A certain someone has asked me to put together a CD for her, so this weekend I’m having my High Fidelity moment and rummaging through the ol’ collection to put together something worthy of entry in my top 5 compilations for grrls I’m very, very interested in.

Few things are bigger deal breakers than a potential beau’s taste (or lack of it) in music. I remember going back for “coffee” with someone and browsing the CDs at her flat, shuddering as I realised I was on the verge of shagging someone with Craig David, George Michael and Robbie Williams albums in their collection (Bramble’s saving grace was that at least she had a Calexico CD in the hovel she resided at).

There wasn’t going to be any future in stepping out with someone whose record collection was worse than my mother’s. My mum has gone through some bizarre phases in her music taste, from Cliff Richard to Mel C (“the only one out of the Spice Girls who can really sing!”), to Will Young and, ahem, 5ive (just don’t ask...). And now she likes Amy Winehouse...

I’m not sure if I’ve ever gone out with someone whose musical taste I’ve felt entirely comfortable with. We all have our guilty pleasures but... Charlotte Church? Mott the Hoople? Smashing Pumpkins. No, no and NO!

Of course, this CD is in many ways more for me than her - all she’s going to do is listen to it. I’m the one agonising over how I should start things off (high-tempo opener or a faded-up slow burner?), whether any songs smack of tokenistic inclusion (can’t let it be too many white boys playing guitars and singing harmonies, right?) or wondering how much my taste has actually broadened since back in the day the sixteen-year-old TKK was head to toe in denim and ducking bottles of piss at the Donnington Monsters of Rock festival.

There’s also the risk of putting songs on there which might have some real personal significance and then having them summarily dismissed (I’d think I’d sooner hear “I tend to think of you as a friend...” than having my favourite tunes pissed on).

As I also really like this person, I’m screening the lyrics of the tracks in case it comes across as some big exercise in subliminality (the last thing I’d want to do with someone I really like is give her the impression I really like her, right?). So songs mentioning love n’ stuff are out. Songs about suicide, death, eating disorders and life in prison are in.

Hmm. Maybe I should just play it safe and save exposing my soul for another day.

*downloads the torrent for Mel C’s Northern Star album from the Pirate Bay and readies a blank CD-R *