Thursday, October 6, 2011

"Turn That Trash Down!"

      Sometimes, I think my taste in music kinda dates me.  I listen to a lot of classic rock - Meatloaf, Bon Jovi, REO Speedwagon, and Blue Oyster Cult rock my socks, just to name a few.  At work, I mostly listen to classical music on NPR (though I do occasionally change it up with my YouTube playlists).  At dinner, we listen to classical, smooth jazz, blues, or new-age-y soothing nature sounds classical stuff.

      Based on that, my taste in music seems to scream "Old Person."  But I'd like to think my taste hasn't totally passed over into that realm just yet.  Because I do still love current music - rock, punk, some alternative, and, yes, Top 40 Pop.

      I love Top 40 Pop, and that's usually what I listen to on my short commute.  And while my age hasn't yet wiped out my taste for this stuff, it has definitely had an effect on my thought processes listening to it.  Just a couple of examples:

      If I Die Young by The Band Perry - I really liked this song the first time I heard it.  The voice, the melody, the whole package - it's a very pretty song to listen to, and very catchy.  Which is probably why it became so popular.  The problem is, after hearing it just a couple times I knew all the words to the song and one verse started to haunt me: 

"Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh and
Life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no
Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby"

      The first time I caught that verse, it kind of gave me the shivers.  The next time, it almost brought me to tears.  Just copying it here threatened to choke me up.  And you know why?  Because I'm a mom.  The thought of burying either of my babies is the most horrifying proposition in the world to me.  That very last line is like all my worst fears rolled up into 8 words.  And it made me instantly hate the song.

      But I couldn't escape it.  The damn song is on ALL THE TIME.  At one point, it came on so I flipped the station, and it was also on the next station, so I flipped again, and IT WAS ON THAT STATION TOO!  Then it would get stuck in my head.  Eventually, falling asleep with the song in my head even gave me absolutely aweful nightmares.  (As I've mentioned in passing before, I have been diagnosed with "obsessive thoughts" when it comes to anxieties about my kids' safety).

     And 10 years ago, I never would have had this sort of reaction to this song.  But now, I'm a mom.  And maybe that means I'm a little old and silly pop songs can make me cry.  Deal.

      E.T. - by Katy Perry w/ Kanye West - I love this song.  I makes me smile every single time it comes on.  Probably partially based on my unnatural affinity for anything remotely X-Files related, and also because the song just all around amuses me.  But I can tell I'm old because I am straight up ASHAMED that I love this song.  It is an awful song.  It's perverse and weird and dirty and weird.  So I was relagated to loving the song in secret, because seriously - I can't believe the crap they'll put on the radio these days:

"Infect me with your love and
Fill me with your Poison."

Just WRONG!

      But the last straw may have come last week.  There was a new song out that I really enjoyed, but I couldn't quite make out the words.  I even told MacGvyer one day when it was on, "I really like this song, but I wish I could make out the lyrics.  It's no fun if I can't sing along (which may be yet another sign I'm getting too old for Top 40 Pop)."

     I heard it a few more times and continued to like it.  I could peice together some lines, but the main parts of the chorus remained a mystery to me.

      Until I caught the title of the song (which also happened to be the words I couldn't make out) from a DJ:

      Pumped up Kicks - by Foster the People.




     
"All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet"

      Oh my effing bob, seriously?  I CAN'T say that out loud.  What the eff does that even mean?  Pumped up kicks?  Really?

      Crap.

      I think I'm too old for this . . .

9 comments:

Katherine said...

Pandora played that song by Foster The People; I really wanted to click "like" because the tune is just awesome. But I'm with you, the words are just terrible!

Macey said...

Oh, I saw a bunch of people post this on FB as one of their fave new songs. I think it's lame because even if the beat is good, if the crap that's coming out is ALL SHIT, it sucks.

Freckles said...

I don't like the first song you posted. I change the radio every time it comes on.

The second one, the Katy Perr by herself (the original) version is so much better. Kanye West ruined that song. I hate it now. The whole part about "I wanna probe you" and then they "Now I control you, blah, blah" Umm... no thank you.

Lourie said...

Music is very powerful...and we have to watch out for it...the music may be good but is the message in it?

Impulsive Addict said...

I like all the songs that you posted about....even pumped up kicks (kicks being tennis shoes...as in you better run faster than my gun). HOWEVER, when Emma starts repeating lyrics that are inappropriate, my station of choice will unfortunately be the Disney station which sucks. I can't have her singing all those horrible songs! But I kinda like them. =/

Diandra said...

Your music taste makes you my new best friend. ^^

And yes, if the lyrics don't mean a thing, it doesn't matter how well the rest of the song is done. I want to sing along, and I want to be able to feel what the singer is singing about.

Jenn @ Organic-Mama.ca said...

I completely view today's music differently than I would have 10 years ago. I can hardly stand the junk I hear on the radio, in fact I usually only listen to what's on my iPod...80s and 90s music all the way! ;)

Karen M. Peterson said...

I am totally with you on all of these. Especially that ET song. Officially, I don't like it. But secretly? I kinda do.

Unknown said...

Ha, this totally makes laugh - the last song, I totally know what you mean makes you go - "what the....." then the beat totally makes you not care anymore! :)

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