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Has your taste in music changed over time?


When the phone rang in the living room, early in the evening, its sound was nearly overlooked in the clash of loud music. My younger brother had just discovered System of a Down, and with the help of his small CD player he took it with him wherever he went, except to violin practice; like the Pied Piper of Hamelin you could always hear him coming.

   This was in 2001. Randy was sixteen years old and while he wasn't really into rock music, he would always play the System CD on just to remind us that he had a different taste in music. The band's latest album includes a song called Chop Suey! and, while I was on the phone, the CD player was blaring loud metal riffs and rapid-fire percussion with angst-ridden vocals. The music I can usually live with. It's the lyrics I find annoying.

   If you're a rebellious teenager who likes to smoke crack and jack off to amateur porn, you could reasonably mistake SOAD's lyrics for deep. But once you turn 20 and start looking for a real job, of course, you'll go "what the hell have I been listening to?"

   The music from "when we were young" often has great significance to us, but our tastes in music change as we get older (and wiser) to match the changing social and psychological circumstances of our lives. When I was younger I also liked loud music – Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kula Shaker, and The Black Crowes were all part of my teenage years. Jazz became increasingly important to me in my late twenties – particularly Miles Davis. Now, thirty-five, I've spent the last couple of days listening to Passion Pit, Yann Tiersen, Vance Joy, MisterWives, Hiromi Uehara, Portugal. The Man, BOY, and Rudimental.

   Unfortunately, my favorite bands from my youth, the bands that got me through heartaches, anger, and confusion, do not stimulate my senses anymore.

   How has your taste in music changed over the years? Have you found yourself listening to tracks you never thought you would have listened to when you were younger? Here's a list of ten absolutely terrible tunes I used to listen to, and, at the time, really enjoyed doing so. 
  1. Metallica, Enter Sandman 
  2. Deep Blue Something, Breakfast At Tiffany's
  3. Limp Bizkit, Nookie
  4. Creed, With Arms Wide Open
  5. Eraserheads, Toyang
  6. Spin Doctors, Two Princes
  7. Nickelback, How You Remind Me
  8. 4 Non Blondes, What's Up?
  9. Crash Test Dummies, Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm
  10. Rivermaya, 214
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