The second entry into our series "Paired Playlists: Songs Inspired by 'Paired'". This week we are pleased to welcome artist Empty Heaven and the song "Pump-Up Playlist."
We asked Empty Heaven to describe the thought process that went into the writing of "Pump-Up Playlist":
In the first episode of "Paired," Harriet is getting ready for a date. Her phone is giving her information about her upcoming evening at the esteemed eatery Buffalo Wild Wings, while also playing her "pump-up playlist."
She is clearly nervous, and is considering canceling. The phone acts as her counsel, asking if she wants to go or not. As it happens, her nervousness is not dread; she wants to go very much. Her phone continues the counseling, playing her destress playlist and monitoring her heart rate.
She changes plans with her date, escalating things by inviting them to her place; The text works, and the pump-up playlist resumes. But what if it didn't work? What does a pump-up playlist sound like to the disheartened? My song is an alternate ending to "Harriet's Phone," the episode that started this whole thing.