Music

For those curious, I didn't choose any of the songs listed on my previous post as my ringtone. Decided on a fabulous late 90's song "Closing Time" by Semisonic.

I've been going through music like it's nobody's business lately. But then again I guess it is someone's business because you know, people wanting to sell music and all.

Music has always been a big part of my life. I know it sounds cheesy and all but it got me through my teenage angst and the hard times of growing up. Not being the pretty girl and accepting myself for who I am, where I come from and all that jazz. It's touched most aspects of my life.

I've been interested in music probably since the 3rd or 4th grade. I guess it started with obsessions with musicians. I'll admit, the first band I really listened to at all when I first got interested was Hanson. Yes, I liked the little brother boy band and to this day, I'd never deny that... I was obsessed with Taylor but I was young and thought it was meant to be. Thinking back now, I amazes me that my brothers did not ridicule me for this obsession. While I didn't buy the magazines [I had a friend who did], I did have their pictures on my walls along with others [the only non-musician that I recall was Devon Sawa].

And I'm sure you are all wondering if I was N*Sync or Backstreet Boys [because that is probably what my childhood era will be remember for, which side did you land on...]... And it was definitely N*Sync. My obsession was probably only slightly out of hand... I wanted to name my dog after Justin Timberlake... It was vetoed by the family but in the end, I kind of did get my way... Cause Lance was my second favorite and my mom was ok as long as my dog's full name was Lancealot. Fun fact, I was in an amusement park the same day the band was to perform at the nearby arena and Lance Bass passed by us on a golf cart... Not that I saw anything but I do remember thinking that girls really can scream pretty damn loud.

Another childhood favorite was the Spice Girls. What little girl didn't want to be like them? Female power and all that. And their pop sound was catchy. I liked Ginger Spice [Geri Halliwell] and I couldn't tell you why. Maybe it was the red hair. Again, where my obsessive behavior was kind of obvious. For those who don't know, this girl power band also had lots of promotional products including lollipops! Naturally, my mom wouldn't buy them for me so it was something that I saved my allowance for and retained the wrappers [which were placed in a notebook with all my other Spice Girl pictures and stuff]. Sometimes I do wonder about my younger self... Then I look at myself in the mirror and I'm like "Eh, haven't changed much, have I?"

However, I would say that one album that probably really changed me and was probably the beginnings of my evolution in musical tastes would be No Doubt's "Tragic Kingdom". At this point in my life, I didn't have any CDs [my family wasn't really well off but we managed] but my older brothers did. And that's how I found this gem. There was just something about Gwen Stefani's singing that lured me in. Which is interesting because a lot of her solo work does not interest me in the slightest today. I would say that this CD probably reaches at least my top 10 of greatest of all time [to me which probably doesn't mean much to you but what do I care?].


At this point in my life, I've probably discovered MTV [when the M still stood for Music]. The first music video that I can remember seeing... Was entirely inappropriate for someone my age but it was before the 8 million different television censors that are in today. It was "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks. I consider that song to be my personal anthem to this day.  It's that song that you just feel like it describes everything and nothing all in one go... And you still don't know how the heck it does it. It's why the song is number one on my top 25 playlist.

I remember watching TRL [Total Request Live for the youngin's] when I got home and just... Evolving from there. I found what I liked [generally rock and pop] and what I didn't like [country and rap in general].

I started listening to the radio more often. I learned about new music and I could just listen for hours if I had the time.

It's hard for me to answer the question "What is your favorite song of all time?" or anything similar. My tastes change from day to day. I can become obsessed with a song, listening to it for hours and hours and then suddenly, never want to listen to that song again. I could tell you who my favorite band is: The Killers. They are probably one of the only bands I found to be consistently good. I usually like most of the songs on any album they've made to this point and they get better with time. While they do something different each time, it's not so drastic that they've forgotten their roots like many musicians do. They know what they are doing and they seem to enjoy it. It's fantastic.

Bad Romance music video [my favorite to date]

I must confess though that Lady Gaga has been moving her way into my musical heart. There is just something about her energy and devotion to her fans that is endearing. Her music is catchy and fantastic. She's second to The Killers and would probably never overtake them... But she may be able to share the top spot. But she is a whole package of quirky and different which makes her so appealing. From her crazy fashion to her moving beats, she may be the Madonna of our time [not that they are entirely comparable].

Of course, I don't only like songs for their sound, even though that sounds kind of silly, no? I have an appreciation for the lyrics too. Eminem is the perfect example of what I'm trying to say here. While his songs [if you can call some of them that] are good, they have a good rhythm and it's catchy, his lyrics are just too much for me. "Love the Way You Lie" freaks me the heck out. He basically talks about this mutually destructive relationship and I get it. He's kind of going through his own therapy... Doesn't freak me the heck out any less. He talks about tying his girlfriend/wife/other to a bed and setting a house on fire as oppose to an alternative. I mean really?! On the topic of rap, most of their lyrics are distasteful. While Eminem tends to sing from his very being, others like 50 Cent [is he even still doing anything anymore?] just... Is a wannabe. I can't explain it any better.

And my life doesn't always relate to just listening to music. For the last 12 years of my life, I have played the flute in some capacity with a band. I remember the first time I was in school and they were telling us how we could get lessons. It was this mini concert that the music teachers in the district gave. It was how I knew I wanted to play the flute.

I've also dedicated 7 years of my life to marching band which was the best thing I could have ever done. I wouldn't have met half the wonderful people I have if I didn't play in band. I can't even imagine where I would be today. Probably still the shy shell of a person I once was and very far from where I am now in relation to how I feel about myself. I'll admit, not very good at the whole playing thing [never could get the hang of the whole practicing stuff] but I'm ok. But I hate playing solos.

I also love to sing. I've done and been traumatized by school choirs and I've did two musicals in elementary school [Bye Bye Birdie and the Wizard of Oz for those curious]. I'm not awesome but I like to think I can carry a tune. I'm pretty good at the karaoke games but again, doesn't actually have to require singing skills as long as you hit where the little bar thing is, right? Though being an alto as a girl kind of sucks cause we never get the good parts.

Basically, this post was about how awesome music is and maybe pimping out a few of my personal preferences. Oh, and watch Glee after the superbowl because the Thriller/Heads Will Roll mash up sounds freaking awesome!