What does your taste in music say about you?
Ah, college, wellspring of questionable habits and decisions. I might not eat as much pizza or stay out as late as I did back in the day - that is, six months ago - but if there’s one habit I can’t quite kick, it’s my tendency to judge people based on their taste in music. Sure, living with different people over the past four years exposed me to styles, artists, and albums that I otherwise would have snubbed, but in doing so, it also fostered a correlation between people’s listening habits and their personalities. It started during my freshman year of college, when a friend began criticizing a mutual acquaintance’s refusal to move on from her high school glory days. Before long, the conversation morphed into an intense reflection on our respective pasts and presents, and the value of letting go. “It’s like she’s stuck in that Nickelback song,” my friends said. “You know that one, ‘Photograph,’ about saying goodbye to high school memories? Life feels like that sometimes.” While I agree that being stuck in high school memories while attending college is pretty lame, it’s also not the coolest thing to quote the lyrics, “What the hell is on Joey’s head?” to illustrate a point about someone else’s supposed lameness. Friend, I love you, but your argument is invalid. It only got worse from there. The instant people started citing B-grade songs or bands to otherwise meaningful emotions or life experiences, I stopped taking them seriously. Some of these people included: The brooding classmate who listened to My Chemical Romance while feeling distraught, angry, and in the mood for “rock music.” The significant other who used Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds” to signify his sentiments for a long-lost ex-girlfriend. The guy who serenaded his dream girl with Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero.” The girl who brought up Celine Dion as an example of a “Golden Oldies” artist. The date who said his favorite band is Coldplay (don’t get me wrong, Coldplay is no My Chemical Romance, but naming Coldplay as your favorite band is akin to naming Jesus and Einstein as the historical figures you would dine with if you had the chance.) Granted, I’m no music aficionado. I can only imagine what my junior year roommate, a diehard Muse and Lost Prophets fan, thought of my Hall & Oates collection. Maybe she thought I was a tacky loser. Maybe she did not think anything of it. Either way, it didn’t stop me from putting “You Make My Dreams Come True” on speakers for all to hear. So go ahead, Chicks, listen to whatever you want, whenever you want. Don’t mind the music snobs. For all you know, one of them might have played Eric Cartman’s version of “Poker Face” five times in a row while you weren’t in the room. Denise Ngo graduated from Fordham University in 2009. When she’s not asking herself, Avenue Q-style, what one actually does with a B.A. in English, she’s surfing Amazon for bargain books or hunting down the novelty food trucks in New York City. Photo from http://www.ipodenglish.net/Woman listening to music.jpg
|
NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
View Comments
blog comments powered by Disqus