Saturday, September 01, 2007

Repost Saturday: MP3 Players Tell No Tales

Because I am off to the California Speedway today to yell insulting things at Jeff Gordon, I am switching things up a bit. I'm reposting today and will run 'Things I Learned This Week' tomorrow. Have a great day!!

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)

16 comments:

Lis said...

This is why nobody must ever get their hands on my iPod. I'm never gonna be able to show my face again if everyone finds out I secretly listen to Copacabana. On repeat.

Michael C said...

Lis: That's one of my favs. Oh crap, did I just mention that out loud??

Anonymous said...

I love head banging rock music. I can sing along with every song on puddle of mudd's come clean CD - but I can also sing along with *every single word* of "You Light Up My Life" when I hear it. *sheesh*

Odat said...

I go back and forth with today's music and the music I sing and dance along to...Every time I take a long car trip people stay far away from the crazy red head from New York singing her lungs out to "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights"....using her water bottle as a microphone...(erase this please, i didn't really tell you that).
Have fun today!
Peace

Patti said...

Our 18-year old daughter loves "Copacabana" and her name isn't even Lola. And she's not a showgirl.

It's OK if you listen to non-hip tunes, Michael.
You blog, and that is way hip!

armalicious said...

I do like your reposts because they are definitely enabling me to continue on as a lazy-ass and not go through your archives. Anyway...how you make me smile with your last paragraph.

I refuse to front with what songs I have on my iPod. I have so many different styles of music on there that I know would make people sneer. But I don't care. I like Faron Young, Patsy Cline, and Buck Owens and yeah...I like to follow that up with a little bit of The Beatles and then throw in some showtunes for good measure. And my 80's rock is a staple as is Louis Prima and Dean Martin (every Italian girl has to have those two on their MP3 players, right?). Oh, and my Christmas music playlist? That I listen to in August? Hells yeah. And if anyone makes fun of my Neil Diamond or NKOTB, I'd probably shank them. And I'm very proud of my new Jay & the Americans song I just downloaded. "Come a little bit closer..."

C said...

O. M. G. Did you steal my husband's playlist?

My friend's boy will be at the track for the Cup race with his uncle. Tell him hi for me. ^_^ That was quite a wreck in the Busch race, wasn't it? MuNKi (dh) thinks that wall saved the dude's life.

C said...

Not the wall - I mean the wall was bad, but the construction of the wall - safety wall or whatever. That's not the right name, but you know. . .

Lis said...

Arm, I thought I was the only weirdo who listens to Christmas music in non-Christmas months! Something about them that gives me the warm fuzzies...

Michael C said...

Micki: I guess we all have that soft side...we just don't want to admit it. Thanks for stopping by!!

Odat: I'll pretend you didn't tell me that, but it still makes me smile ;-)

Patti: Why is that song so great? May the Lord help me the day I actually meet someone named Lola.

ARM: I have a feeling our playlists could easily be traded! I love Christmas music any time of the year. I guess it kinda comes with being born on Christmas Eve.
:D

Candace: I did not steal it, but now think I want to. Yes that was a wicked wreck. Brad hit the wall a ton and is very luck he didn't flip, too.

And can I say it was the hottest day I have ever experienced. Add some sun tan lotion to the mix and I won't even say how funky my skin feels right now. (I guess I really did not need to share that, did I??)

Lis: You can happily add me to that wierdo list. I can NEVER get enough of the holiday tuneage!!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the laugh!! Hopefully BBW (that's not an acronym for something bad I hope) doesn't mind me sharing that when we were little we used to dance around the living room to Copacabana, Can't smile w/out you and probably everything else that was on that piece of vinyl. Ah yes, the innocence of youth, we had no idea what some of those songs were REALLY saying. Have a great weekend!

Airam said...

Your editor's note is a lie! :) I bet you made a special playlist just for those songs entitled "I love Sap".

I say you put on your iPod what you want to listen to! There are some things that I've got that are embarassing and won't make mention to but I don't care!

Michael C said...

BBWS: Welcome!! I love picturing you two dancing to those songs!! Wasn't Mr. Manilow great! Uh, did I just say that out loud??

Airam: How did you know about my 'sap' list? Since you just outted my playlist, you HAVE to share what's on your list now...
:D

C said...

Oh, I'm a day off! You were at the Busch race?

Funky Skin. It could have the makings of another playlist. Maybe not. . .

Anonymous said...

It should be added that we also wore red satin sheets wrapped around our shoulders and pretended that we were "Lola" - we'd fight over who got the fitted or flat sheet because the fitted stayed on better.

magickat said...

I totally play what I want to! Screw everyone else. I have sung and danced along to The Jackson's "Can You Feel It?" numerous times on the subway platform. I don't give a crap!

I'm guessing that if you are singing along to "Islands In The Stream" then you don't either!