on music
I took my rings off and everything to start writing this, like I'm some damn professional or something. This isn't getting to my head yet, this blog business, if that's what you think. I thought that today I'd write about music, if this blog is to be a catalogue of my opinions on everything.
Its really difficult for me to understand why music makes me feel so much. I was cutting out halloween decorations with my friend the other day, and I put on a playlist on 8tracks (amazing playlist website +app, go use it now) that was tagged with "Lord of the Rings". I put on the list and as soon as the first song started playing I felt like I was back watching the movies. The heartbreaking parts and the happy parts and everything muddy in between, it made me so emotional listening to the soundtrack. No, I wasn't crying, I'm not that much of a nerd. But honestly, it made me yearn to see the movies again. Movie soundtracks are amazing, and motivating.
But what I don't really understand, is why people act so petty about music. Or so elitist. I mean, its just sounds that go in your ears as sound waves, and you either like them or you don't. There's no reason to act like just because you enjoy specific sounds that you're somehow better than everyone else. I mean, listen to obscure music all you like. Its your choice. But it becomes my problem when instead of just listening to what you like and minding your own damn business, you start to butt your head into other people's music taste.
For me, the step to putting on music I like in for example the art room at school for everyone to hear, is a hard one to take. What if people snigger? Roll their eyes? Why do I feel like people making fun of my music taste means they're making fun of me? Probably because they kind of are. My taste in music ranges from One Direction happy pop songs to The 1975 and Ed Sheeran, and there's a lot of stuff in between. Many of these songs have very personal meanings to me (there's a song I used to listen to all the time in junior high when I cried at night sometimes). When I state that I like some artist, I don't really want to hear your entire review of the discography of the artist/band in question. For me its about sharing about myself, and really you could just say "mm okay, not really my style but I'm glad you've found something you like" and I'd be perfectly happy.
I know I've not always obeyed this rule of mine, the one about being nice to people about their music taste. I mean sure, I've gotten shit for liking One Direction, and its always as fun to try to talk to people who keep yapping about capitalism and commercialism and teenage girls being so susceptible to the marketing schemes of the CEO's of the music world. I just don't get why people can't understand that their music just makes me happy. Its upbeat, the words mean nearly nothing, and its great to clean to. But then again, I have made snide remarks about gangster rap (for example). Mostly because I find the language used and the degrading of women disgusting, but also because it really isn't nice to listen to, for me. I hope I can get better at giving people a nice enough opinion on things, without stomping on what they like too much. Because frankly its rude.
The first thing I want to ask someone who says they don't listen to "mainstream music" is whether or not they are still stuck in 2010. I understand that you might not like the chart toppers and the top 40 and all that stuff. But, really, are you in such need of validation of your differentness that you need to make a clear distinction to EVERYONE that you only listen to music played with guitars that have been fermented in wine for three years and then the album has been recorded in some random cellar in the middle of Spain or some shit. Like, I get some people actually enjoy listening to stuff like that, stuff that isn't made like "normal music" is made. But, I do know some people really only pretend to like that stuff, just to seem special. I think life is too short to pretend you like music you really don't. I've been there, listening to something to seem cool. It wasn't worth it. I became A LOT more happy when I switched back to music I liked, even if it was in the top 40.
All I'm trying to say, rather un-coherently I might add, is that music taste should be everyone's personal business, shared with others with care. Because your music taste says a lot about you. Some people, I know, are less sensitive about this. Good for you. But for me, when you tell me the new songs of my favorite artist IN THE WHOLE WORLD are "meh", it makes me feel like I'm "meh" for liking them.
Music can make us feel so much, and really I don't want my favorite song to be ruined by playing it to my friends and then hearing all of their personal opinions on the lyrics and the voice and the instruments. So I keep most of it to myself. Some people love sharing their music with everyone, thats fine, you have thicker skin. Just, whatever you do, don't stop listening to music, because honestly I can say its one of the top 10 reasons I'm happy to be alive, and I hope music can make you that happy too.
(I'll have you know that I'm very open to recommending songs though, I love sharing my fave music with people when I'm not there to see how they react. Its easier to pretend when I can't see your eyes rolling)
- Becks
Its really difficult for me to understand why music makes me feel so much. I was cutting out halloween decorations with my friend the other day, and I put on a playlist on 8tracks (amazing playlist website +app, go use it now) that was tagged with "Lord of the Rings". I put on the list and as soon as the first song started playing I felt like I was back watching the movies. The heartbreaking parts and the happy parts and everything muddy in between, it made me so emotional listening to the soundtrack. No, I wasn't crying, I'm not that much of a nerd. But honestly, it made me yearn to see the movies again. Movie soundtracks are amazing, and motivating.
But what I don't really understand, is why people act so petty about music. Or so elitist. I mean, its just sounds that go in your ears as sound waves, and you either like them or you don't. There's no reason to act like just because you enjoy specific sounds that you're somehow better than everyone else. I mean, listen to obscure music all you like. Its your choice. But it becomes my problem when instead of just listening to what you like and minding your own damn business, you start to butt your head into other people's music taste.
For me, the step to putting on music I like in for example the art room at school for everyone to hear, is a hard one to take. What if people snigger? Roll their eyes? Why do I feel like people making fun of my music taste means they're making fun of me? Probably because they kind of are. My taste in music ranges from One Direction happy pop songs to The 1975 and Ed Sheeran, and there's a lot of stuff in between. Many of these songs have very personal meanings to me (there's a song I used to listen to all the time in junior high when I cried at night sometimes). When I state that I like some artist, I don't really want to hear your entire review of the discography of the artist/band in question. For me its about sharing about myself, and really you could just say "mm okay, not really my style but I'm glad you've found something you like" and I'd be perfectly happy.
I know I've not always obeyed this rule of mine, the one about being nice to people about their music taste. I mean sure, I've gotten shit for liking One Direction, and its always as fun to try to talk to people who keep yapping about capitalism and commercialism and teenage girls being so susceptible to the marketing schemes of the CEO's of the music world. I just don't get why people can't understand that their music just makes me happy. Its upbeat, the words mean nearly nothing, and its great to clean to. But then again, I have made snide remarks about gangster rap (for example). Mostly because I find the language used and the degrading of women disgusting, but also because it really isn't nice to listen to, for me. I hope I can get better at giving people a nice enough opinion on things, without stomping on what they like too much. Because frankly its rude.
The first thing I want to ask someone who says they don't listen to "mainstream music" is whether or not they are still stuck in 2010. I understand that you might not like the chart toppers and the top 40 and all that stuff. But, really, are you in such need of validation of your differentness that you need to make a clear distinction to EVERYONE that you only listen to music played with guitars that have been fermented in wine for three years and then the album has been recorded in some random cellar in the middle of Spain or some shit. Like, I get some people actually enjoy listening to stuff like that, stuff that isn't made like "normal music" is made. But, I do know some people really only pretend to like that stuff, just to seem special. I think life is too short to pretend you like music you really don't. I've been there, listening to something to seem cool. It wasn't worth it. I became A LOT more happy when I switched back to music I liked, even if it was in the top 40.
All I'm trying to say, rather un-coherently I might add, is that music taste should be everyone's personal business, shared with others with care. Because your music taste says a lot about you. Some people, I know, are less sensitive about this. Good for you. But for me, when you tell me the new songs of my favorite artist IN THE WHOLE WORLD are "meh", it makes me feel like I'm "meh" for liking them.
Music can make us feel so much, and really I don't want my favorite song to be ruined by playing it to my friends and then hearing all of their personal opinions on the lyrics and the voice and the instruments. So I keep most of it to myself. Some people love sharing their music with everyone, thats fine, you have thicker skin. Just, whatever you do, don't stop listening to music, because honestly I can say its one of the top 10 reasons I'm happy to be alive, and I hope music can make you that happy too.
(I'll have you know that I'm very open to recommending songs though, I love sharing my fave music with people when I'm not there to see how they react. Its easier to pretend when I can't see your eyes rolling)
- Becks
What do you mean by "being stuck in 2010"? Didn't quite catch that. In my life there was maybe some Lady Gaga hits and Korean pop (like Tablo, Big Bang and Brown Eyed Girls' Abracadabra), random radio-NRJ-the Voice-hits with names I don't even know. Justin Bieber maybe popped into daylight. I learned to like Nine Inch Nails, even though I had had chance to see them perform live back in 2007. Mostly I stuck to music I had listened forevers before 2010.
ReplyDeleteI mostly meant that I feel like the meme and saying of "mainstream music" and "hipster music" is a bit old, and people who KEEP using it seem like they're stuck in the past. Nothing wrong with music before 2010 (at least I enjoy e.g. Fall Out Boy's old albums just as much as the new stuff + also 2009 pop punk :DD)
Delete... I still don't know which meme you're referring to, I'm so sorry! Hipster kitty maybe?
Deletewww.hipsterkitty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/order-starbucks-pay-in-mixtapes.jpg
I say things like "back in 2008", almost the same, and am interested what "stuck in 2010" means (Skrillex?) since I, too, have lived the named year but still am not sure what means to be stuck there, haha.
(I also think it's not really that long from years 2005 and 2006 and all albums released back then are quite new. But 2003 and 2004 feel like they were an eternity ago and I was just a baby??)
Ah yes, that'd be the one! Sorry I don't know the names of some memes, its been a LONG while since I was in an environment where they were strongly present (I've changed 9gag to scrolling through endless pictures of pretty scenery/people and moons)
DeleteI feel like people use previous years in expressions like that without really checking what actually happened in that year. I guess I kind of did the same? I just remember 2010 as being a year for me where I, a mere 14 year old discovered the term of mainstream music and "learned" that liking it made you less cool in the eyes of many internet people. [I did listen to Skrillex, 'cause I thought it was non-mainstream]
I've basically just used it to refer to my own hipster-y past and the time when I see it was used most. All relative really.
(I used to listen to Backstreet Boys all the time as a kid and they were together before I was even born, "I want it that way" was 1999 when I was 3 years old? I feel young as hell)
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