Throughout the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic last weekend, there was an indescribable something in the air. Was it the sweet scent of hope? Rays of joy beamed from smiling faces, and the hardiest among us were even — gasp! — wearing shorts. In other words, it felt a whole lot like spring.
All this may lead you to believe that it's finally time to leave the Cabin Fever Playlist behind you. You would, of course, be wrong.
[Note: You need to be logged in to a Spotify account to stream the playlist. You can sign up free here.]
As you may well know by now, it's made for the cold: 90 songs fit to fix any bad winter mood. Culled from our listeners' recommendations, the playlist has saved its share of icy toes and sofa cushions, pulling people up from the couch and into the warmth of a living room dance party. And with the polar vortex slated for a dreaded return across the U.S. this week, expect these songs to be as handy as ever.
But even when the winter ends — and yes, it will end — rest assured that the Cabin Fever Playlist will live on. It will do so in the many uses that you, our listeners, have found for it.
Take Laurie Bilyeu, for example. She tossed The Boss on the playlist, because Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" can always pump her up to do one thing. "It makes me get up and clean things," Laurie confesses. "OK. That's a little embarrassing. But I have to clean sometimes."
And here at All Things Considered, our director Monika Evstatieva has brought your songs along with her to the gym, putting a very literal twist on the title of Springsteen's song. "This playlist is a great cardio workout."
Lastly, the greatest use of all: The playlist may have the power to heal the sick — at least, according to listener Christine Kuret of Ohio. Earlier this winter, she'd been in bed with the flu, feeling, in her own words, "quite yucky."
Then she heard the playlist.
"Before I knew it," she says, "I was dancing across the bedroom floor. If NPR sold copies of this list, then we'd never have to worry about another fund drive."
Of course, though, we aren't selling it. The Cabin Fever Playlist will remain free forever here and on Spotify, where it will continue to have as many lives as listeners. Thank you sincerely to everyone — nearly 1,000 of you — who wrote in with suggestions. And keep an ear out: More playlists are yet to come.
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