Is love really a mix tape?

I currently have three mix tapes on the go... and one 3 album swap. I'm firmly residing in music research heaven and hell all at the same time.

Whilst I drag my sorry ass across my own library and those of the good people at the AV Club, NME etc ad nauseum... I consider the time and effort I am putting in to each of these discs and arrive at the question posed by many a teenage girl before me - Is love really a mix tape?

Basing the answer on my own experiences of making and receiving, the maker at the very least wants the receivee to think their cool.

One never hands over a mix containing Michael Bolton's seminal soft rock classic "How Can We Be Lovers" unless of course the title of the mix is "Soft Rock by Cocks".

How far you read into each track of course, is dependant on the person. If the shy guy at work hands you a mix with Hall & Oates "You Make My Dreams Come True" on it - JOY; if your ex hands you a mix with "Where The Wild Roses Grow" or something by Pantera...hmmm run.

In primary school a boy once rang my bestie and played Guns & Roses "Patience" down the line in order to get him to go out with her...a live mix tape...ballsy.

In conclusion...I think the proof is in the mixed pudding. If it's a disc full of awesomeness (including at least one cover and one classic) then you've got your self some love there. If the disc features three songs by the one artist, the mixmaster either needs some schoolin...or probably just doesn't like you all that much.