Now, the making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art. Many do’s and don’ts. First of all you’re using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing. – Rob Gordon (High Fidelity)

Ahh, the playlist–that de facto descendant of the mix tape–using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel. This is an art form I’ve enjoyed from an early age, but playlists are sometimes (often!) too personal to share with the world at large. Even so, one day I was feeling foolish and listening to music and thought to myself, “Wow, clowns and fools feature prominently in song lyrics. Wouldn’t it be interesting to have a playlist devoted to thinking about the meaning of clowns and fools?” And this concept was born.

Ideally, the playlists should stand on their own. But I also wanted to provide my own commentary, provided in the following pages. The list of songs is a start, but a good playlist can send chills down your spine with sublime segues and provoke new lines of thinking about songs through contrast. The songs I select heavily favor my personal journey through the stacks but should pull from a wide variety of genre.

I hope you enjoy!