Ludwig van Beethoven
Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.
Art demands of us that we shall not stand still.
Bob Dylan
Musicians have always known that my songs were about more than just words,
but most people are not musicians.
Sometimes you just have to bite your upper lip and put sunglasses on.
Jazz
Margaret Whiting
Pennies in a stream
Falling leaves a sycamore
Moonlight in Vermont
Icy finger waves
Ski trails on a mountain side
Snowlight in Vermont
Evening summer breeze
Warbling of a meadowlark
Moonlight in Vermont
John Blackburn (lyrics) and Karl Suessdorf (music)
Perfect Pair OF Sunglasses
I read the persanal ads written on the walls
of the truckstop restroom stalls
names, dates, and numbers to call.
Then I wash my hands in the liquid soap
look in the mirror and hope
that I’ll look better in broad daylight, but I don’t know.
I fish out my last 50 cents
for the imitation cologne dispenser
put it on, head out the door,
Smelling of the sweet perfume
of a truckstop mens room
just searching for the perfect pair of sunglasses.
Mike West - Truckstop Honeymoon
Thick As A Brick
Really don't mind if you sit this one out.
My words but a whisper -- your deafness a shout.
I may make you feel but I can't make you think.
Your sperms in the gutter -- your love's in the sink.
And your wise men don't know how it feels
To be thick as a brick
Ian Anderson
That fantastic black plastic
Now that CDs are dead it’s more difficult to display your identity and taste
in an incidental-looking but deeply deliberate way.
This is where a record player comes in.
A record player is eccentric. A record player is considered.
A record player is so impressive and yet useless that its main value will lie in people approaching it and saying,
‘Oh, a record player!’ and you will say, ‘Yes,’ and that’s where the conversation will end.
Records are very expensive, so just cut some black cardboard circles and
put them into record sleeves. No one will ask to listen to them anyway.
Sinéad Stubbins
The Boxer
I am just a poor boy
Though my story's seldom told
I have squandered my resistance
For a pocketful of mumbles
Such are promises
All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest
Paul Simon
Background Music
Background music is hardly a new development, but, previously, these sorts of experiences were mostly relegated to elevators and waiting rooms; now the groundless consumption of music has become omnipresent. In a 2015 press release, Spotify declared itself “obsessed with figuring out how to bring music into every part of your life, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whatever your mood.” The idea of purposeful listening—which is to say, merely listening—is becoming increasingly discordant with the way that music is sold to us.
I tried listening to the Chillhop channel again, later on, in my office. It made me feel more agitated than relaxed, as if I were being placed on hold for an indefinite period of time—possibly the rest of my life.
Amanda Petrusich
Spotify
A decade ago, Spotify favoured human-curated playlists made by artists, celebrities and music aficionados. But in 2021, the streaming company pivoted towards machine learning.
Spotify’s algorithm has anaesthetised artists I once enjoyed.
Advocates argue this is a chance to democratise music promotion, neatly matching artists with their audiences. Critics suggest this ultra-subjective experience limits musical discovery to the already familiar – and the less it’s challenged, the more my music taste narrows. So as a test, I quit Spotify for a month, to bring some soul back into the way I find music.
More than 5 million Australians listen to community radio every week, for 17 hours on average – and now, I can see why. The station prides itself on “real music” and even has the tagline “You never know what you like until you try it”. Just what I needed! And it’s true, I had forgotten how good it feels to wind down the windows and blast Push the Button by the Sugababes, and then to roll them up again when a classical German song, a mystery even to Shazam, comes on.
Music – like film, TV, and food – is now served to us effortlessly, instantly. But this has caused the way we consume music to be more siloed. Spending a month hunting for new music myself, rather than relying on an algorithm, made me feel more connected to my parents, friends, radio presenters and even complete strangers. Their recommendations – whether to my taste or not – came with a part of themselves, a memory, or a shared interest.