My CD collection and history

Graphic by Janet Xiong

My history with CDs began with a small stereo and Taylor Swift’s debut CD. 

I shared a room with my sister when I was little, and I would be filled with quiet excitement when my sister was gone. I would put on a fun outfit, choose a CD, turn the stereo up all the way and jump and dance back and forth from my bed to my sister’s. 

I would lie on my stomach, kicking my feet while flipping through the lyric and photo booklets that come with the CD. It was also always a fun surprise to find that a CD came with a poster. 

The gifts I was most eager to receive on holidays and birthdays were CDs—I usually got a Taylor Swift CD. One year, I got both a “Shake It Up” and a “Victorious” soundtrack CD. 

CDs are now one of my favorite things to thrift. I am still filled with that childlike pang of excitement when I find a CD I have been wanting. One time, I found a “Mamma Mia” soundtrack CD. That was gold. 

My most recent cool find was Janet Jackson’s album “Janet.”

The physical act of choosing a CD, inspecting the state of the disk, blowing off some dust and putting it into a stereo is nostalgic for me. The clicking sound the disk makes when fitting into the stereo is relaxing. 

Sometimes when I play music off my phone, I’m not fully listening to the music. I get dragged into other apps and activities to the point of media multitasking. I’m not present with the music. 

But when I browse my CD collection, I brush my finger down the stack. I grab one that fits my current vibe. The CD clicks open, and I read the artist’s note in the packet. 

The CD buzzes and spins until music starts to play. I am just in my room with the music, untouched by everything else going on. My favorite time to play music on my current CD player is when I am creating something like a collage of a junk journal entry. 

My current highlights are “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” by Lauryn Hill, “So Tonight That I Might See” by Mazzy Star and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel. 

I have stolen a lot of CDs from my dad. I have a couple of CDs by R.E.M., The Beatles, The Smashing Pumpkins and Pixies CDs from him. Plus a Neil Young and a Marvin Gaye CD. I cherish them all. 

My childhood favorite was “Red” by Taylor Swift. That was the best album to jump on my sister's bed with a hairbrush microphone to. 

I continue to collect CDs to hopefully pass those memories on to someone else one day.