Deep Cuts

The year is 2000. University of California, Berkeley students Joe Morrow and Percy Marks meet when Joe spots Percy singing along to a pop song at a bar. When the song “Sara Smile” by Hall and Oates starts playing, Joe comments that it is a perfect song. Percy disagrees and calls it a perfect track, arguing that a perfect song can be played differently and still sound great because it has “stronger bones.”

Percy returns to her friends, Megan and Trent, at a booth, where they are planning a house party. Megan and Trent saw Percy talking to Joe, whom they recognized as the boyfriend of Zoe Gutierrez. Percy is disappointed that Joe is spoken for because she finds his reactions endearing. Megan alerts Percy to the presence of her former co-workers, the staff at Amoeba Music, a record store in Berkeley. Percy was mortified by her past work experience because of how snobbish the staff members were, but she is relieved to see that a particular colleague, Neil, is not among the group.

After Trent and Megan leave, Joe asks Percy to name a perfect song. They debate over Percy’s answer—“In My Life” by the Beatles—and bond over their shared love of music.