Listening Party
I've been teased because of my tendency to like songs based on very minute things.
I'll choose five seconds of a song that I love and it will be the only reason I like the entire song. But it's because I listen to music with my entire being.
Sorry, I don't mean to be corny. But it's true. It's why I can't just listen to a song to determine if I like it.
If someone plays a track and says, "What do you think about this?" most likely I'm not going to like it because I'm concentrating too hard on listening to it.
But let it play while I'm otherwise engaged in conversation or whatever and if I like it, I'll stop what I'm doing to pay closer attention.
I'm like that with many things. Things have to speak to me - clothes, music, movies...whatever.
But back to the music. I listen to it with my entire body and my emotions. Because of that, my taste in music is broad. I never know what will appeal to me in a song.
As an example, my On-the-Go playlist (the list where I mix and match based on the latest songs I'm obsessing over) includes:
Neyo
Daughtry
Debarge
Keith Murray
Jamiroquai (for real!)
Chris Brown
Angie Stone
Which makes listening to it fun for me, but an exercise in WTF? for most other people. The only mood it sets is mine.
Today, my morning commute was rockin'. Literally, because I decided to listen to only rock music on my way into work. As each song played, I asked myself why I liked it since I know if the hubster had been in the car with me he would have wondered.
Home by Daughtry.
I love the line, "Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it all. You just might get it all...and then some you don't want." The words hit so close to home because that's how being an author is for me some days.
That line hooked me! It gives me goose bumps.
I liked this song the moment I heard it played on American Idol as the background for the "exit" montage. It was so fitting as these contestants who probably chanted, "I want to be on American Idol" in their sleep had gotten their wish but in a cruel twist of fate probably also got a lot more than they bargained for. Including an early trip home.
It's not over by Daughtry.
Funny, I'd be lying if I said I was a Daughtry fan. Yet, they've managed to get $1.89 out of me for these two tracks. Again, it was a single line that reeled me in. The angst in the line, "this love is killing me, but you're the only one," reached out of the radio at me. It's a near perfect description of how love feels sometimes.
Face Down, by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.
Now talk about an extreme. The Daughtry songs hooked me with lyrics. But, I don't know a single lyric of this song! Not the hook, chorus, nothing. I'm not sure I've ever paid any attention to them because it's the drums I love, in this song. There's not even anything spectacular about the drumming. But it draws my attention and earns the song a spot in my earhole. I probably should learn the words though. People may look at me odd when I walk around singing "dunt...dunt...dunt, chh, chh, chh, chh."
The hubster and my mother sometimes ridicule my taste in music. Which I don't get. What is it about people that we have to understand someone else's likes and dislikes?
My husband and I have known one another since fourth grade. But, if my iPod is hooked to the speakers blasting and I'm not playing my Smooth Grooves (R&B) or Head Bangers (Hip Hop) playlists, the look on his face is like he's never seen me before a day in his life.
We like a lot of the same music. But evidently some of my selections are just too "out there" for him.
My daughter gets me though. She already listens to music with more than her ears. Though she may not realize it. I can tell, though, based on her playlists.
And I think that ability to be completely "in" your surroundings versus them being fed to you via one or two senses effects how we see other things in our lives.
Quick example:
Princess A has a crush on R&B artist, Neyo.
Now, Neyo isn't traditionally handsome (in my opinon). His eyes are narrow and wide at the same time. And one of them may be slightly crossed. And he has a really big forehead that he tends to hide behind caps and hats.
I'm not being mean. But I don't think this is a brother you'll see on the street and do a double take because of his cuteness. Still, she has a massive crush on him.
I have a theory why - he's an excellent singer/songwriter who has managed to capture a young, vibrant R&B flavor in his and other people's music like, Irreplaceble, which he wrote for Beyonce.
We saw him in concert and he exudes a cool, playfulness. Just a really carefree, fun guy and it comes across in his music. He'd be the guy that would get you to laugh or smile without having to tell obvious jokes. The guy you'd find yourself wanting to be around because time passes so easily when you're with him.
He was in the movie, Stomp The Yard and everytime his character came on screen Princess A had to compress a squeal. It was hilarious.
But his character exhibited the same traits as his concert persona. Says to me, a lot of his character/stage persona are just him being him.
And somehow, even at 12 she's picked this up and she's attracted to it via his music. If he came out with a CD singing the McDonald's menu, she'd buy it.
Which I think is not only cool, but a good sign that one day when the time is right, she'll be able to detect the right qualities in a future spouse.
I mean eye candy is cool, but you know what gorging on candy does for you.
I'll choose five seconds of a song that I love and it will be the only reason I like the entire song. But it's because I listen to music with my entire being.
Sorry, I don't mean to be corny. But it's true. It's why I can't just listen to a song to determine if I like it.
If someone plays a track and says, "What do you think about this?" most likely I'm not going to like it because I'm concentrating too hard on listening to it.
But let it play while I'm otherwise engaged in conversation or whatever and if I like it, I'll stop what I'm doing to pay closer attention.
I'm like that with many things. Things have to speak to me - clothes, music, movies...whatever.
But back to the music. I listen to it with my entire body and my emotions. Because of that, my taste in music is broad. I never know what will appeal to me in a song.
As an example, my On-the-Go playlist (the list where I mix and match based on the latest songs I'm obsessing over) includes:
Neyo
Daughtry
Debarge
Keith Murray
Jamiroquai (for real!)
Chris Brown
Angie Stone
Which makes listening to it fun for me, but an exercise in WTF? for most other people. The only mood it sets is mine.
Today, my morning commute was rockin'. Literally, because I decided to listen to only rock music on my way into work. As each song played, I asked myself why I liked it since I know if the hubster had been in the car with me he would have wondered.
Home by Daughtry.
I love the line, "Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it all. You just might get it all...and then some you don't want." The words hit so close to home because that's how being an author is for me some days.
That line hooked me! It gives me goose bumps.
I liked this song the moment I heard it played on American Idol as the background for the "exit" montage. It was so fitting as these contestants who probably chanted, "I want to be on American Idol" in their sleep had gotten their wish but in a cruel twist of fate probably also got a lot more than they bargained for. Including an early trip home.
It's not over by Daughtry.
Funny, I'd be lying if I said I was a Daughtry fan. Yet, they've managed to get $1.89 out of me for these two tracks. Again, it was a single line that reeled me in. The angst in the line, "this love is killing me, but you're the only one," reached out of the radio at me. It's a near perfect description of how love feels sometimes.
Face Down, by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.
Now talk about an extreme. The Daughtry songs hooked me with lyrics. But, I don't know a single lyric of this song! Not the hook, chorus, nothing. I'm not sure I've ever paid any attention to them because it's the drums I love, in this song. There's not even anything spectacular about the drumming. But it draws my attention and earns the song a spot in my earhole. I probably should learn the words though. People may look at me odd when I walk around singing "dunt...dunt...dunt, chh, chh, chh, chh."
The hubster and my mother sometimes ridicule my taste in music. Which I don't get. What is it about people that we have to understand someone else's likes and dislikes?
My husband and I have known one another since fourth grade. But, if my iPod is hooked to the speakers blasting and I'm not playing my Smooth Grooves (R&B) or Head Bangers (Hip Hop) playlists, the look on his face is like he's never seen me before a day in his life.
We like a lot of the same music. But evidently some of my selections are just too "out there" for him.
My daughter gets me though. She already listens to music with more than her ears. Though she may not realize it. I can tell, though, based on her playlists.
And I think that ability to be completely "in" your surroundings versus them being fed to you via one or two senses effects how we see other things in our lives.
Quick example:
Princess A has a crush on R&B artist, Neyo.
Now, Neyo isn't traditionally handsome (in my opinon). His eyes are narrow and wide at the same time. And one of them may be slightly crossed. And he has a really big forehead that he tends to hide behind caps and hats.
I'm not being mean. But I don't think this is a brother you'll see on the street and do a double take because of his cuteness. Still, she has a massive crush on him.
I have a theory why - he's an excellent singer/songwriter who has managed to capture a young, vibrant R&B flavor in his and other people's music like, Irreplaceble, which he wrote for Beyonce.
We saw him in concert and he exudes a cool, playfulness. Just a really carefree, fun guy and it comes across in his music. He'd be the guy that would get you to laugh or smile without having to tell obvious jokes. The guy you'd find yourself wanting to be around because time passes so easily when you're with him.
He was in the movie, Stomp The Yard and everytime his character came on screen Princess A had to compress a squeal. It was hilarious.
But his character exhibited the same traits as his concert persona. Says to me, a lot of his character/stage persona are just him being him.
And somehow, even at 12 she's picked this up and she's attracted to it via his music. If he came out with a CD singing the McDonald's menu, she'd buy it.
Which I think is not only cool, but a good sign that one day when the time is right, she'll be able to detect the right qualities in a future spouse.
I mean eye candy is cool, but you know what gorging on candy does for you.
posted by Paula at 12:30 PM
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