I just signed up for Apple Music and I have spent the last week rediscovering the music of my youth. It is crazy how you can not hear a song for 10+ years and the second it comes on, you know all of the words, all of the fills, all of the harmonies... And you are instantly transported back to that moment 10+ years ago.I recently did hair and makeup for a girl that was a music therapist. This idea really interested me. I am a person that is very swayed by music. If I am feeling good and hopeful, happy upbeat music makes me even more cheerful. If I am feeling romantic, sappy music makes my heart swell. If I am feeling sad, slow melancholic music makes me weep. I fully believe that music does magic things to our souls.
I think of my life in terms of what music I was listening to at what point. I have my Cure years. I have my Rancid years. I have my Stray Cats years. I have all of the phases and moods and moments that coincide with each album and each song and each show.
I miss the days of going to the record store and picking out the newest single. Or looking at the new release board and counting the days until a new album came out so you could pore over the music while you scrutinized every square inch of the CD insert. When you saw the rare photo of the band, it was exciting! When there was a lyrics sheet in the insert, you spent a full week memorizing every last word. This was very helpful with Rancid albums. I miss obsessing over a new album and keeping it on repeat for weeks on end.
I miss mix tapes! Or mix CD's. Or whatever. I miss the thrill of a bunch of random songs put together that weren't organized by a mysterious "shuffle" that doesn't actually shuffle all of your songs, but just picks 10-20 songs it wants to play all of the time. The feeling of getting a mix tape from someone that put thought into it was unmatchable. The excitement of making a mix tape for someone you cared about and the nervousness of handing it over and hoping they love it... There was
nothing quite like it.
I feel that music these days is so disposable. It is more about what the band looks like, who they are dating, and how many instagram followers they have than about the actual music. And I feel that a lot of people are making music now more for the weird internet fame than for the love. Don't get me wrong-- the internet has allowed so much more access to music than there ever was before. But it almost makes it TOO easy. Kids don't care about it like we used to. We used to spend hours in our record stores digging through albums and discovering new and exciting things. We relied on compilation CD's to show us the path to new music. It was obscure and it was exciting. But now the internet tells you what is cool in every direction you look. The rawness of discovering new music is gone.
I guess there isn't really a point to my blog today. I just really, really like music. And I miss the old days.
Posts
This is my favorite blog so far <3
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI discover "new" music by following record collectors who rip their 45s to youtube. It gives me that same thrill! I buy records as well, but this is my favorite way to discover obscure old music! If you're into girl groups and reggae, I have uploaded some podcasts here: http://missupsetter.podomatic.com/
ReplyDeleteAnyway, great blog entry. I miss getting mix tapes :(
I absolutely agree with every word you said, and I'm a HUGE music freak myself! I worked at a combo music/video/book store, when I was in college. I was responsible for the music section, and it was my favorite job ever! I was there, when cassettes phased out to cd's. Remember when cd's first came in those long, cardboard boxes? I remember when Nirvana's Nevermind first came out (on cassette), and pretty much every other customer bought it. It was a fun job though. I got to choose what bands I would make displays for, to advertise their album releases. Of course, I would always choose my favorite ones! I really don't understand people who can go an entire day, without music. I would go into serious withdrawals!
ReplyDeleteBest blog so far! <3 Being a music lover myself, I do find that I too have certain bands for certain times in my life. I also had a Cure phase, but then again I really don't know anyone who didn't. LOL Funny that you bring up mix tapes/cd's...... My boyfriend made me three mix cd's 6 years ago, when we first started dating. The cd, it self, looks like a record album and the title he wrote down on them, Mix Tape 1,2, and 3!I was so excited when he gave them to me! I do find it hard to like newer artists since a lot of the time they are stealing beats or sounds from the 80's, but I there are a few. I too miss those days waiting by the radio to listen to the top 40 songs and waiting for my favorite songs to come on and hit record on my boombox to make my own mix tapes! Ahh, now I'm showing my true age! LOL!! Thanks for sharing!!! :D
ReplyDeleteI feel like even though the days of physical music is gone, there's still a sentiment to be found when you are searching through youtube until the wee hours of the night and discover great new artists through the recommendation bar. (I'm talking the small time bands that have maybe 1k views.) Nowadays we could just as easily create a youtube playlist for a friend too. So maybe it isn't exactly the way it was. But that awesome feeling you get from sharing new music and discovering it, is still alive. It's just evolved a little since then. :) Great article! I truly love hearing your opinions! <3
ReplyDeleteI guess it is like the difference between a kindle and a book. It is just the experience that is different!
DeleteI miss working in a record store! I did for almost four years and it was when music was really shifting from people buying cds to using ipods. It's so weird! I have a large collection of CDs and vinyl and there's just something about holding an actual album in your hands. It's so different!
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Tara O.
here is very general and the huge knowledgeable platform has been known by this blog. I reality appreciate this blog to have such kind of educational knowledge. iTunes Backup and iCloud Backup.
ReplyDelete