Musical Minds

It is 10.30pm on Saturday night and I am sat on the train heading back to Lausanne after an afternoon working in sunny Aarau – a small German-speaking city in the North-ish of Switzerland. Sunny and Northern are not two adjectives I have often used together too much in my lifetime, but strange things happen.

I am listening to a band called Daughtry and their album Break The Spell. It is one of my favourites right now along with Coldplay’s latest album. I stumbled across Daughtry by accident really – I heard one song of theirs on the radio, caught the name, and included it on my list to Santa, and Mr Claus produced the goods. Well, actually, it was Auntie Joan and Uncle George, and a great gift nonetheless.

Certainly one of the more random musical discoveries for me. I generally hear two or three tunes, and eventually buy an album. Unless it is Jon or Barry, our old friends, and it’s a no brainer. Play.com usually just send it without me having to click ‘buy’…so certain they are of the purchase. This one was a little more random, but a successful one.

It got me randomly thinking, what makes us like songs and bands? Now, I may perhaps be setting myself up for a few jokes with that comment. But genuinely, what makes you like a band or a song? Is it the tune? Is it the words? Is it the singer? Is it the title of the song? The voice?

It is not particularly easy to put one’s finger on it, and often it is a mixture of a few of them. For me, a large number of the songs I like and consider my favourites are because of the words. I have a couple of songs in my head these days with the words firmly imprinted in my mind and it is much to do with some of my thoughts recently. Analytical Bobby listens to the words of so many songs, and it is the reason why I grew to be a Barry fan. Those lyrics that I appreciate and associate myself with are often the ones that I prefer. I will not claim that to be the reason why I like Bon Jovi – that is more a style and a sound thing. I know, I know….leave it.

But before you start furiously scribbling on my Facebook wall and mocking me, I have another question for you. What is to say that what you hear through your ears is the same as what I hear? Do strawberries taste the same for you as they do me? What if Strawberries actually taste like Cabbage to you, but strawberries to me or vice versa? So nobody likes Mushrooms, that I accept and rightly so. But you get my point.

I guess that is what makes us all unique. The truth is, life would be very boring if we all liked the same thing. So if you like Mushrooms, then you’ll understand why I like Barry Manilow and Bon Jovi. You’re a bit weird too, but that’s fine, I won’t hold it against you!