The Music In Me

Questions to me:

1.      When you listen to music, what feelings/ emotions does it evoke? Music can evoke different emotions depending on the song and what the listener is already feeling. Often times, music acts as a magnifier for whatever the listener is already feeling.

2.      What is your favorite song? Why? Is it connected to a certain time, event, or place? My favorite song changes quite often. I keep a running list for each season of my top 30 songs because I’m kind of a music nerd like that. Then I am able to go back and listen to the playlist I made of my top 30 songs from Spring 2012 or Winter 2012-13. Each time I go back and listen to an old playlist I am transported back to that time in my life. When I listen to any of my old summer playlists I can remember mowing the lawn listening to Payphone or Someone Like You. I can remember taking road trips listening to a Winter playlist feature What Makes you Beautiful and Owl City’s new CD, The Midsummer Station. Music to me is always connected to a memory or time or place. Currently, my favorite song is Demons by Imagine Dragons because the lyrics are so powerful and heartfelt. I’m sure in two years when I look back, I will be able to remember my senior year of high school because I have my Fall 2013 playlist saved, just waiting for me to take a trip down memory lane.

3.      How has your taste in music changed over the years? Currently I really like alternative rock and electronic. Bands like Imagine Dragons and Fun. and singers like Owl City are among my favorites. I have never liked country, rap, or really even pop that much. In reading, I read anything and everything, however my music tastes are much more refined. Some songs I like are on the edges of pop, however I would not consider myself a fan of pop music just because there is so much of it that I don’t like. The biggest change over the years is probably the fact that I listen to more secular music. When I was younger, late elementary and middle school, I pretty much solely listened to Christian music. Although I am still far from listening to any kind of music with swear words or other sketchy lyrics, I listen to much more secular music as a whole.

5.      Do your friends listen to the same styles of music as you? What do you think this means? Four of my closest friends all listen to similar styles of music. In fact, we almost got to go to an Imagine Dragons concert, recently; however we could not get a parent to take us. Although this certain group of friends listens to similar music as I do, I realize that is quite rare. Many of my other friends have a much more varied music taste and do not listen to the kind of music I am interested in.

8.      I admire the music of _________, because he/ she/ they­­________. I admire the music of Imagine Dragons and Owl City for a lot of the same reasons. They both send a message with their lyrics while still having good musicality to their music. Owl City writes some of the most inspiring and funny lyrics that I have ever heard, and there is a sort of poetry to how some of his songs flow. In addition to their wonderful lyrics, these two bands both are very musical. Since I am in band and play piano, I am able to pick up on chord progressions and other musical patterns. I also have a very talented ear and I can listen to almost any song and play it right back on the piano after about two or three tries. Both Owl City and Imagine Dragons play more than just four chords on repeat, and it makes their songs sound much more complex. For example, the song Radioactive is one of the most complex difficult songs I’ve tried to play for the sole purpose because it is so not repetitive. A lot of times I can listen to the chorus of a pop song and then be able to play the whole thing. Owl City and Imagine dragons have complex music and inspiring lyrics that make them great.

10.  Is there any style of music that should not be tolerated? Why? Rap music to me doesn’t even sound like music. Rap is just people talking with drums in the background. For a lot of the same reasons I like Imagine Dragons and Owl City, I dislike rap music. Most rap music (at least that I’ve heard) is basically one beat, sometimes even one chord, the whole song. Because rap music throws out any kind of melody line needed, they can get by with this kind of one chord song. The song Blurred Lines, is a great example of this over repetitive kind of music. The “hey, hey, hey, hey” line that is repeated in parts of the song could go the entire song without any breaks. Besides rap music I also dislike country. A lot of it has to do with the voices of most country singers. I can’t stand the southern country twang a lot of them sing with. Also, they lyrics are something I just can’t relate to. Rain makes corn. Corn makes whiskey. Whiskey makes my baby. Okay, that’s nice and all, but I just can’t relate to that. Although I dislike country I’m sure there are people out there who enjoy the twangy singing and the redneck lyrics and can enjoy that song. All in all, while rap I can’t even tolerate, I can at least see the appeal for country to some people.

13.  Is music poetry? What are some of the more “poetic lyrics you can think of? I already mentioned it briefly but almost any Owl City song could be poetry. Sadly, he is starting to stray away from some of his older electronic sounds and go more mainstream pop, however there are certainly songs that are poetry. Even one of his more familiar, Fireflies, is quite poetic. My favorite of his is probably Angels, but his entire album All Things Bright and Beautiful, is definitely very poetic in general.