Monday Morning Mixtape 021: For the Sky and the Sea, and the Sea and the Sky

Welcome to Monday Morning Mixtape, a PoYB Contributor-curated playlist of songs, made just for you at the start of each week.

"For the Sky and the Sea, and the Sea and the Sky"

Songs for hanging out on the beach by the ocean

chosen by Gloria

Spotify

YouTube

"Beach House" by boy pablo

a single, 2016

Every time my spouse and I take a day trip down the shore, we start our drive with the same song, this song. It's become part of the ritual of it and sets the tone for the day. While I am sure we will be driving to Cape May many weekend days throughout the summer, my favorite time to be at the beach is during fall and winter. There is a stillness then—a peacefulness and solitude that is uniquely beautiful. The Atlantic takes on new textures during these months, and the beach transforms into something quieter and more intimate.  —Gloria

"Great Big Beaches" by Oso Oso

from The Yunahon Mixtape, 2017

I want to do SO GODDAMN MUCH this summer. I know it's not going to happen. Summer plans rarely come to fruition. I go to the beach a couple times per summer, and that's fine. I guess something that I'd put on my Summer List, if I still did such a thing, would be to go to more concerts. "More" could even mean "a concert," since I on average go to zero concerts per month. It's not the sobriety thing anymore, I don't think. It's more... price? Hassle? The most convenient concert I've been to in the past year was the Sunset Rubdown gig at First Unitarian Church. Mostly because it wasn't crowded and tickets were $15. I want to do more that. Just go to mid-card concerts for bands I like more than your average person. I have my eye on Oso Oso's upcoming tour. It's called "The $10 Tour." Guess how much tickets are. Wait, shit, the concert isn't till September 4th, three days after Labor Day. Summer will be over. Whoops, I'm on the wrong mixtape.  —Joe


"Come Sail Away" by Styx

from The Grand Illusion, 1977

In college, I got to practice some nascent filmmaking ability by way of a competition/organization called CampusMovieFest. My movies were... not that good, in hindsight. One of them in particular was maybe more embarrassingly bad than the others, but they were fun and an excuse to learn some hands-on basics. Anyway, the summer after graduation, a bunch of us partook in a competition called the 48 Hour Film Fest, which felt like a harder version of what we did in college. Our assigned genre was "vacation movie" (is that really even a genre? Feels like a subgenre, at best), so we decided to set it down at the beach. We split up into two cars as we headed down to Sea Isle, where one of my aunts had a beach house we could use as HQ for a bit. For some reason, one of my more vivid memories of that experience was belting out "Come Sail Away" as we drove along the Garden State Parkway. They still host 48 Hour Film Festival events in Philly, but nowadays I think it is insane to try making a short film in such a small time frame.  —Batts

"Oceanside" by the Decemberists

from 5 Songs EP, 2001

I was never "afraid of the ocean," despite the charges against me in my youth. It's more of a combination of laziness and mild germaphobia. The ocean felt dirty to me. I know the seaweed that fills the Wildwood ocean isn't actually dirty, and there was never that much trash in there that I could see, but it just felt that way anyway. If I stick my hand in the water and then can't see my hand anymore, then my brain's default reaction is: this is dirty. And then, ya know, it's also just easier to sit on the beach. I don't want to leave my umbrella to get pushed around by some waves. I just want to sit on the goddamn beach and relax. Don't even get me started about life on the beach before kids, either.  —Joe


"So Far Away" by Nine Days

from The Madding Crowd, 2000

A great album from a band that was, for all intents and purposes, a one-hit wonder. I'm sure most people don't know any other Nine Days songs. Including this one. And that's a shame, because they hit that early 2000s nostalgia so good. This is for the moments when you're fourteen again, at the beach with your family, and you'll be a kid forever.  —Zach

"Baller" by Abor & Tynna

from Bittersüß, 2025

There's no reason a song you'd be more likely to hear in a Berlin club can't be played on the beach. Beaches are for dance parties too. This is the song that would be played in the haze of a long night out, at 1:42 AM, when the night still feels like it could last forever. In the morning, you might not remember it, and that's fine. It still elevated your night.

There is still professional baseball in Oakland, Calif. this year, in the form of a Pioneer League baseball team, called the Oakland Ballers.  —Zach


"Feker Libi" by Eden Alene

from HaShir HaBa L'Eurovizion EP, 2020

This week for me is all about being bold. But it's also about tapping into my natural effortlessness. This song—whose title means "My Beloved" in Amharic—is the epitome of grace. Eden Alene dances more naturally than almost anyone. I want to connect to my body, loosen my shoulders, dance freely in front of a huge crowd, not care at all what anyone else thinks. This song is less late-night club music, more sunshine dance party for, say, seven people who dig their toes into the sand.  —Zach

"Carried Away" by Passion Pit

from Gossamer, 2012

I had one friend from fifteen years ago that I haven't spoken to in ten years. It's not like the friendship ended dramatically, we just drifted apart like most people do after X amount of time. Of all the memories that have since faded, I do remember he loved Passion Pit and he loved the Beach. Not the Shore, he said, that was Jersey stuff, but the Beach. I can still remember how pleased he was playing this album for us on the car ride down to OC.  —Sunny

"Down by the Seaside" by Led Zeppelin

from Physical Graffiti, 1975

The biggest difference between drums and guitar is that there are very few secrets to unlock for drums. Hit Barrel Hard is basically what it boils down to. There might be questions about how a specific sound is made, e.g. perhaps how Levon Helm made his drums sound so pastoral and natural on The Band, but if I attempted to play "Up on Cripple Creek" on my own drums, then it wouldn't sound the same for many reasons, but you would at the very least get the gist. Back when I was part of the more infamous garage rock cover band in Rockledge's mid-'00s history, Burholme, I asked our guitarist, Mike, if he thought "Down by the Seaside" would be a good cover to learn. He came back to the next rehearsal and was like, "Yeah, I have no fucking clue how to do that." Which is fair. It's not a matter of skill gaps between Mike and Jimmy Page, it was just that some people could make guitars make specific sounds that felt like a secret.  —Joe


"Flake" by Jack Johnson
from Brushfire Fairytales, 2001

This Jack Johnson album is the only good one. "Flake" strikes that balance between sitting on the beach and feeling deep meaning. Who knew a surfer from Hawaii would make it so big and mainstream? I remember seeing him at the 9:30 Club in D.C. in 2002 and feeling like he was playing for me and me alone.  —Zach


"Feel It All Around" by Washed Out
from Life of Leisure EP, 2009

A controversial theory: Everyone likes Portlandia, even if they don't admit it. Many friends whose senses of humor I respect tell me they don't like the show. But then I name one, two, five sketches, describe them to the friend, and they immediately laugh at the premise, or say "oh, yeah, that one's pretty good." Portlandia forever, baby. 

Portland itself doesn't have ocean beaches, but Cannon Beach is a good one on the Oregon coast, not too far away, if you ever find yourself out there. Make sure to stop off at a Burgerville for a blackberry/marionberry shake on your way. Sip on it as you drive along Route 26, up and over the mountains, before descending towards the ocean. Park your car and walk towards the sand. Once you get there, you'll see Haystack Rock, a karst-like reminder of how no two beaches are the same.  —Zach

"Get Lucky" by Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
from Random Access Memories, 2013

There was an entire summer (the summer of 2013, I believe) where "Get Lucky" stuck in my head for about 75% of the season. This song isn't a bad one to lodge itself into your psyche while enjoying the nightlife down the shore since it kind of feels like an apt anthem. But I've had really fucking annoying songs stuck in head. For example: the current earworm that is afflicting me is a parody song of NBC's NBA theme song "Round Ball Rock" that was given fictional lyrics by SNL in a skit featuring Jason Sudekis and Tim Robinson. That's right, you probably forgot that Tim Robinson spent some time at SNL as a writer and occasional cast member. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to try to see his new movie Friendship, but I'm sure it will please most of his fans.  —Batts


"Wonderwall" by Oasis

from (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, 1995

The stated reason for me learning to play guitar was my interest in music, but if I am being honest, like many young pieces of shit, I held dreams of grandeur. I wanted the attention, and specifically the attention of girls. 

However, those among us who ended up playing in high school or college rock bands will tell you that many women are not necessarily interested in shitty emo bands. 

But one night on the Ocean City boardwalk, it all somehow materialized for me. My only night busking ended as quickly as it began. A police officer approached my guitar case to toss in what I assumed was his ardent appreciation for the performing arts. Instead, he leaned in to violently close the case and rudely told me to fucking beat it. 

Miracle of miracles, some older girls witnessed the injustice I experienced. And they fucking invited me to the beach to play songs for them. Nothing crazy unfolded after that, but there's a certain high I experienced while playing this lame song at the request of people who were cooler than me.  —Sam

"Under the Boardwalk" by the Drifters
a single, 1964

Have you ever been under the Wildwood boardwalk? It's nothing special. It's not the private haven for sweet innocent love that the Drifters make it out to be. It isn't the drug-strewn bacchanalia of homeless erotica that It's Always Sunny makes it out to be either. It's just barren sand and some weeds. And it feels a lot more " out in the open" than you would think. In all my years visiting that shithole town, I've never hung out under the boardwalk. We were getting into enough trouble above the boardwalk, and next to, and in the general vicinity of.  —Joe


"Under the Boardwalk" by the Rolling Stones

from The Rolling Stones No. 2, 1965

I once read a Google review for the Wildwood Boardwalk that read, "Disappointed in the boardwalk, disappointed in New Jersey, disappointed in the United States of America." It's honestly such a mood. Ten or so years later, I still think about it. I quote this review randomly when I am disproportionately disappointed with something. Unfortunately, it is an inside joke I only share with myself, which is, again, you know, disappointing.  —Gloria


"Surfin' U.S.A." by the Beach Boys

from Surfin' U.S.A., 1963

One of the best classic Americana trips I have taken was driving up California's Highway 1 from San Diego to San Francisco. It's an awesome trip taking you past cute little beach towns, by towering redwoods, alongside steep cliffs, and near the coastlines where giant elephant seals bask in the sun. It's easy to get lost in the sheer beauty of it all. And somewhere, during this long, winding drive, as your hair transforms into a bushy, bushy, blonde hairdo from all the salty air pouring through your car's open windows, you will start daydreaming about learning to surf— like really learning beyond those few beginner lessons you’ve had.  —Gloria

"Marinade" by Dope Lemon

from Honey Bones, 2016

It's the summer of 2016, and this album has just come out. I'm in grad school but have the summer off from classes, and I am working in retail. That means that I usually have random weekdays off instead of weekends, and tend to spend a lot of my free time alone. About once a week, I make it a habit to drive to the shore by myself, toting along my portable easel to paint by the ocean. There is a surfer I often see—she surfs alone, looking free, graceful, and strong. Eventually, we started talking. She is about my age, works for a catering company, and, strangely enough, is also named Gloria. We exchange numbers and begin planning our meetings. One day, she cooked dinner for me with vegetables grown in her small garden, after eating, we sat outside and I told her the myths about the constellations above us in the summer sky. I can so clearly remember the feeling of being 25 and dying to spend my nights kissing the ocean's salt off the skin of a girl who shared my name.  —Gloria

"Sea Ghost" by the Unicorns

from Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?, 2003

I think that not believing in ghosts makes me a more boring person. It's not something I rub in people's faces. I'm not gonna lie when asked about it, but I also am not too harsh in my dismissal. I hope. Because I understand the underlying joy in believing in the mysteries of the universe. To think that there are ghosts out there makes the world more interesting, which generally brings joy to those who believe. My parents had a squirrel trapped in their attic one time. It was clearly a squirrel, but there was also some conversation, prior to the squirrel's capture, about whether it was actually a ghost. I'm not gonna lie, I keep pushing the "ghost squirrel" inside joke, years and years later, e.g. something goes missing in their house and I'll be quick to say "it must have been the ghost squirrel!!!" Maybe I do rub it in people's faces. Shit.  —Joe


"Riding the Fourth Wave" by Catch 22

from Keasbey Nights, 1998

One genre of music that does not get its due is the sea shanty. I wish there were more pop jams set to the tin whistle and accordion of the ancient mariner. Fortunately, only one letter separates "sea" from "ska." I am pleased that Catch 22 has bridged that gap for us.  —Sam

"We Will Vacation, You Can Be My Parasol" by Be Your Own Pet

from Be Your Own Pet, 2006

There was a minor hubbub last year in North Wildwood, NJ. The powers that be (I don't know what the structure of the local political system is in that town, but I assume the mayor was involved) decided that, due to shrinking beach widths, there would be NO MORE CANOPIES allowed on the beach for the summer. Just umbrellas. Which doesn't make sense on a few levels, not the least of which being that there was no limit on umbrellas and so all this was gonna do was force me to get four umbrellas to the beach instead of my normal canopy. The other thing that doesn't make sense suddenly makes a lot more sense when you understand that Wildwood is by and large a MAGA town. Then you understand that these idiots would rather ban canopies than acknowledge that global warming is gonna swallow up this fucking place eventually. Can't keep voting in environment-wrecking felons into the White House and pretend that you aren't contributing to your own demise. (The canopy ban didn't last till July.)  —Joe


"Swim and Sleep (like a Shark)" by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

from II, 2013

The most incredible feeling is to spend the day in the ocean, take a shower outside, wash the sand out of your hair and salt from your body, and then take a nap on clean, cool cotton sheets with a box fan propped in your open window while it is still sunny outside. As you fall asleep, you still feel the rock of the waves—like the ocean just activated the water inside of you and is calling you back to be a part of it. Like your cells' amino acids and nucleotides longing to return to the primordial soup where life may have first evolved, the only place you've ever felt at home or at peace or like life was infinitely full of potential.  —Gloria


"Moby Dick" by Led Zeppelin

from Led Zeppelin II, 1969

Another instrumental! Or maybe the first depending on MMM's schizophrenic randomization patterns. I am self-conscious about playing music on the beach, as I would prefer not to annoy my fellow sand-dwellers. Of course, that courtesy is not extended back to me, and tunes often frequent pack the dunes. Anyway, on the beach, I enjoy songs I can readily place, but can also ignore. This song has a nautical theme and can easily wash over you while some bros are crushing Sea Isle Spiked Iced Tea.  —Sam

"Short Court Style" by Natalie Prass

from The Future and the Past, 2018

Somewhere I remember Joe saying he saw Natalie Prass live. This song makes me smell the beach. Grilled meat, cold beer, arcades, roller coasters if you're at Coney Island. It's mid-June, before the summer solstice, and it's obvious the summer will last forever. There are no back-to-school ads on TV to ruin your life. The days are getting longer, not shorter. Sometimes I wish we could freeze time. But God didn't make the world that way. So we just have to "stay in the moment." Which feels impossible. I say I'm working on it, but then I watch the highlights of another Orioles loss and another twelve minutes of my life go by. Endless potential, and when will it be realized?  —Zach

"Sunshine State" by Pixey

from Sunshine State EP, 2021

Sometimes it can be hard to articulate why you feel a certain way about a song. Maybe it's the title or the album cover or the lyrics. Or sometimes it might just be something so hyper-specific, such as the first moment you heard the song while driving and how you now associate it with the view you saw on the road at that specific time of year. And maybe it's all of the above! Others might say "Really? This makes you think of THAT??" But who cares about what other people think? You know that connection, even if it only makes sense to just you, and that's good enough.  —Batts

"The Sea Is a Good Place to Think About the Future" by Los Campesinos!

from Romance Is Boring, 2010

I am thinking about my future even though I am not currently at the sea at the time of this typing. I don't know what will be different about it. The kids will grow older, and technically that will affect my future, but that's more about their futures than mine. My future? What will be different? Same job, same house, same day-to-day. Maybe someone important's future will cease to exist, an end to all future for a mayor or a president, and my own future will shift, mostly for the better but also in some ways for the worse. I am not sitting by the sea and I'm thinking about my future and I don't foresee a future any significantly different than my present, sitting here on the couch, typing. It's possible that I should be at the beach instead.  —Joe


"Sauvie Island" by Viv & Riley

from Imaginary People, 2023

You can go pick berries on Sauvie Island. You can also sit by the river, at a beach. My favorite non-ocean beach isn't in Oregon, though. It's in upstate New York, by the Great Sacandaga Lake, so far away from my life now. A world of motorboats and water skiing and Fourth of July fireworks. If I had picked just a slightly different path in life, I'd look good on LinkedIn, and I'd go up to my uncle's camp on that lake every summer. Instead, I'm sitting here next to people yelling at each other, with rockets flying overhead and bombs being dropped nearby. I'm not complaining. I chose this life. But the pull of America on vacation is strong. Life that way isn't easier, though. Easy is an illusion and "every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."  —Zach

NEXT WEEK: "Twins [1988] Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito" — Pairs of songs that have the same exact title but don't sound anything like each other at all (chosen by Joe)