Friday, September 15, 2006

MP3 Players Tell No Tales

A realization hit me on my daily walk today as Kenny Rogers began on my MP3 player. It wasn’t that the gambler made me think, it was his song “Daytime Friends and Nighttime Lovers.” I love the song and was walking down the street getting my exercise and singing along. I normally don’t sing or mouth along to songs when I walk, but during this moment I was and became self-conscience as motorists sped by me grinning at the idiot singing that particular song while walking. Here I am trying to stay in shape and I’m singing “Daytime Friends and Nighttime Lovers.” Next came Kenny and Dolly singing “Islands in the Stream” and I’m still singing.

I started to think that as embarrassing as it was, I really had only myself to blame. It’s not like I bought an album for one good song that happened to have all those other songs on there or someone else placed them on my MP3 player as a joke. Nope, I downloaded them onto my player because I wanted to listen to them. As this stream of thought continued, I started thinking about the other songs and artists on my player: Roger Miller, The Carpenters, John Denver and countless others that many people have never heard of or pretend not to have heard of. Right then and there I realized that I never want anyone to end up with my MP3 player.

Geez, what if I keeled over while walking, had no ID on me and someone listened to my MP3 player to get a better idea of who I was? Do I really want my lasting impression to be the guy that died while listening to “Daytime Friends and Nighttime Lovers?” Do I want my MP3 player to still be playing “Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald,” or “Rainy Days And Mondays?’ Of course not!

I’m sure this is a pretty common phenomenon among the multitude of MP3 and Ipod users out there. Would many of them really want the musical skeletons in their closet exposed? Do they really want the world to know that they listen to Andy Gibb singing “I Just Want To Be Your Everything,” or Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock?” If discovered, it could completely shatter their reputation.

“Hey Phil, they’re goes our new co-worker Katie. Rumor has it she has The Bee Gees and Helen Reddy on her Ipod!”

“Oh, I know Susie. I heard Johnny up in accounting heard her singing along to “Alone Again Naturally,” during her walking break today.”

“Oh, I would be soooo embarrassed if I were her. Can you just imagine?”

Here’s the problem though, do you play what you want to or what others would expect you to listen to? I don’t know about you, but I will choose what I want to listen to every time. I love music and if I like it it’s good enough for me. There is no reason for anyone to be ashamed of their musical tastes. But let me say this, you can be darn sure the only way you’ll get my MP3 player from me if the Captain and Tennille are downloaded on it is by prying it out of my cold, dead hand! For me and my MP3 player full of non-hip tunes, love will truly keep us together.


(Editor’s note: the songs mentioned in this blog are done so for storytelling purposes only, they have no factual basis in my listening life, no really)

12 comments:

thethinker said...

Like you, I only put the music on my iPod that I want to listen to. Most of my friends wonder why I always so no whenever they ask to listen to it, but I think you said it well, "the only way you’ll get my MP3 player from me is by prying it out of my cold, dead hand!".

Michael C said...

Thinker: When you think about it, if our friends found out what we really listen to, maybe they'd tell us that they listen to the same thing. Or they'd laugh at and ostracize us ;-)

Unknown said...

I was setting here trying to think of an appropriate comment when I scrolled down to my Word verification letters. XOHVIMYA.

Xohvimya. (zo-vee-mee-yay). n. A level of mental duress obtained upon realizing you and the professional wrestler next door got your Mp3 players mixed up. And you realize he has all the hit songs from Barney the dinosaur.

Thou shalt not ever discover the secrets of my mp3 player.

Later yall...

echo said...

Hilarious! Musical skeletons, I have them too. I usually listen to just the music that I like...and nowadays, I don't much like the chart-toppers. Friends tell me about songs or artists they like and I give a listen. If I like them, I add them to my playlist. Oh, and I like the Carpenters too, haha!

Anonymous said...

You've really hit upon something. Since I'm so square (even using the word square is square), I hardly know what a 3MCPO player is. People used to be worried about getting in an accident or something an not having clean underwear. Now you've gone and added this to it. (Fortunately, I don't have to worry about either of these.)
Laugh. Or....
Else.

Odat said...

Talk about embarassing...I don't even have an MP3 player or an IPOD. But I do carry my lil case of CDs whenever I get in my car...something people can actually get their hands on and even look through...and yeah I guess I've had my moments when someone said what the heck is this?
I listen to a lot of Broadway show music, those plays that I've seen and loved, Les Miserables being my favorite and I play that CD all the time!!! (well maybe not all the time!) And besides, if it makes you happy, who the heck cares what other think! Very funny post!
Peace

Michael C said...

Melon: you made me shiver with fear. Our girls went through the Barney phase...it wasn't pleasant.

Lizza: Unless it's country chart toppers, I'm not even sure who's still out there singing anymore. At least we have the Carpenters.

Laughorist: I didn't mean to worry you. I'm still laughing at the 3MCPO thing. Apparently that's code for human-cyborg relations and musical storage and playback.

Odat: Don't be embarassed, I haven't had my MP3 player very long and I have a feeling that folks look down on me because I don't have a real Ipod. I too have enough CDs to build a medium sized home out of ;-)

Word Verification update: xdjow - a new satellite music service in China.

Anonymous said...

It is important to embrace your music and knwo other peole out there like it too. I am a huge fan of singing in public and at a recent party got a singslong of SWV's Weak and a song that is on the tip of my tongue and is neither Mr. Big nor Damn Yankees but is about the same as both of them. Everyone sung and loved it.

mist1 said...

Don't you have a friend who, upon your death, will come over to your house and remove all porn, personal journals, incriminating photos, etc.?

Add the iPod to the list.

I would volunteer to help, but unfortunately, I would use the opportunity to dump all of my porn, personal journals, incriminating photos...

Justin said...

*discretely renames all Mariah Carey songs on iPod*

ShadowFalcon said...

I would rather live in a mud hut then people find out about some of the stuff I've got hidden away on my i-river.

My husband on the other hand is one of those annoying people who other people stop and ask "oh the song you listening to sounds really cool, what is it?" and the bastarts mean it.

Parlancheq said...

Phew, I'm safe! No MP3 or iPod here. All anyone'll be able to know is what station I have the radio tuned to. :)