Be Kind: Rewind is a Blockbuster song. A full, sincere, completely committed love letter to the Friday night ritual of piling into the car, walking through those sliding doors, and spending forty-five minutes arguing over four tapes.
The laminated rewards card. The fluorescent lights. Dad mentally calculating late fees the entire time. Mom’s little frown when he announced the number. The guilty pleasure movie that made it into the bag every single Friday without fail.
“Dad’s tally of late fees, Mom’s little frown, but we’d still leave with joy written all over town.” That line is my actual childhood.
The production is a very specific 90s pop cocktail: bubbly pop bounce, big emotional chorus soar, full girl-group anthemic power, all crashing together in a Blockbuster parking lot. The verses are airy. The chorus takes off completely.
Here is the truth this song keeps pointing at: the arguing in the aisles WAS the family night. The negotiation was the connection. The friction of choosing together was the whole point and we didn’t know it until it was gone.
What movie did your family always end up renting? Tell me everything.
Stream Mixtape Mindset on Spotify and Apple Music!
Leave a Reply