The night was young, drinks were purchased, and the beer pong table was ready to be played on. The only thing I wasn’t prepared for, and quite possibly the most important piece to the party, was the music. Similar to a good DJ, a good music playlist can save a party from disaster. Here was my experience:

Let me first start off by explaining myself. I’ve never been the friend who gets excited because a musician is coming into town to perform — or that person you ask what new music they’re listening to. That being said, I’m also the last guy to ever select the music for a road trip, or in this case, my own party. This is where my friend Sarah comes in.

Sarah, like many of my good friends, has a talent for selecting music everyone can enjoy. Knowing she would be attending my little get together, I asked her to come over a bit earlier so she could help create a playlist for the party. Little did I know that relying on her to get the jams going for the night’s festivities was a big mistake. Sarah ran into a little snag and wasn’t able to make the party due to her car not starting — and no was willing to drive and pick her up west of the 405. If you live in LA, you’d understand.

After taking a moment to reassess the situation, and going over in my head how horrible the party would be with awkward silence, a light bulb flicked on. I remembered that Sarah had a kick-ass playlist (see Spotify embed to the left) from her party a few weeks ago. Without coming off too selfish, I ever-so-politely asked her if she would send over the playlist even though she wasn’t able to make the party. Thankfully she was happy to share the list with me and act as a virtual DJ from her home.

It was definitely one of my favorite nights to remember. Thanks, Sarah.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Spotify via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Spotify.