Writer's Block: Secret song
Mar. 23rd, 2010 04:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I refuse to be embarrassed by my playlist. As I have ranted countless times before, it is impossible to make an objective qualitative judgement about music; there is only individual preference. Even the most uninteresting and repetitive musical phrase afflicted by cliche lyrics sung from an autotune toucan can have value as a dance number-- or simply the vessel of memory. Certainly there are songs I dislike-- and dislike very much (understatement?)-- but I try not to make claims that they are objectively bad.
Like a lot of people, I like a large variety of music. And in an age where you are likely to be the only one of your friends who listens to a particular band (and are probably proud of it), I'm frankly astounded that we still attempt to make universal judgments of music. But we do-- and it's usually against mainstream music, even though mainstream music is, well, mainstream for a reason. Though people also judge music for being *too* far off the beaten path, which is equally stupid. Worst of all is when we make assumptions about people for listening to certain artists, as if listening to one emo band automatically makes you get bad hair and cut yourself.
If you want to make fun of my Evanescence fine, I'll turn on some big band-- like that better? Don't like me singing along with my showtunes? Okay, I'll switch tracks, but I can't promise you my singing along to the 2Pac track that pops up after it will be any less annoying. You find Taylor Swift shallow and plebeian? All right, let's see what comes up next on shuffle. Wait, what was that? You don't like Hindemith? Who are you calling plebeian?
/snark
The point is, my love of music cannot be confined by your narrow definition of "taste." Therefore, I will not be ashamed of anything I listen to. If you want me to skip a track, fine. But I'm not going to hide away and have a shamefaced Backstreet Boy party by myself because you think I should have outgrown them upon reaching puberty.
However, I should probably mention my Saved For Posterity playlist. This is a playlist of songs I don't really like but hang on to laugh at-- or just to remind myself of why I like the music I do like. Sometimes they have the "oh, they're kidding!-- right?" appeal of a bad romance novel or a B horror film: consider The Thong Song by Sisqo, Milkshake by Kelis, or anything by Soulja Boy or LMFAO. But sometimes they're serious songs I just happen to extremely dislike. Sometimes they grow on me in time, and sometimes they just live on in infamy. (And I like to keep my enemies close). My most recent addition to this list is Ke$ha's Blah Blah Blah, because it is the perfect example of the limits of autotune; some people's voices just can't be saved. (You know that painful feeling you get in your teeth when you eat too much sugar or bite tinfoil? That's what I get from listening to this song).
So I guess I might be miffed if someone thought these were on my computer because I like and legitimately respect them. But that still is just miffed, not really ashamed. I certainly don't hide them away. Instead I just go, "Yeah, I know, isn't it awful!" as I crank up the volume for some more masochistic pleasure.
I refuse to be embarrassed by my playlist. As I have ranted countless times before, it is impossible to make an objective qualitative judgement about music; there is only individual preference. Even the most uninteresting and repetitive musical phrase afflicted by cliche lyrics sung from an autotune toucan can have value as a dance number-- or simply the vessel of memory. Certainly there are songs I dislike-- and dislike very much (understatement?)-- but I try not to make claims that they are objectively bad.
Like a lot of people, I like a large variety of music. And in an age where you are likely to be the only one of your friends who listens to a particular band (and are probably proud of it), I'm frankly astounded that we still attempt to make universal judgments of music. But we do-- and it's usually against mainstream music, even though mainstream music is, well, mainstream for a reason. Though people also judge music for being *too* far off the beaten path, which is equally stupid. Worst of all is when we make assumptions about people for listening to certain artists, as if listening to one emo band automatically makes you get bad hair and cut yourself.
If you want to make fun of my Evanescence fine, I'll turn on some big band-- like that better? Don't like me singing along with my showtunes? Okay, I'll switch tracks, but I can't promise you my singing along to the 2Pac track that pops up after it will be any less annoying. You find Taylor Swift shallow and plebeian? All right, let's see what comes up next on shuffle. Wait, what was that? You don't like Hindemith? Who are you calling plebeian?
/snark
The point is, my love of music cannot be confined by your narrow definition of "taste." Therefore, I will not be ashamed of anything I listen to. If you want me to skip a track, fine. But I'm not going to hide away and have a shamefaced Backstreet Boy party by myself because you think I should have outgrown them upon reaching puberty.
However, I should probably mention my Saved For Posterity playlist. This is a playlist of songs I don't really like but hang on to laugh at-- or just to remind myself of why I like the music I do like. Sometimes they have the "oh, they're kidding!-- right?" appeal of a bad romance novel or a B horror film: consider The Thong Song by Sisqo, Milkshake by Kelis, or anything by Soulja Boy or LMFAO. But sometimes they're serious songs I just happen to extremely dislike. Sometimes they grow on me in time, and sometimes they just live on in infamy. (And I like to keep my enemies close). My most recent addition to this list is Ke$ha's Blah Blah Blah, because it is the perfect example of the limits of autotune; some people's voices just can't be saved. (You know that painful feeling you get in your teeth when you eat too much sugar or bite tinfoil? That's what I get from listening to this song).
So I guess I might be miffed if someone thought these were on my computer because I like and legitimately respect them. But that still is just miffed, not really ashamed. I certainly don't hide them away. Instead I just go, "Yeah, I know, isn't it awful!" as I crank up the volume for some more masochistic pleasure.
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no subject
Date: 2010-03-23 08:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-23 09:03 am (UTC)http://xkcd.com/668/
no subject
Date: 2010-03-23 11:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-23 11:40 pm (UTC)I have a few nostalgic classics that make heads turn and lawls to emit such as Eiffel 65's "I'm Blue" anything bu TaTu and "Back That Ass Up"
I've gotten flack for listening to Linkin Park, Sum 41, Evanescence, and Enya, but you know what? Fuck em.
I love music and today's music sucks monkey balls IMHO so they can continue listening to redundancy and I'll continue indulging myself in true music composition.....and the occasional angsty teen stuff :P
no subject
Date: 2010-03-25 01:06 am (UTC)just for old-times sake hehe
no subject
Date: 2010-03-25 12:39 pm (UTC)