[M.M.X.I.V. 80] Change it!

Like other times, this is a response to a Daily Prompt, a day after the actual prompt appeared in my Reader. When I was growing up in Fort Dodge, honestly I don’t have too many memories of music directly. However, I did play the piano, so I got some experience with pure instrumental music. This was also true since I got used to game show theme songs, some of the classical music that was played in some Looney Tunes/Tom & Jerry, and of course, the smooth jazz played during the local forecasts on The Weather Channel.

If I would listen to the radio, it was Star 102.5 (KSTZ Des Moines) which played the “adult contemporary” format–70’s, 80’s, and today (i.e. 90’s). I seemed partial to most of the songs, although nothing really stuck out then. Electronic and dance music from the 90’s somewhat stood out, particularly at Hollingsworth Studio and the bowling alley.

Once we moved to Lincoln, my musical tastes diverged from my siblings’. They liked the new songs from the late 90’s, and I started to dislike them, whether due to sheer repetition on 102.7 (KFRX Lincoln), a Top 40 station in Lincoln, or just that I didn’t like the way they sounded. Some particular songs which always got my goat were “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia, “No Scrubs” by TLC, or “Genie In A Bottle” by Christina Aguilera. My preferences were still the 70’s and 80’s, so I started listening to The Eagle (92.9 KTGL Lincoln/Beatrice).

The radio therefore became a virtual battle between my siblings (then ages 7, 9, 9) and me (age 11)–jockeying for the control of it, and adamant “Keep it!/Change it!” requests to Mom on the first song heard that anyone didn’t like (and usually, at least one of the other siblings did like it). These radio battles were often on car rides.

In fact, one of them works very well with this post number! For my 11th birthday, we went to Fort Dodge to celebrate the fourth of July, and stayed at a family-friend’s house. On the fifth, we headed back toward Lincoln, wanting to go into western Iowa en route in order to go to Uncle Jack’s place, but the roads were impassable due to rain.

When we got to Interstate 80, we rode in the van while watching the flooded countryside. The radio was very irksome, as we could not seem to find a station that was not playing “Torn.” As soon as I heard the first chord, I adamantly shouted, “Change it!!” and Mom and Dad accepted my request over my siblings’, given the sheer repetition of that song. We found a classic rock station for a little while.

(Why did I despise “Torn” so much? In addition to not caring much for the song itself, it got really popular near April 29, 1998. That was one of only two days during my scholastic career in Lincoln that I missed due to illness–suffered from a 24-hour bug that day. Therefore, there is that association whenever the song plays…)

These radio battles occasionally happen when my siblings get together again, although this time in the case of personal MP3s that are playing aloud. Often when preparing for our ערב קריסמס (Erev Christmas) party. My varied mix often draws jeers when Hebrew songs start playing, and some of the video game background music do not resonate well with my sisters.

But, I feel that my upbringing has allowed me to appreciate a wide variety of music. If you have read some of my “Musical Memories Shuffle” posts, you see the wide variety of music that I have on my MP3 player (i.e. like).

Actually, maybe that is how I will prompt myself during M.A.P.L.E. this year… shuffle my MP3 player and take the nth song to give a suggestion each day. We’ll see if that comes through.

===========================

Today is the eightieth day of M.M.X.I.V. That makes eleven weeks and three days.

Yesterday’s Daily Prompt was as follows:

“What sort of music was played in your house when you were growing up? What effect, (if any) did it have on your musical tastes?”

And here are other posts that address this prompt:

5 thoughts on “[M.M.X.I.V. 80] Change it!”

Your musical taste sounds wonderfully eclectic, Noah: 70s, 80s- ah! Good man! Great post.

LikeLike


alienorajt
21 March, 2014 at 07:53
- Thanks, Ali! Indeed, an eclectic and diverse taste in music leads to good times in almost any situation.
  
  Faster songs for exercise or fun things, slower songs for thinking or sadder situations, and perhaps even times when the song is incongruent with the situation.
  
  LikeLike
  
  
  Noah Weiss
  21 March, 2014 at 07:55
That was a trip! I could relate well with that dislike for “Torn”. It’s not really a bad song. Natalie’s version is actually good–it’s just that I too got sick of hearing her cover of it. My house was safe but the rest of the neighborhood and school was like a minefield: you’d never know when someone would burst into song.

LikeLike


Mati Serrano
21 March, 2014 at 09:40
- A very interesting point, Mati. Indeed, it’s always “That One Song” that you don’t want to hear, yet it could be ubiquitous whenever you are out and about!
  
  LikeLike
  
  
  Noah Weiss
  21 March, 2014 at 15:44
Pingback: NaPoWriMo – Poem / Poetry – “Facing The Music” | toofulltowrite (I've started so I'll finish)