Hashtag This Is My Jam

I've been thinking a lot lately about what your taste in music says about you as a person. There must be some correlation between the two, even if it isn't concrete. Every song in your favorite playlist has a reason to be there, as well as a story about when you heard it for the first time. Perhaps an old friend introduced the band to you, or maybe you used to hear the song on the radio all the time during your commute. Whatever it is, every song you like has a backstory.

Now, when it comes to my taste in music, it's pretty hard to pin down, because I generally tend to like all sorts of stuff. I'd like to think this speaks to my attitude about life, as I consider myself a generally laid-back person without many preferences. I've collected a wide variety of songs in much the same manner that I've slowly garnered a wide variety of friends and acquaintances, as well as a stockpile of information and ideas.

A good amount of the music that I have on my computer is from games that I've played and enjoyed. Some of my songs are from artists like Sting or Seal or Dave Matthews--artists that my mother would listen to all the time when I was little, and I like Billy Joel and Elvis Costello because of my father. My taste for jazz is all thanks to my father, as well, and my uncle who would make him "Steve's Bright Jazz Jumble" CDs. All of my friends from college have introduced me to some musician or another, though my room mates have probably expanded my library the most. And, of course, if it weren't for a certain person, I wouldn't enjoy country or show tunes--and I wouldn't know about "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy", which is quite possibly the best country song ever.

Lately I've been really into remixes and mash-ups, though I'm not sure how that trend started. I've recently discovered Pogo, an artist who samples from movies and makes remixes out of those samples. Majestic Casual is also on my radar now, thanks to one of my fellow camp counselors who told me about their YouTube channel. I'm still collecting songs, and probably will be for the rest of my life.

The coolest part about all of this, however, might be that now--at this very moment--someone is reading my words and adding music to their playlist because of me. Not all of you will, obviously. But now, hopefully, I can become a part of someone else's musical history in the same way that a lot of people in my life have become a part of mine. Spread the music, guys!

--J