Sunday, December 17, 2006

Eclectic Playlists

I have a pretty eclectic taste in music.

By eclectic, I don't mean "cutting edge" or "unusual." Rather, I mean that my musical tastes cut a broad swath across most genres of popular music. Country, rock, folk, Motown, New Age, 80's, rap, classical, Christian, alternative, oldies: I like something (but not everything) from each of these groups.

To some, the very idea of music being popular stigmatizes it, rendering it unlistenable. Others pigeonhole themselves as liking only a certain type, quarantining themselves from all others.

But give me a good tune, some vocal talent, and some meaningful or clever lyrics, and I'll probably like the song. Throw in a good memory or two associated with it, and I might download it onto my iPod

I've put nearly 3,000 songs on my iPod in the last 6 months, mostly transferred from my own CD collection. I've got playlists ranging from John Mayer to John Denver, from Sting to Stevie Wonder, from Norah Jones to the Dixie Chicks. They all get about equal play.

I've recently started downloading a few songs from iTunes. The first fourteen will give you a good idea of how widely my taste ranges.

  • Just My Imagination by the Tempations
  • King's Highway by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
  • I'll Be Your Baby Tonight by Bob Dylan
  • Islands In The Stream by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
  • Karma Chalmeleon by Culture Club
  • Love Will Turn You Around by Kenny Rogers
  • Heaven Is A Place On Earth by Belinda Carlisle
  • Tunnel Of Love by Bruce Springsteen
  • The End Of The Innocence by Don Henley
  • Heads Carolina, Tails California by Jo De Messina
  • Hook by Blues Traveler
  • Love Will Come to You by Indigo Girls
  • Ghost by Indigo Girls
  • 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins
Maybe my musical tastes are not as sophisticated or selective as others are. Basically, the only important question I ask about a song is, "Do I like it?" I have no other pretentious qualifying conditions. To me, that freedom is liberating; I can't stand being limited by artificial boundaries, in music or anything else.

So if you see me lip-synching to Belinda Carlisle or Boy George on my iPod, know that I'm in my own little piece of, well, heaven on earth.