Dear listeners,
Surprise: There’s a birthday party in your inbox! Today we’re celebrating two years of The Amplifier, with — what else? — a themed playlist.
On March 21, 2023, I sent out the first installment of this newsletter, introducing myself with 11 songs that explain my musical perspective and asking readers to submit some of their own favorite tracks. In the time since, I’ve sent out nearly 200 playlists, shared thousands of songs and received countless submissions when I’ve asked Amplifier readers to generate their own soundtracks. The community we’ve created together is vibrant and reciprocal: I may have discovered as much new music through your recommendations as you have through mine.
Today’s playlist honors the Amplifier’s second birthday with eight tracks that feature the word “two” in the title. In keeping with The New York Times style guide, I stuck with songs that spell out the word “two,” so my apologies to Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” and Beyoncé’s “II Hands II Heaven,” among plenty of other greats that didn’t make the cut. But you will hear classics from the Beatles, Dolly Parton and Bruce Springsteen, as well as more recent and lesser-known tracks from indie singer-songwriters like Mitski and Flock of Dimes.
This anniversary is also ushering in a new chapter for this newsletter. Starting next week, I’ll be taking a few months off to finish the manuscript of a book I’ve been working on. I’ll miss making these playlist and corresponding with you all, but I’m incredibly excited to get one step closer to a lifelong goal of publishing my first book. Once I’m back, I’ll update you on my progress — and probably share my writing playlist with you, too.
While I’m out, I have a wonderful lineup of guest writers who will be sending out their own newsletters and playlists each Tuesday, and I’m thrilled for you to see (and hear) what they have in store.
Thanks to each and every one of you who has read this newsletter, sampled our playlists and reached out to give us feedback. As always, happy listening.
In which Doris gets her oats,
Lindsay
Listen along while you read.
1. The Beatles: “Two of Us”
Paul McCartney wrote the lyrics to this opening cut from “Let It Be” about his travels with his soon-to-be wife Linda, but plenty of Beatles fans also hear it as a reflection on his long and winding creative partnership with John Lennon. The footage of them recording this song — straight to tape! — was one of my favorite scenes in Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary “Get Back.”
2. Dolly Parton: “Two Doors Down”
In this perky 1977 hit from Parton’s pop crossover era, the narrator is nursing a broken heart when she hears a raucous party happening in an apartment several units over. “I think I’ll dry these useless tears and get myself together,” she sings. “I think I’ll wander down the hall and have a look around.” There, she finds the cure for what’s ailing her: a new man.
3. Flock of Dimes: “Two”
I forgot how much I love this song until I was wracking my brain for “two” tunes for this playlist. Flock of Dimes is the solo project of the very talented multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Jenn Wasner, who also plays in the indie-rock duo Wye Oak. In this stirring single from her excellent 2021 album, “Head of Roses,” she muses on the difficulty of staying connected to her individual identity while in a relationship: “Can I be one? Can we be two? Can I be for myself, still be with you?”
4. Stacey Q: “Two of Hearts”
As sweet and fizzy as pink champagne, this 1986 dance-pop hit by Stacey Q (formerly of the fun new wave group SSQ) celebrates the upside of drawing a low card.
5. Mary Wells: “Two Lovers”
Written by Smokey Robinson, like many of Mary Wells’s defining hits, this 1963 Motown track features a playful narrative twist. “I’ve got two lovers, and I ain’t ashamed,” Wells sings on the chorus, before introducing us to that pair of paramours during the song’s verses. One is “sweet and kind”; the other treats her badly. The big reveal comes on the bridge: “You’re a split personality, and in reality — both of them are you.”
6. Bruce Springsteen: “Two Hearts”
A fitting title for a track on a double album, the rousing rocker “Two Hearts” appears on Springsteen’s 1980 epic “The River” and has since become a live staple. “I believe in the end that two hearts are better than one,” Springsteen sings. That’s just math!
7. Mitski: “Two Slow Dancers”
The singer-songwriter Mitski begins this final track on her 2018 album, “Be the Cowboy,” with a potent olfactory question: “Does it smell like a school gymnasium in here?” While that might not sound like the most romantic setup for a love song, “Two Slow Dancers” is indeed a sparse, swooning and ultimately poignant ode to aging slowly alongside someone else. “We’re just two slow dancers, last ones out,” Mitski sings, creating a vivid image in which a pair of figures meld into one.
8. Grover Washington Jr. featuring Bill Withers: “Just the Two of Us”
Finally, the saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. and the singer-songwriter Bill Withers make a great team on this seven-minute smooth-jazz smash from 1981. If you’re short on time, you could listen to the radio edit — but then you’d miss out on that extended steel drum solo!
The Amplifier Playlist
“The Power of ‘Two:’ An Anniversary Playlist” track list
Track 1: The Beatles, “Two of Us”
Track 2: Dolly Parton, “Two Doors Down”
Track 3: Flock of Dimes, “Two”
Track 4: Stacey Q, “Two of Hearts”
Track 5: Mary Wells, “Two Lovers”
Track 6: Bruce Springsteen, “Two Hearts”
Track 7: Mitski, “Two Slow Dancers”
Track 8: Grover Washington Jr. featuring Bill Withers, “Just the Two of Us”
Bonus Tracks
Speaking of the power of two, here’s a bonus Indigo Girls classic that I almost forgot.
Plus, Jack Harlow and Doja Cat make quite the pair on this week’s Friday Playlist, which also features new tracks from Morgan Wallen, Japanese Breakfast, Debby Friday and more. Listen here.
The post The Power of ‘Two’: An Anniversary Playlist appeared first on New York Times.
