Mystery Mix 2022
It’s that time of year again! Just in time for Christmas, it’s the third installment of my annual mystery mix. First, a word for new followers: This is a version of a game I started several years ago as a stocking stuffer for my family. In that old-school version, I placed an untitled mix CD containing several of my favorite tunes in each of my family’s Christmas stockings. All the tracks on the playlist shared a commonality that was not revealed. The object was to guess the mystery theme. The first person to solve it was the winner. I’ve updated and modernized the procedures over the past decade or so, but the gist of the game remains the same, and my family still gets a lot of enjoyment out of it. And now, for the third year running, I’m posting a puzzle here on the My Back Pages blog for my readers to enjoy.
What follows is a playlist of ten songs—all of which are some of my favorites from the 1960s and early ’70s, but there’s no mystery in that, that just happens to be my favorite musical era. Each of these songs conforms to a very specific commonality. So, listen to the music, study the list, and try to decode the mystery theme. Even if you don’t solve it, I hope you enjoy the eclectic mix of songs and artists; there might be a few you haven’t heard in years.
But, before you begin, here are a few instructions and caveats: Your answer must be submitted via the form below, with the first person sending the correct answer being declared the winner. However, that declaration will not be made until Wednesday, December 28. If you make a submission and have second thoughts about your answer, no problem, there is no limit to how many times you may submit. The accuracy of any submission will not be divulged before a winner is announced. If no correct entries are received by December 28, a hint will be emailed to all participants and the game will continue until a correct answer is received or until the game dies a natural death due to lack of participation. Finally, I would ask that you not spoil things for other participants by revealing your submissions or by discussing possible solutions and giving hints here in the comments section or on Facebook and other public forums.
THE 2022 MYSTERY PLAYLIST
Solution Submission Form
If you’d like, you may revisit my two previous mystery mixes using the buttons below. The solutions to each puzzle can be accessed by following the navigation links at the bottom of each of those pages.
A WORD TO PONDER
stocking (noun): “a close-fitting garment covering the foot and lower leg,” from the 1580s, from stock “leg covering, stocking” (late 15c.), from Old English stocu “sleeve,” related to Old English stocc “trunk, log.” Probably so called because of a fancied resemblance of legs to tree trunks. Restriction of the term to women’s hose is from the 20c.
etymonline.com
A reference to stockings as a receptacle for Christmas presents appeared in 1823 in Clement Clarke Moore’s classic “A Visit From Saint Nicholas,” though the tradition of hanging stockings by the chimney has been an essential part of the European and American Christmas tradition for centuries. The term stocking stuffer was first recorded 1945.
wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_stocking
