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Link to original post: [drupal=3343]Of Music[/drupal]
I’ve contemplated the subject of music for quite some time. I’ve always loved music, and as time has gone on I’ve loved an increasingly diverse selection of music, to the point that I now have nearly 4,000 (3,824 exactly) songs in my collection.
Yesterday, the subject was broached again, and I figured it was about time I set straight what really ought to be set straight.
A few months back, I was listening to my iPod and an acquaintance asked to see it, as they wanted to scroll through what was on it. I declined, since, as I told them, there is quite a bit of somewhat embarrassing music on there. After one time in 7th grade when someone I didn’t even like asked to see my iPod and I, for some reason, acquiesced, leading to them laughing at me for something which wasn’t even that embarrassing (I believe it was a Weird Al song – odd, but not embarrassing), I refuse to let people see my iPod because it’s simply not worth the bother – I know what music I like, if you want to know what kind of music I like, I can tell you.
Yesterday, I had set my iPod down and was untangling my headphones when I saw the same acquaintance approaching me. I wasn’t even thinking about it, seeing as it had been some time since he wanted to see it the last time. He snatched up my iPod and started scrolling through the artists as I tried to grab it back from him.
He got through the “A”s before I finally got him to give it back. Of course, the first thing he saw was one of the more embarrassing artists in my list, the A-Teens. He also saw the All-American Rejects (I didn’t really think that was embarrassing, but…), and maybe some other artists, which he didn’t make any note of.
Now every time he sees me he just looks at me and says “A-Teens.”
This blog isn’t just a rant about how butthurt I am from people finding out I have music like that on my iPod, though. It’s about why that music should be “embarrassing” in the first place, or rather, why it shouldn’t be.
Last time I checked, your tastes in music are not chosen. I hear Anberlin’s “(*Fin)” and feel very emotional from it; I listen to Clock Town Day 2’s music and feel light and terrified at the same time; I hear Tool's music and I get a mysterious vibe; I hear “Twister” from the TWEWY soundtrack and get caught up in the beat. But not everyone hears the same thing in music. I’ve talked to people who find Anberlin to sound generic; I know people who find Clock Town’s music to be solely relaxing; I would imagine not everyone would be able to enjoy Tool's music, as it certainly has a different sound to it; one of my friends absolutely loathes all of TWEWY’s music.
No one’s wrong there, it’s just a matter of taste. Am I wrong in loving salt & vinegar potato chips while I have a friend who finds them repulsive? No, because there are opinions on both sides.
Furthermore, I build connections to songs. There is a strong nostalgic bond with much of the music I have. I remember when I first heard the A-Teens on Nickelodeon back in the day, performing a cover of “Dancing Queen”, going on Nick’s site and voting for them with my sisters. I recall the good old days when I would dance to music by the A-Teens with my cousins and sisters. Angels & Airwaves’ entire I-Empire album brings back memories of hanging out in The Custom Pokémon Shop, spriting, through the whole summer of ’08, because I just got the album towards the start of the summer and listened to it a ton during the summer.
A very large portion of my music, on top of being enjoyable to me as music, makes me feel nostalgic, which only furthers my enjoyment.
As far as the All-American Rejects go, I’m pretty sure the guy only had a problem with that because he’s one of those “I don’t like music that’s at all mainstream, I’m going to go listen to my emo rock music now” type of people.
But why bash the A-Teens? If you close yourself off to music because it’s “uncool” or something, you’re a complete fool, and you’re only hurting yourself.
I don’t particularly care if people look down upon me anyway, as anyone who looks down upon you for liking a certain artist, album, song, or genre is close-minded (yes, even if it’s Miley Cyrus – and this is coming from someone who loathes her and her music); I do, however, keep the types of artists subject to judgment to myself because I simply don’t feel like putting up with idiots, and because it’s impossible to reason with some people and get them to understand that there’s nothing wrong with liking what I like.
To sum up, here’s what I’m saying:
Like whatever music you want to like. If you listen to a song and feel a connection to the lyrics, the beat, the emotion you feel from the song, the nostalgia it gives you, or the thrill it gives you – ANY sort of connection to the song – listen to it, add it to your collection, sing it from the rooftops, I don’t care. Just don’t forget the song and not listen to it just because some tool who thinks he or she is cool for looking down on certain types of music says you should.
I apologize as I feel this blog ranted quite a bit and was perhaps even preachy, but I really think this needed to be said, and I've thought of saying it for quite some time now.
I’ve contemplated the subject of music for quite some time. I’ve always loved music, and as time has gone on I’ve loved an increasingly diverse selection of music, to the point that I now have nearly 4,000 (3,824 exactly) songs in my collection.
Yesterday, the subject was broached again, and I figured it was about time I set straight what really ought to be set straight.
A few months back, I was listening to my iPod and an acquaintance asked to see it, as they wanted to scroll through what was on it. I declined, since, as I told them, there is quite a bit of somewhat embarrassing music on there. After one time in 7th grade when someone I didn’t even like asked to see my iPod and I, for some reason, acquiesced, leading to them laughing at me for something which wasn’t even that embarrassing (I believe it was a Weird Al song – odd, but not embarrassing), I refuse to let people see my iPod because it’s simply not worth the bother – I know what music I like, if you want to know what kind of music I like, I can tell you.
Yesterday, I had set my iPod down and was untangling my headphones when I saw the same acquaintance approaching me. I wasn’t even thinking about it, seeing as it had been some time since he wanted to see it the last time. He snatched up my iPod and started scrolling through the artists as I tried to grab it back from him.
He got through the “A”s before I finally got him to give it back. Of course, the first thing he saw was one of the more embarrassing artists in my list, the A-Teens. He also saw the All-American Rejects (I didn’t really think that was embarrassing, but…), and maybe some other artists, which he didn’t make any note of.
Now every time he sees me he just looks at me and says “A-Teens.”
This blog isn’t just a rant about how butthurt I am from people finding out I have music like that on my iPod, though. It’s about why that music should be “embarrassing” in the first place, or rather, why it shouldn’t be.
Last time I checked, your tastes in music are not chosen. I hear Anberlin’s “(*Fin)” and feel very emotional from it; I listen to Clock Town Day 2’s music and feel light and terrified at the same time; I hear Tool's music and I get a mysterious vibe; I hear “Twister” from the TWEWY soundtrack and get caught up in the beat. But not everyone hears the same thing in music. I’ve talked to people who find Anberlin to sound generic; I know people who find Clock Town’s music to be solely relaxing; I would imagine not everyone would be able to enjoy Tool's music, as it certainly has a different sound to it; one of my friends absolutely loathes all of TWEWY’s music.
No one’s wrong there, it’s just a matter of taste. Am I wrong in loving salt & vinegar potato chips while I have a friend who finds them repulsive? No, because there are opinions on both sides.
Furthermore, I build connections to songs. There is a strong nostalgic bond with much of the music I have. I remember when I first heard the A-Teens on Nickelodeon back in the day, performing a cover of “Dancing Queen”, going on Nick’s site and voting for them with my sisters. I recall the good old days when I would dance to music by the A-Teens with my cousins and sisters. Angels & Airwaves’ entire I-Empire album brings back memories of hanging out in The Custom Pokémon Shop, spriting, through the whole summer of ’08, because I just got the album towards the start of the summer and listened to it a ton during the summer.
A very large portion of my music, on top of being enjoyable to me as music, makes me feel nostalgic, which only furthers my enjoyment.
As far as the All-American Rejects go, I’m pretty sure the guy only had a problem with that because he’s one of those “I don’t like music that’s at all mainstream, I’m going to go listen to my emo rock music now” type of people.
But why bash the A-Teens? If you close yourself off to music because it’s “uncool” or something, you’re a complete fool, and you’re only hurting yourself.
I don’t particularly care if people look down upon me anyway, as anyone who looks down upon you for liking a certain artist, album, song, or genre is close-minded (yes, even if it’s Miley Cyrus – and this is coming from someone who loathes her and her music); I do, however, keep the types of artists subject to judgment to myself because I simply don’t feel like putting up with idiots, and because it’s impossible to reason with some people and get them to understand that there’s nothing wrong with liking what I like.
To sum up, here’s what I’m saying:
Like whatever music you want to like. If you listen to a song and feel a connection to the lyrics, the beat, the emotion you feel from the song, the nostalgia it gives you, or the thrill it gives you – ANY sort of connection to the song – listen to it, add it to your collection, sing it from the rooftops, I don’t care. Just don’t forget the song and not listen to it just because some tool who thinks he or she is cool for looking down on certain types of music says you should.
I apologize as I feel this blog ranted quite a bit and was perhaps even preachy, but I really think this needed to be said, and I've thought of saying it for quite some time now.
