There was nothing that was more fun then putting together a mix tape to give to a friend, boyfriend or make for myself so I could play my favorite songs without interruption or without having to remove a tape to put in another. Making mixed tapes was a fun and personal activity. As was recording music countdowns, with the challenge of starting and stopping the tape recording, during the commercial breaks or the DJ’s voice.
But when those j-cards came out in cassette boxes, with lyrics on them, singing to my favorite cassettes with the lyrics in hand, was a monumental moment in my love of the cassette tape and in music all together.
I was, and still am, that girl who makes up lyrics to songs when I don’t actually know the lyrics. Of course, there are many songs that are talked about with mistaken lyrics, but I started to convert my unknowingness of a song when they put these “cheat sheets” of lyrics into cassettes into sort of knowing them…or at least pretending to! Thank you for whoever invented these inserts with lyrics!
Here’s a story of the key moments of cassette tapes. I can relate to this article all too well.
ALSO READ: THE LAST CASSETTE FACTORY