Thank You for the Music

So, yesterday Rachel had a great post about musical confessions, and I thought it such a great idea that I had to immediately follow in her footsteps. The result: the following musings, confessions, and thoughts, all with the common musical theme. Thanks, Rach, for the constant inspiration.

One of my favorite things to do is turn on my iPod and hit "shuffle songs." With close to 6,000 songs stored, there really is no telling what tunes will come through those speakers. For example, this morning while I was getting ready I heard Ludacris, Ray Charles' Georgia, a Christmas song (I'll Be Home for Christmas, I think...), Jack Johnson's Crying Shame, and Billy Joel's Big Shot. Incredibly random and lovin' it.

I really love concerts, and I wish I went to more of them. I'm so excited to go to Memphis in May (James Taylor, Amos Lee, All-American Rejects, Bonnie Raitt, Ben Harper, Matt Nathanson, and so many more) this year, but I'm even more excited to see Elton John and Billy Joel's Face 2 Face tour in DC in July!

As I've said before, I love musical theater. Performing in my senior play, Footloose, is one of my favorite high school memories (although the person who gave me a solo needs to have his head examined. Seriously, I have my strengths, but singing is not one of them, as the video will forever illustrate.) I do also love going to any Broadway musical, and belting out showtunes alone in my house or car is one of my favorite pasttimes.

I took piano lessons from the time I was in first grade until I graduated from high school. My grand piano is one of my most prized possessions, and I still love playing when I'm at home; I can't wait until the day I have a real house, so I can take it with me. I owe my mom a big thank you for never letting me quit (and you better believe I used to beg) and forcing me to practice (which I would sometime do almost anything to get out of).

I am constantly patrolling for new music, and I love when iTunes totally gets it right and recommends a great artist I've never even heard of. I am a total iTunes addict, and there is no telling how much money I have spent there in the last 5 years.

Last July, I started taking violin lessons. I have wanted to learn to play since junior high, but I never imagined how hard it was going to be. I'm getting to where I can actually play real songs now, and I am loving it more and more.

I played the trumpet for two years in junior high. I can pretty safely say those two years playing that trumpet were some of the most mortifying of my life. (No offense to anyone who plays the trumpet, it just wasn't for me.) It wasn't so much the music that I hated, it was things like emptying my spit valve (sick... I know) and marching around the football field all day in the blazing August Mississippi heat practicing our halftime show, which I dreaded having to perform over and over again at each varsity football game.

The first CD I remember owning was Ace of Base: The Sign.

The most recent CD I bought was probably Taylor Swift: Fearless. Weird... and embarrassing. I know.

I love it when Ben uses his cool New York vibe to bring awesome new music into my life, like months ago when he introduced me to MGMT.

It is my personal opinion that musicians (like moviestars) should stick to what they do best: in this case, singing. I feel they should leave their political opinions and their causes off the stage and out of the limelight.

I love movie and TV show soundtracks, and it is not uncommon for me to love music from a movie I didn't really care for.

Embarrassingly, I love David Cook. I feel the need to watch every performance, appearance, and interview he does. His season is, oddly enough, the only season of American Idol I've ever watched, so maybe that explains my uncanny attachment.

Why is it that when 80s music or an 80s band is playing the party just gets started? Turning on 80s music is like plugging people into an electric socket or something.

I am more likely to buy (or at least remember) a product if I like the song played in its commercial. Commercials are also great places to discover previously unknown music.

Whoever invented the concept of a piano bar or dueling pianos should be given a big high five every day, just for being awesome.

So, tell me if I'm alone in this one: some songs completely transport me to another place and time in my past, complete with sounds, voices, sights, and even smells. Anyone else?

XM Radio changed my life. I know that may sound extreme, but, seriously, sometimes it blows my mind. I feel almost as strongly about Pandora.

I would be hard pressed to narrow in on the best concert I've ever been to. The Goo Goo Dolls, John Mayer with Maroon 5, Michael Buble, and, surprisingly, Linkin Park with Hoobastank, P.O.D., and Story of the Year were all pretty amazing. (Seriously, the last one was so, so good.)

I can, however, say, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst concert I've ever been to: Jessica Simpson. Ryan Cabrera's opening was the only saving grace of that abysmal experience.

I always love to find a song that has eloquently incorporated interesting or intelligent vocabulary into a seemingly commonplace song. For me, that's like finding the prize at the bottom of the cereal box, a hidden treasure that I was almost certain wouldn't be there.