bipolar Sunshine – worth checking out!
Yeah, I’ve become a huge Eels fan over the last year or so. Got a huge amount of time and respect for Mark Oliver Everett.
Reblogged this on cornishkylie and commented:
A certain Rambling Northerner put a mixtape together for this week’s Mixed up Mixtapes: homesickess. Check out the soundtrack to his life!