Sounds of Music: An Essay on My Musical Interests Throughout the Years

I grew up in the South so country music was abundant and easy to find when I was a kid. Country has never been my favorite but I was okay with it then and can still stand it every so often. Most of my musical tastes developed in the late 70s and early 80s which were my childhood and adolescent years. I was born in the early 70s. The music I listened to as a kid was fun and told light hearted stories. There were a few songs that stood out like the Oak Ridge Boy's "Elvira". I remember being exited about getting an eight track cassette with this song on it. I just about wore out the player in the next few years. About this time the Chipmunks just happened to come out with their "Urban Chipmunk" album which enforced the listening to country. The Chipmunks appealed to me as a child and if they had sang rock n' roll that would have been just as readily accepted.

Growing up in Mississippi my playlist was never totally void of country music but country didn't move me like the other music of the 80's. I listened to techno, pop, and metal but strangely the music that really caught my attention was rap. It was more the beat and bass line instead of the lyrics. I say strangely because I was a young white boy in a mostly white town. I mentioned that I like rap but not the "gangsta rap" or rap with a very negative message. I don't really like music that puts down on life or hurts people. I got my influence for most rap music from school where the mix of races tipped more towards black. To get rap music you pretty much had to buy tapes or records and I didn't have the money for that so the techno and rock from MTV predominated my listening with rap occurring every now and then.

There was an explosion of genres in the 80s I and went through the gamete. MTV and other stations like that introduced me to groups like the Talking Heads, Crowed House, and Men at Work. My dad also gave me his old 45s records where I fell in love with music ranging from Ray Charles, The Beatles, Sonny and Cher to The Beach Boys. Along the way I found The Temptations, The Allman Brothers, Lynard Skynard and The Supremes. I related to being born in a "Small Town" like John Melloncamp. I used the music of my adolescence as more of an escape than to rebel or even fit in. Later in the 80s and early 90s I numbed my mind with artists like Poison, Motley Crue, and Ozzy Osbourne. I liked their edgy, rebellious sound but I really just wanted to escape. There were those adolescent years that I didn't feel like I fit in anywhere. I was more of a loner so if I rebelled it was quietly in my mind. I used music to put me in a reflective mood about my life. I would get lost in the music for hours. If I were sad there was "Sad Songs" from Elton John. I couldn't go to sleep without some type of music playing. In the car, the radio had to be playing.

Today I listen to what is considered "oldies" which now includes 80s music. I like the feel good sound of Billy Joel or KC and the Sunshine Band. This music makes me happy, makes me forget the problems and the pressures of the day. It's interesting and cool to see how the songs from decades ago still relate and help one deal with the problems of today.
I also listen to some contemporary Christian music, mainly because of my kids. I am not as big into church as I was when I was younger but my wife and children are. There are some contemporary Christian songs that are comforting in distressing times. Even with the Christian music, a good beat and fun message is what makes me happy.

Music is the universal language and it makes me feel good. Music even without lyrics can tell a powerful story. It can relay what the artist felt at the time and people can relate. There are way too many artists that have affected my life to name them all. In short, I like something with a good beat and interesting lyrics. I like music that lets you be free to be yourself and feel good.