My iPod is wreaking havoc upon my mental health. One moment, I’m meditating prayerfully on eternity and the next I’m in a sentimental swoon over my seventh-grade sweetheart. But before I even recall why the song has dragged me back to my adolescence, I’m dancing to an aerobics routine that would make Jane Fonda proud.
My iPod has changed the way I experience music. Gone are the days of slipping an album from its cardboard cover and paper sleeve, carefully placing it on the turntable and committing to one musician for forty-five minutes. The artist had forty-five minutes to make me fall in love with his or her music. Sometimes, that forty-five minute tryst became a full-blown love affair. I committed myself, like a lover, for better or worse, til death do us part. The collection of lovers could multiply, but no lover was ever discarded.
I miss the days of caressing that black disc between my palms, touching only the edges. Gently setting the needle upon the outer rim’s blank sliver , listening to the sandpaper scratch that preceded the first track. And then going along for the ride, listening as I studied the cover art and liner notes. Albums were intended as works of art. The careful assembling of various songs, when done with love, carried the listener on an emotional ride. If the artist succeeded, the listener experienced a seduction,was drawn in as a willing participant to the artist’s most intimate thoughts and emotions. And come out with a sense of completion. There was a beginning, a middle, an end. Whether cheerful or melancholy, the ending was meant to be satisfying.
Not so with my iPod. I am a schizophrenic listener now. I shuffle. I am jarred from one extreme to the next, with little commonality of idea or purpose. I dance, I feel blue, I feel elevated, I feel raunchy. It’s all one big jumble and I’m struggling to keep up. Perhaps some classical strings would soothe me. If only the violins weren’t followed by Pink telling me to get the party started.
[…] Quirkyculture reminisces on the days where we listened to albums instead of individual songs: Albums were intended as works of art. The careful assembling of various songs, when done with love, carried the listener on an emotional ride. If the artist succeeded, the listener experienced a seduction,was drawn in as a willing participant to the artist’s most intimate thoughts and emotions. And come out with a sense of completion. There was a beginning, a middle, an end. Whether cheerful or melancholy, the ending was meant to be satisfying… […]
[…] baking. ” Lucky me, my Mom is making it for me tonight as I am home sick (yeah, and I am 40 My iPod is Making Me Crazy by quirkyculture : iPhones/iPod playlists are addictive. I have even made playlists for my cats. […]
You are the one with the playlist for your cats! I love it! You are crazy and I scrolled through every comment, looking for the cat playlist person. AWESOME!
Actually it’s not the Ipod that’s making me crazy, it’s Itunes!!
I enjoyed this post, thank you.
I also tried out the shuffle thing for myself and actually, despite being a skeptic and thought that it wasn’t for me, I found that I really enjoyed it.
You can see how my experience transpired on this post in my blog.
Thanks, that was cool.
Everything is OK.
I feel your pain! I told myself as a New Year Resolution type thing to stop pressing next so many times, just let the damn thing play. That has lasted a few weeks cause I am starting to do it again, “just when Im getting my freak on” pops up the “The Way we Were” Crazy I tell ya…
Ahh, good old Barbara Streisand. No more memories for you!
nicely said……its informative
thx…
shruthi,
http://www.starsofindia.wordpress.com
How true. I almost got a stiff neck on the bus the other day. I started shaking my legs and dancing when the pop went on, sat back and put my feet up when my old time favorite sweet songs were on. Leaned forward and clenched up when heavy metal turned on… the poor person next to me- i may have looked troubled. I changed that now and made playlists with proper music order and enough songs of the same genre. try it.
So when I see someone going into convulsions, I should just look for the earbuds growing out of their head? Very reassuring.
To be honest, why don’t you just get some disk and play it on again? I know it’s much more work then just listening to an iPod, but if you have some afternoon or evening free, use the time and begin to listen to real music again. Fall in love with the 80s sound of depeche mode or struggle to death with nirvana. But take your time.
i wonder if this happens to everyone but i tend to enjoy listenin to music more over the radio than on the ipod.maybe its the element of unpredictability or knowing the fact that many others are givin me company by listenin to the same music…dunno.
Radio sends some awful stuff into my ears, but it also introduces me to artists I haven’t heard before. And it’s free!
I know how that feels. Usually when I turn on my iPod, I crave a particular style of music. If any other genre pops into the window, I hit next until I get the genre I want.
But that’s why I’m a Pandora listener now.
the time for buy a new ipod.. 🙂
It sounds like you need a new experience with music, we’re making music social. Were just about to launch beta and believe that we can add that special something to the music experience again. Gone are the days of “I” were doing US. If you want to sign up for a beta notification feel free to. http://www.MakeVolu.me
[…] My iPod is wreaking havoc upon my mental health. One moment, I'm meditating prayerfully on eternity and the next I'm in a sentimental swoon over my seventh-grade sweetheart. But before I even recall why the song has dragged me back to my adolescence, I'm dancing to an aerobics routine that would make Jane Fonda proud. My iPod has changed the … Read More […]
I buy cds. My boyfriend teases me bc it is so ‘material’ for someone who lives so much of her life online. There is just something about popping a cd into my car stereo and listening to everything in close surround sound, in order.
Ironic, isn’t it? Music is special, though. I want to be able to hold it in my hand.
[…] My iPod is wreaking havoc upon my mental health. One moment, I'm meditating prayerfully on eternity and the next I'm in a sentimental swoon over my seventh-grade sweetheart. But before I even recall why the song has dragged me back to my adolescence, I'm dancing to an aerobics routine that would make Jane Fonda proud. My iPod has changed the … Read More […]
[…] Igår hittade jag det här inlägget om skillnaden att lyssna på musik idag, mot hur det var ”förr i tiden”. Jag tänkte lite grann på det där när jag gick hem idag, och som vanligt hade ipoden igång, kan inte åka kommunalt utan den, blir fullkomligt tokig om jag inte kan stänga ute alla ljud. My iPod is wreaking havoc upon my mental health. One moment, I’m meditating prayerfully on eternity and the next I’m in a sentimental swoon over my seventh-grade sweetheart. But before I even recall why the song has dragged me back to my adolescence, I’m dancing to an aerobics routine that would make Jane Fonda proud. My iPod has changed the … Read More […]
[…] through the random blogs on the Freshly Pressed page last night when I came across one called My iPod is Making Me Crazyand had to click on it. It was about the randomness of people’s playlists nowadays thanks to […]
The thing is, it’s all in what you make of it. You could easily be listening to full albums on your Ipod, or continuing to listen to Vinyl records. I agree that the experience is different, but it doesn’t have to be all that different. Vinyl was never portable, so now an Ipod let’s you take your entire music library where ever you could. Certainly that is much more preferable, to a music fan, then to have no other option. And almost all records that are released now, are available on Vinyl and most come with a download card for the mp3 version of the album.
The Ipod is merely a tool, a vehicle for enjoyment of music, and how you use it is all up to you. I will agree though, that Album artwork is a lost art, unfortunately.
great post….and I do happen to agree with you. I see kids, joggers, and people working out with their Ipod, but am I the only idiot that cant listen to music without singing???
Or drumming. My steering wheel is in serious danger of falling off the column.
You’re not alone, I sing too while running!
You’re right — people have become almost emotionally crazy because of their MP3 players — allowing it to flip from soft, to R&B to energetic to electronica allowing the technology to make the decision as to what should be played next. But is it the fault of the technology? I don’t believe so. I believe the fault is in the laziness of using the technology properly.
What I find to be the problem (you’re describing here) is that end-users are essentially lazy or trust the technology to set the theme like a DJ used to either at a nightclub,or radio station. They think that the technology is essentially smart enough to know the difference between Thrillseekers and The Carpenters. It isn’t. Never will be, either — even with such added features like Genius in iTunes.
My suggestion is to make use of your playlists and take the time to go through your music and create essentially “Mix-Tapes” from your vast collections. Become your own DJ for what sort mood you’re wanting to set with your music. You’ll find better peace of mind doing so — and less feeling completely disjointed from Random’s arbitrary selections.
That’s what I’ve done and it’s helped my peace of mind for the better part of six years of owning an iPod.
The artwork was a huge part of the vinyl experience (my blog is on album-cover-inspired musings: longfade.wordpress.com)…and that ‘scratchy sound’ sort of continues underneath the actual music a tiny bit, a factor in giving it a bit more warmth a lot of the time than you get purely digitally.
Good luck.
Love the coverart
i don’t suppose anyone here is old enough to remember the only way to listen to music was either the radio or vinyl? ha, yeah, i am getting old, but there is NOTHING like listening to good old music on VINYL!!! we may be getting older but there’s nothin’ you can do with us baby boomers.
[…] I read a post called “My iPod is Making Me Crazy” on the blog QUIRKYCULTURE which perfectly describes the lost ritual of listening to music on vinyl […]
[…] Just pause for a moment and put a frame around that. How different is today’s digital player-driven music experience? […]
As different as Buddy Holly and Jay Z.
[…] saw this post today on the WordPress dashboard. (See that picture at the top? It looks so much like my dad’s […]
[…] My iPod is wreaking havoc upon my mental health. One moment, I'm meditating prayerfully on eternity and the next I'm in a sentimental swoon over my seventh-grade sweetheart. But before I even recall why the song has dragged me back to my adolescence, I'm dancing to an aerobics routine that would make Jane Fonda proud. My iPod has changed the … Read More […]
what I find a lot of the time with my ipod is that I play my albums like a record or a CD just for the feel of that warm musical embrace, it’s a very nostalgic kind of pleasure
Absolutely
apple products can be infuriating The Leaves Fall
Shuffle ALBUMS.
Problem solved
🙂
Some times technology needs to take a step back, you can’t beat the whole vinyl experience, hence why I own a turntable that I can connect to my pc via USB
Taking a mini-break from technology for at least a few days is almost as delightful as looking at a picture of an adorable baby.
This sounded just like me. I to miss the days of listening to an whole Album, or even having an Album. I love the tech but some days would like to go back to simple.
Simple is simply divine sometimes
The only thing you can’t do with an iPod is admire the art included with an album. However, a person can get out of their “shuffle-mania” by just focusing on the artists option on an iPod and less on the songs.
I know some days I will listen to solely Josh Groban or R. Kelly, it really depends on my mood. However, some days I can’t listen to my iPod anymore because there is nothing in it that will capat with my mood. {Which are usually the days that I really need something to listen to and my iPod won’t listen to me HAHA}
Anyways, thanks for this interesting post– I agree with it {to an extent}
☮ & ♥
~Nym
When your iPod starts talking to you, it’s time to toss the iPod.
I remember listening to albums and having memorized them in a particular order. I don’t like listening to They Might Be Giants’ albums on shuffle–I love anticipating the next song.
Occasionally I’ll be a “shuffle-r” but it’s usually only by artist. So I’ll listen to Jason Mraz’s songs on shuffle, but even then I usually listen to all his songs in a row, alphabetical. 🙂
I have tended to do the single song purchase. There are few albums I get any more. I have entirely switched to digital because of my nomadic lifestyle–2 years in Peace Corps, a year in Seoul–cds take up LOADS of space, so I got rid of them.
One album I bought this last year that was FINELY CRAFTED was “Finally We are No One” by Múm. It was like a well done movie–an introduction, themes that repeated throughout the album, development of that theme, a climax, and a resolution. I’d never experienced an album like that before. I always listen to the entire album from start to finish.
Great topic, and congrats on being freshly pressed!
You get the idea of how fantastic the album experience can be. I’m happy! Nice reminder of how much music you can pack on an iPod…so necessary to bring that music along. Peace Corps…good for you. I visited Seoul 10 years ago. Loved it.
A lot of purists have moved back to vinyl. Perhaps it’s time for you to begin that journey back in time?
Sounds like a terrifying trip. Do I dare?
Brilliant post. You’ve penned down what millions cant really express through this same thing.
Thanks. High praise from a thoughtful intellectual.
I noticed the same problem and it’s a dilemma I go through every time I load my MP3 player. (I don’t have an iPod, I have a creative zen nano and muvo. Yeah, I have two MP3 players, one for podcasts and audio books and one for music.)
I sometimes want to be suprised by new things, but every time I put divergent moods and styles together, I get really annoyed by the emotional change, so now I load eveything up with mood in mind, and even put it in order so that the mood can change smoothly with transition songs that bridge the emotional gap.
I save long romps through my library for winamp at home. I can change that much easier if I need to.
When did music become so much work?
nice post, but you can go back to normal by changing the sttings of you ipod to play whole album….boring!
Same old story… No wait… Song 🙂
Very nicely put, and I couldn’t agree more. It is for this reason that I rarely listen to music on my iphone or ipod, instead I use them for podcasts.
The dawn of MP3 players have not changed my musical habits much, but have served to bring me into the wonderful world of podcasts, whatever you are into there is a podcast for it and IMHO it is the best use for an ipod.
Good point. So much to discover.
Ive often been embarrassed when the shuffle announces a terrible song on a road trip…. no one wants to hear nsync!!!
Here’s a fun trick: Next time your man goes on a trip with his buddies, load your music onto his iPod and hear about the humiliation afterward.
listening to music just never feels the same with ipod. with CDs, you get to emote it out with the artist since you have the booklet. with an ipod, it’s just… sounds. the disappearance of CD stores saddened me so much.
great post.
I miss Tower Records. Hours spent flipping through the racks. Taking a chance on an artist you’ve never heard of. And the Bargain Bin! I just might cry.
I still buy whole albums and often play them from beginning to end. I find that helps keep the schizophrenia at bay. But random shuffle is a fun way to rediscover songs in your collection that you may have forgotten.
So true. A fun surprise, like pulling on your jeans and finding a twenty in your pocket.
I still buy CDs because of that fact – I want the musical journey, to get into the mood of the album and really hear the strory. But I have an iPod for commuting when you want to shuffle and hear different things – I like having both worlds, I just hope they don’t cut out CDs all together one day 😦
Bite your tongue!
haha. Nice post, thank you. Forget about commitment, the ipod ruins that! haha. Congrats on being freshly pressed.
I had just got the CD player which I had been hankering for ages … and then the ipod arrived. I like shuffle but the music I do own belongs to one genre. Although I enjoy lower prices for tracks, I have always been one to prefer live performances than any recording.
Hi,
I absolutely agree with you for as a teenager I do recall using records to listen to my music. For me the i-pod was not a good experience for when my son got his i-phone he just discarded his i-pod and I became the proud owner of a top end i-pod and I started using it initially to listen to music while on my morning walks. So most music is tolerable while walking but I soon realised that all the music had been downloaded by my son and it was not of my choosing and it was just too much work to put in an entire lot of music of my choice. So there it lies….my daughter now may use it now and then as she has her own i-pod too. Be it an i-pod or a mobile or a computer ….the trend is to have one of your own.
I bought my dad an record player last Christmas and he loves it. He plays a different record every day!!!
Unfortunately, he used to have a ton of albums but had to throw it all away when his parents moved. He now only has 3. 😦
But he says the sound quality of them is way better than any lousy mp3 music. 🙂
Great blog!
Keep up the good work!!!
Before I say anything, I want to tell you that I admire the fact that you have managed to respond to almost every comment to your post, despite the fact that there are over 200!
And love your post and completely identify with it. I just don’t respect music anymore I think, considering the speed with which I switch from song to song. It’s sad, really.
Freshly Pressed is highly motivating.
[…] just made me laugh to see a popular blog of today “my ipod is Making me Crazy” speak on this topic, and how soo many responses were formed of a similar nature. I guess what we […]
Good tips – thanks for sharing!
I’m still listening to CDs, although I have an Ipod and a waterproof MP3-Player
A solution to your issue could be, select an Artist of Album from the playlists, and it will play only that artist, like your beloved vinyll! 🙂
But! i do know what you mean, and i to have experienced the dramatic, extreme and sometimes unexpected changes in music.
I have the option for tracks to fade into each other also, which makes these dramatic changes some what comical.
Listening to a nice peaceful piano classic inbed, close to adrift. And slowly but surely, getting ever soo louder, SLAYER sneak their way onto the back of the track!
Oh my, that wakes you up, and when Kerry King is slamming riffs, i promise you, you’re not counting sheep!
I have an iPad into which I upload my CD albums intact. So i do not face the problem you do.
But it is another matter altogether with the digital Walkman I carry in my pocket. I tend to record whatever song that catches my fancy be it on the TV or in a concert or a workshop., I am not much bothered about the quality of the recording, since i need it only to be able to practise along rather than listen in solitude.
Even so it is jarring to listen to the bizarre sequence of dissonant moods that follow one another.
I agree! I miss the days where you would buy a CD, and that CD would tell the story of the artist. Now it’s just all over the shot
That is the precise reason why iPod’s have albums… Don’t they? Green Day’s Rock Ballads is one of the albums with which you’ll fall in love with instantly.
Wow, Sis! I’m amazed. Hawaii must have super-charged you. Congratulations! You answered everybody.
How could I not at least try to respond to kind readers who take the time to read my blog?
i listened to old cassette tapes well until 2002, when i went to Central America and discovered new music that way. i loved how sometimes the sound would almost disappear into the background and come back even stronger.
that really stayed with me. and i also remember the forty fives. so very cool. were these the ones where you had one song on each side ? a great sound.
check out my blog at http://swisschicksjournal.wordpress.com
I remember the old days of listening to an entire album the way it was meant to be heard. Imagine if Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released today. We wouldn’t get the full experience. Oh well, I like having my iPod. It’s just a new way of listening to music. Great post. You have a wonderful writing style. 🙂
Thank you so much. I aim to please.
nice!
Nice post. I totally agree with you about listening to music and having it be a multi faceted experience.
I have an mp3 player, a clunky 5 year old Zen, and it is kinda wierd. I make playlists, and they seem to help, but it isn’t the same.
Well you could consider flushing it down the toilet? 😉
Ouch!
Very good post by the way!!
Hahaha! This is awesome!
My absolute favourite LP was Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water; I listened to it over and over and over again. Then I found it on CD and bought the CD. I listen to it over and over. I tried putting it on my ipod, but it just didn’t have the same feel to it.
If I find an artist that I love I’m one of the few who will go out and buy the CD(s).
Congrats on FP 🙂
I agree. I want to hold the music in my hand and I want to compensate the artist for his/her labor of love.
Nice post, ditto on the experience of physical motions needed for playing your music… I really like cassette tapes for that reason, and luckily I have found a cache of them in some old packed away stuff I literally haven’t seen for a decade… and for some reason, in 2011, they look cool…
What a hoot! Who’s on your cassettes?
This is why I avoid shuffle altogether. It’s a dangerous thing, especially when used as a wake up routine. My whole day has been thrown off by my jumbled iPod emotions! I understand completely.
I do like a surprise now and then. Sometimes don’t even remember downloading the tune. Who is that on my iPod?
[…] brought this post about was a post by Quirkyculture. I found it on wordpress’ home page, it was about how an ipod is making them crazy. The […]
I love my ipod but I also love my record player. The scratchy sound right before the music plays is the best!!!
Yess! Love that scratchy sound!
Great post! I was just remembering the other day when I used to listen to CDs and Cassette tapes. Although music has always been a big part of my life since I was a kid, I definitely never had this much access to music as I did back then. I remember the times when, with my weekly allowances in hand, I’d go to the music store and have an internal debate on which CD I would buy next and exactly how long it would take to get the other CD if I bought the other. Then I would rush home and pop it in my ‘jukebox’ and plop myself on my bed and excitedly read every single detail of the album booklet. Good times 🙂
Now it’s the total opposite. There’s no need to buy the whole album–you can just buy/download individual songs that you like from the artist and you have all genres accessible to you at the tip of your fingers. Amazing, but definitely a distraction! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
I’m with you. Having to wait for a good thing makes it so much more of a treasure.
Yeah, we should bring Old “forty-fives” back. . .For the author, you might as well songs. your full of emotions.
lowtechlife
Forty-fives were awesome. New ones came out every week. Cheap!
As a DJ I still deal with my vinyl on a regular basis…not daily, but I have it all and their numbers are in the thousands, still clean and I call them my “children”. Mostly I play CDs, have no desire for an “IPOD” and watched the young people at a college radio station I jocked recently fumble with trying to do a radio show with an IPOD – lots of “dead air” is the result.
Those same kids marveled at and some asked me to “teach” them how to play records, lol I couldn’t believe my ears. The jackets of My Vinyl are aging faster than the records themselves and I hope I have them all til death do us part.
I write about “My Vinyl” at my wordpress blog from time-to-time. So, reach back and rekindle that relationship with one artist-at-a-time from time-to-time; time after time, ok?
Will definitely check out your blog, you lucky dog, with all those vinyls. How to play a record…what a great idea…the skill….the art.
You just wrapped up the essence of our generation beautifully. A collective group of rollercoaster adults adapting to the fleeting emotions that come with violently rapid evolving technology.
Deep down I miss the old school methods, but it’s almost like we have no choice. It’s thrilling, yet exhausting. It’s Bing!
Every now and then I take a break from technology for a few days or longer. Very refreshing.
Same here. This ADD has taken such strong hold that at times I’m even unable to concentrate on studies. Apart from that it has also shown me some new things, since I kept looking for something more interesting. So I’m enjoying it a bit.
Sometimes I keep looking and all I see is a dark abyss.
Funny, I was so excited today when I listened to a complete “album” on my iPod today! resisted the urge to shuffle. Sparks’ “Propaganda” just had to be played the whole way through.
Yeah, Baby. Gotta show your love for the artist. Fully commit!
This is so true to my life. I often find that my shuffle never plays what I am in the mood for, and then puts me in another mood entirely. Half the time i try to ‘genius’ a song my Ipod says “not enough like songs available.” It’s become a wonderful device, but often very annoying and frustrating.
I like your blog.
Check out mine?
traveltheworldwithme.wordpress.com
Do you have a playlist for different travel destinations? I’ll definitely check out your blog.
I continue to buy cd’s because in that I am still continuing having that intimate experience. I still like popping in a cd especially in a vehicle and just leaving one cd to play for 3 hours straight. It’s exhilerating still. Even though I do like the shuffle function on my zune.
There are good and bad things.
But it’s here to stay.
Love this post.
One great advantage of CD’s is that replay button in the car. I can hit it without looking. I like to repeat and repeat a certain song until I get it allll out of my system.
God No – I embrace the new technology. Call me impatient- the old process used to drive me mad.
1 find the record
2 pull record out
3 put on turn table
4 place stylus onto record
5 listen to music
6 take off turntable
7 replace to cover
8 repeat
ARGH!!!
Too bad if you didn’t like that particular song, and they were so easily damaged. (scratched)
I guess I’m just not sentimental or in the least bit nostalgic for the good ol days.
Give me my iPod any day. Music, podcasts, books – all downloaded immediately to my compact and convenient hand held devise. Awesome!
Freedom – love love love it!
Yep, and then there are those ‘filler’ songs that are on albums. Can we admit that even our favorite musicians sometimes write a lame tune?
What I truly miss is the two-disc studio set. I used to live for four sides of musical mastery, with one side being an entire track or suite that tied the entire recording together.
Nowadays, all we get are a bunch of tracks trying to be singles — and it just doesn’t work.
And yet, of the four sides, don’t you find you end up playing only two? Four sides sometimes turned into some good music and some less than stellar?
I consider music to be one of my life’s great loves. I see live music as often as I can–sometimes as often as three times a week. I am old enough to remember vinyl–but most of my memories involve CDs. Studying the front cover carefully, and then scanning the back for details. Removing that *darned* difficult plastic wrapper. The feel of the case opening for the first time. Looking at the artwork on the CD itself, carefuly placing the CD in the player. Reading every single word of the liner notes…from lyrics…to song stories…to every last line of thanks…searching for clues that might tell me just a bit more about the artist. I am the holdout. Not a luddite in the traditional sense, but the lover of music who just can’t give up the joy of holding it in my hands. Last week I heard a song that touched me. I have searched high and low for a tangible recording, and I cannot find it. I believe that I have just found my “tipping point.” I’m looking for an iPod this weekend. And it makes me sad.
I actually love my crazy-making iPod. You just reminded me of what I hate about CDs. Fingernail-destroying plastic packaging. Yuck.
Love it! Great post!
Robert
Thanks! Come back soon.
I don’t remember vinyl, I was born in the 90’s, I was just thinking Monday about how strange my playlists are. I go from Hard Rock (think Godsmack) to Classical pieces my friend has composed, to 90’s pop to Pink (not to mention Glee) and everything in between. It’s like my iPhone has a multiple personality disorder….Or maybe I do? lol Great post! 🙂
Yep, you’ve got the disease. And it’s spreading like the plague, no?
I think the iPod is one of the best inventions. I’m a true music lover and it’s great being able to carry my whole musical history in the palm of hand. I grew up in the age of cassettes and CD’s. I love not having to rewind/forward the tape to get to my favorite songs.
I also like to listen and see what other people have on their iPod’s. It’s interesting to see what others listen to…it really says about the person.
Sooo true about other people’s music. Just download someone else’s music onto your iPod and next thing you know, you feel like you are intimate friends.
Very true…it really gives you a better idea of what the person is really and where they’ve come from.
Nice post.. Personally when I listen to my ipod I usually listen to an entire album. Shuffle isn’t my style.
A traditionalist and a rebel who refuses to be swept up into the cultural tidal wave. Love it.
Playlists are definitely the answer, as another comment stated. I got to have the pleasure of hearing some vinyl in my younger days and it was something special for sure, but nowadays, we want music to distract us from the constant onslaught of other media that wasn’t always as present in earlier decades.
Believe me, there is no reason to feel guilt about what you don’t want to hear and in my opinion, most albums are lucky to have more than three good songs on them.
Them’s fightin’ words, you know. If you love, love, love that musician, you’ll forgive him/her for being creative and venturing into uncharted territory. What’s the consensus? Only three good songs on an album? Good topic for a poll.
Dear Quirky,
I am right with you on this one! My husband has hundreds of CDs, THOUSANDS of songs, which he loaded onto our computer, and then onto his iPod nano. When we take long car rides, he just hits shuffle.
I HATE it! A song comes on from the broadway score of some musical, and that makes me so WANT to hear the rest of that musical, from start to finish. But NO, it bounces to some Alman Brothers band song,and so on.
There was a reason why recording artists RECORD an album, or CD, or whatever they are calling it these days. And like other things, it is getting lost in the ditigal age!
Great post!
Ok, here’s what is fun about shuffle. Invite the family over for the holidays and inflict allll of your music on them. They’ll be scratching their heads for hours, trying to figure out why Julie Andrews and Train are in their head for the rest of the night!
This is a great post. Congrats on being freshly pressed! I totally agree with you, and have sworn to never use my “shuffle” feature again on my mp3 player because it makes me feel like I’m undergoing some type of shock therapy. Sometimes, I wonder if it’s a “getting older” thing, but I don’t think I would have enjoyed that jolt between extremes when I was young, either. Look forward to perusing more of your blog!
Yes, so well said. Have you ever tried to nap with the thing in? Depending on your musical taste, it’s like being rocked to sleep for two minutes and getting splashed with cold water the next. I miss my tapes…with two sides-A & B and all the songs in between.
Nice work.
Thanks. Napping with something in my ear? No.
Um, you do know there is the option to play by album right? And also you can now convert 45s and 33s to Mp3s, flaws and all.
I’m sure with some patience and planning you can slay your mania and enjoy music like you used to. You have many options and it would be well worth it to explore them.
Thank you, Lord Awesome. Lady Not-So-Awesome accepts any and all useful advice.
I’m a teenager so I never was really into music until iPod’s/MP3’s were around. I think it’s been for the better though, compared to one album at a time. Sure, sometimes you really do need to have that experience of the album and it’s theme but sometimes you might be in the mood for another song or you want similar songs on different albums, whatever.
True, true.
I still have my albums and a new “record player” (oh, am I dating myself here?). I also have my cassettes and a couple 8 tracks laying around. But I LOVE my iPod Touch! It’s just SO easy to play an album. I still play my old vinyl, I love the cracks and pops, but when I’m in the car or away from the house…it’s so convenient to have!
8 Tracks – Wow! You must have a lot of closet space!
One of my Favorite albums of all time is Grateful Dead’s Terrapin Station. I finally took it off the ipod playlists simply because they always put the songs all out of order and it is just , well, disconcerting!
I do noly listen while running though, so I think my ability to complete thoughts will continue. (Unless I start running more!)
You’re right. It’s more difficult to listen to OLD albums. I have the set memorized in a particular order. Such a let-down to await the next track and get an entirely different musician.
Information OvErLoAd . . As Seen on the Internet~!
Overload, bombardment, buried alive in it, right?
So… If you miss caressing the vinyl and so on, why not return to your first love?
Look, I have an iPod. I use it when I’m away from home. But it will never shuffle its way into replacing my turntable. There simply is no digital experience that compares to putting on, say, the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, settling into my favorite reading chair and sipping on a bit of port for 20 minutes — the way god and Brian Wilson intended.
You can have your cake and eat it too…
Sigh…too right. To every thing, there is a season. Time to go listen to the Byrds, now, flat on my back, on the carpet next to a window, staring at the clouds outside.
Problem solved.
1. Open iTunes on your desktop computer. Now, click on “File” to open a menu of options. Choose “Add New Playlist” to create an untitled playlist. This will appear at the bottom of your list of playlists.
2. Type in a name for your playlist. Pick something short yet descriptive for the playlist name, as this will help you organize your music on your iPod.
3. Open “Music” under the “Library.” Drag the titles of songs from the “Library” to the playlist you want to create. Repeat this step until you have added all of the music that you want in the playlist.
Select the playlist you created that suited the mood.
Experience destress-ed listening.
Excellent suggestion. Too bad I don’t have the patience to finish reading your comment, let alone follow your instructions. Blame it on the iPod.
I often wonder how many adults have become ADD, but didn’t have it in their childhood? My ipod is a mix of rap, country, ballads, and boy band favorites. Like you, I flip through these different genres frantically and usually change the song before it is complete. I have my laptop out while I watch TV and text inbetween facebook posts. I believe I have newly acquired adult ADD. I’d like to blame my ipod.
It only gets worse. Just keep cramming junk info into your head. Pretty soon we won’t be able to finish a….
I hear you! I can still remember when I was asking my mom to buy me a Sony MD. I really cried when she didn’t want to. Now I realized, Sony MD really?? I got an Ipod classic now and I love it.
I don’t know how old you are, but maybe you’re “struggling to keep up” b/c of some generational gap? I’m 18 so I’ve only ever listened to my parents records once or twice, and never all the way through. I only say this because I never feel like the songs on my iPod are just one big jumble. I always flip to songs that I feel like listening to at the time, even if they are completely opposite from each other.
But that’s just me.
Yup, I’m an oldster
I may have an MP3 player, doesn’t mean I have the contents constantly on shuffle. I’ve got specific themed playlists, which I will shuffle, but when it comes to listening to an album, I’ll usually listen to it as it was originally laid out.
I’m too young to really remember actual LPs and the such like, let alone own one. But I’m young enough to be a part of the mix tape generation. I just use playlists as a more versatile mix tape these days.
I still do listen to albums beginning to end, and use playlists, but the shuffle is my easy-out for variety. It’s a love-hate relationship.
Very true indeed. Though I did grow up when tape players came to be, I agree with what you are saying. I used to listen to full albums, falling in love with each track as I listened to it play over and over again. Now, in the age of the mp3, I find it much harder to give one particular artist all of the attention I once did. It’s kind of like I have ADD with music now lol..But, I don’t know, I guess it cant be all that bad. At least I’m giving more artists a shot…
Check out my blog: cheapsushi.wordpress.com. We feature local, and not so local, musicians from around the country.
ADD is right. Music is just one area that demands immediacy of attention. What else am I jumping into and out of so quickly that I miss the value?
Great post. The sad thing is that when an artist/band put together an album, there is a reason that the songs are in a particular order. They and the producers have discussed all that. Nowadays we don’t get the full experience of an actual album from beginning to end. Bit of a shame really.\
Thanks for the great post.
Mark
http://www.minimalistlifestyle.wordpress.com
Thanks for visiting. We are not alone!
Although I grew up mostly with cassettes and CDs, I did have a handful of prize vinyl records so I can relate. I miss the days of “the vinyl experience” as well.
Just one thing…it is a common mistake. Schizophrenia is a disorder involving messed up perceptions, not split personality as many people think. That’s different.
Anyway, thanks for making me think.
YvF
Thanks for clarification. I sense someone who loves words and precision of meaning?
Great insights. I never really thought about it but I do the same thing as well.
Join the crowd
My iPod has contributed to the Musical ADHD my first discman gave me. I don’t know when the last time was that I listened to an entire song.
Yikes! Not even an entire song?
It is true listening to music is not how it used to be. I never did experience the record but mp3s compared to cds is a change. You don’t care about the album anymore but a song. There is no commitment. It only makes one wonder, what will be next? How will the mp3 experience of music change, for better or for worse?
That old-school album experience, listening in the dark, late at night. Everyone should have that experience at least once.
There’s always something special about listening to an album from start to finish. I still go out and buy full CDs rather than downloading the one song that’s played on the radio because there is more to discover than just a few singles. We really miss out on a lot of the thought and emotions put into album creation anymore. You can’t get a feeling for a song from a 60-second preview.
Great observations!
~Casey Kay~
Too true, Casey Kay. I wonder if artists still put as much thought into their albums, knowing that most people will pick and choose what to download?
I suppose the next question is this: do you listen to an entire song or do you switch in the middle of songs?
So funny! Good post!
http://tehcatspajamas.wordpress.com/
Horrors! Can’t even finish one song, anymore? You’re not the first to mention that! The world is coming to an end!
lol, one of my friends is like that. I tease her when she listens to a full song. Hehe!
I’m still the old fashioned type that buys cds. I like having the physical copy of a disc (and it’s less to worry about backing up). Come to think of it, I don’t have many songs on my computer. I listen to my cds on a 10ish year old boombox. Whoa, I can’t believe it’s that old.
🙂
You can always go back to tangible media!
I still buy many CDs in stores (archaic, I know) just so I can read the liner notes and follow along with the lyrics the first time I listen. Quite a soothing experience.
Then rip the CD to your computer, and pawn the disc for 3 bucks.
Never really left it. Still buy CDs, then download onto computer and iPod, Dongtacular. (love that name)
While I am too young to ever have experienced the age of vinyl records, I understand what you mean about going from one extreme to the next where you have the option of skipping through genres at incredible speeds.
It’s sad that most mainstream music is created almost completely by machines and computers. If the artist doesn’t like the way he or she sounds, no problem, that’s what auto-tune if for. You no longer have that 45 minute block of time to enjoy music. It seems like most people think that if they don’t like one 3 minute song, then the whole album is trash (not true).
Excellent point. Sometimes I don’t like the ‘hit’ song but love other obscure songs that never gets noticed.
well I’ll be damned.
that is so true!
however in my case, i do not have an ipod, so I have to contend with Winamp to make me crazy.
It makes you feel like your speed dating, yes? 🙂
great post by the way! 😉
great post. I love it. So true.. but maybe you need to use your iPod differently. You can still listen to albums 😛 or craft the perfect playlist for your mood or style.
You’re not the first to make the suggestion. Guess I’m lazy, huh?
Totally agree! Feel like I’m having a musical whiplash when I put my ipod on shuffle. But I need to put it on shuffle because such a wide choice of music makes me so indecisive!
And the reason I’m indecisive is partly because of my iPod. I’m sure of it. I can’t decide what flavor of ice cream to choose, anymore.
You know you can shuffle albums? Also you can make playlists of similar music and shuffle just the music in the playlist. I get what you’re saying though. It’s no wonder so many kids have ADD. From day one they’re exposed to manic grabs for attention from every direction, billboards, television shows and ads, video games where you jump from one world to the next in an instant, and yep! iPod’s shuffle setting.
Yes, I do know about programming my iPod. What a chore.
Couldn´t agree more! Physical recordings in general have acquired a sense of ancient wonders in my eyes, they’re like collectors items kinda. I think they have even become attractive items to have on display that you probably don´t really use anymore, but we are all going to always treasure the records we love.
It’s hard not to buy all the old records in the antique stores when I see them. How can Jackson Brown be moldering in that bin next to Nancy Sinatra? He must be rescued, I think.
That is the beauty of playlists… Sure it takes time to out them together, but once done, you can pick the playlist of your mood, and never be frightened by Pink’s jarring tones again!!!
Ok, I think I need to do some serious playlisting. Maybe I’ll put an album on the turntable while I do it, just to be perverse.
You know, you don’t have to set it on shuffle, don’t you? Don’t blame the tool, it only does what you tell it to.
You hit the nail on the head. I can’t get my dog to do what I tell him to. No wonder my iPod is running the show.
I couldn’t get used to a walkman and I never considered buying an iPod. I suppose you let the technology slip to far into your private life. There is no one to blame – only to realize that you are still in control. Realizing what happened to you is the first step.
Intentional living. Very wise.
I know the feeling, it seems my iPod dictates what I want to hear now. So I started making a playlist for each mood…hehe
That hehe is disturbing. What must some of those playlists sound like?
With Itunes and the way that music is done now I definably sometimes feel kind of crazy. My favorite thing to do when this happens is to go over to my Parents house pull out one of my dad’s Queen or ACDC records, put it on the old turn table my parents keep working somehow, and enjoy. It makes me feel so much better.
There is nothing more comforting than mom’s apple pie and her ACDC records.
That’s hilarious I know exactly what you mean. =)
I’m not alone. What a relief.
This is great. I’ve got to get myself an iPod. That’s right, I don’t have one.
Good for you! Resist the machine.
Well, I have an iPod, but have never used the shuffle option, because skipping from Pat Metheny to Robert Palmer would give me a headache, so I still listen to entire albums at a time. I do miss those big black records tho, and the amazing cover art. Part of the experience is gone. My children get annoyed when I tell them I only listen to entire albums…but anything less upsets the balance of the universe and I have to take a nap.
Thank you for contributing to the harmony of the universe. One day your children will thank you.
A Great Post!
Indeed we’ve come a long way in taking in all the music!
One thing I did was reduce my Ipod from around 1000 songs to around 250, focusing a bunch ‘I really like’ instead of a bunch that ‘I know.’ That reduced some of the chaos. Of course, there’s always ‘the playlist.’
I hear you on the vinyl, but I sure enjoy the roller coaster of the ‘shuffle.’ – joe
Yay for the roller coaster…sometimes we need the change-up, right?
They still sell record players, be counter cultural and try one out today!
Never got rid of my old one! Quirky that!
Your iPod is not driving you insane. You were insane when you gave an electronic device control over your live.
iTunes, which I use and I think you must use to put music on your iPod, gives you the option of creating playlists. You then only have to select the playlist for the kind of music you want at any given moment – no more being jarred by random selections.
I’m a fickle listener, I admit it. Sometimes I like the crazy.
Oh so true! It’s an entirely different way of listening to music. I used to spend hours sitting next to my stereo in my bedroom, laboriously choosing which album to listen to, then which side I wanted to listen to first and I just don’t do that any more. Music is so transportable that I no longer dedicate time and space to it, it has become mere background music to my life. You have inspired me to return to my bedroom to have some private time with my old flames. Cheers!
You made my day! Let’s all zone out in our bedrooms to old scratchy vinyl. Together we can change the world.
nice
Thanks.
Wow! Even though I am not old enough to remember old records like that. This really makes you think about how the world has come along in just a few decades! It really made me think personally about how the technology in the world is advancing so fast that few people can actually keep up with it all!
Should we even try? Or should we be selective about what we allow into our minds?
Haha, may I suggest creating playlists to keep similar music together? Sounds like you’re doing a shuffle there, I would go schizo too if I did that.
I’m super picky with what I listen to, and what I’m listening to is what I want to listen to at that moment. I never let the iPod pick for me… unless I am feeling rather dangerous at that moment…
Uh-oh, someone’s onto me. I’m not too lazy to create playlists. I’m….dangerous.
Great post! I think you really captured something essential about how our music-listening culture has evolved: The effect on the listeners and artists. Artists today have one song rather than one album to grab our interest and say what they want to say. How limiting for the art form! It’s like telling a career novelist that they have to stick to haiku from now on. Thanks for the perspective!
Funny you mention novelists. Just try and break out of one genre of writing into another. But that’s a post for another day.
So true! I actually like the odd mix that comes out when I shuffle – particularly at work. One minute I’m soothed by Amos Lee and the next I’m rockin’ out to the Fratellis. But the best is when some silly Disney-esque song comes on like “Kingdom in the Sky” 🙂 Embrace the eclectic!
Mix George Thoroughgood with the soundtrack from Camelot. How’s that for eclectic?
It’s true… saddest part, I’ve got to say has to be the cover art and the feeling.
They don’t make them like they used to.
I really miss the cover art.
That quick series of interruptions to the attention span along with an overload of information can be extremely dangerous. Our culture has seen this problem since its switch from print dominated media to video dominated media. The problem you’re having – aside from frustration – is your mind being conditioned to not remember. As prophets like Aldous Huxley and George Orwell have pointed out, not remembering the past gives us little control on the present.
Try listening to a Beethoven Sonata. They tend to be about 45 minutes long.
Wonderful suggestion. I’m appreciating classical music more and more. Requires careful listening, but offers great rewards.
Really like the poetic form! But, records are still around!!!! Keep listening to that old goodness… plus, chances are, yer Ipod will break as they always seem to do so inconveniently, and you’ll have the chance to return to the records!!!
I’m inspired. Time to dust off my record player.
You are sooo right! I keep parsing my “favourites” play list to include only my really favourite songs and still find myself skipping!
That’s life. Continuous editing, getting rid of the junk, deciding what’s worth saving.
I’ve always told others the best way to take control over you iPod is to add my songs to it
Ok, Ok, Ok, that doesn’t do squat, but it does make me happy to know others are listening to my music. Congrats on being freshly pressed!
Blessings,
Ava
xox
Ok, Ava, I’ll give you a listen.
Thanks Suzy!
Oh my gosh you are SO RIGHT! I hadn’t ever thought of it this way. Gone are the days of listening to an entire album all at once. I actually kinda miss that. Maybe I should pop a CD into my player tonight and just listen to an album entirely? Nahh…I think my attention span has changed now. It’s almost too short for that, if that makes sense!
Be daring. Sit still for awhile.
hahaha – are the person who pulled up along side me at the red light? this post explains the “schizo car dancer” i saw…hahaha
Your post made me laugh out loud. I love how you referred to yourself as a “schizophrenic listener”. I, too, remember those days, except I cherished my cassette tapes instead of records. The Ipod has most certainly changed the way we experience music.
LOLing is the best. Glad I could help.
I miss albums, too. Only back in my day, they were called compact discs, or “CD’s” … lol.
Actually I have a handful of 80’s-era vinyl, and a desk drawer full of cassette tapes, which don’t have nearly the same nostalgic appeal. They’re less functional, too: how the heck am I supposed to get all my Depeche Mode tapes onto my iPod? Sigh…
I do have an iPod, but I try to listen to an album all the way through, to avoid becoming one of those compulsive shufflers…
The digital age has infected us all with ADHD.
Eternallyemo, you were BORN for the vinyl album with a name like that! The double album, in fact.
Thank you very much for those kind words 🙂
And I will sit quietly on the floor as the Victrola plays both records, immersing myself completely in every scratchy sound.
Take that, technology!
Nice article. I couldn’t agree more. Keep up the good writing. Feel free to check out my blog.
Thanks, I will.
I wonder if this is happening to the generation of kids that make them behave so frenetically. I guess being wired like we all are, these are the effects. goodluck.
This is why God invented rocking chairs. Sometimes it’s good to just sit and think.
I recently made the switch from CD to digital and I’m finding that it’s driving me crazy too. I flit from artists to band and I’m obsessed with downloading downloading downloading. But I love the ups and the downs and the surprises you get when my iPod randomly selects a song I haven’t thought about in a long time. such an exquisitely private experience where you can shut the world out and smile secretly to yourself without having to justify your music selection for the day. It’s my guilty pleasure after having denied it for so long.
Nicely said.
reading books instead of playing ipod, or keep listening to one favorite song.
you can enjoy the life you want if you really want.
Absolutely. It’s always a choice, isn’t it? If this one, then not that one. Good reminder.
I think you mean to say that you are a bipolar listener or DID (dissociative identity disorder — previously multiple personality disorder) listener not schizophrenic. Schizophrenics are not characterized as having jarring changes between emotions.
I stand corrected. I am a bipolar listener, indeed.
Amen! An album was an artistic experience that helped shape your world view. You would wait a year or more for a new release, and sometimes – just like in any relationship – find out that perhaps you had grown in a different direction. But you sit down and take time for another listen, because you have something invested in this artist, and maybe there’s more there than you first thought – and your horizons are suddenly broader than you knew.
A song has become just another consumable commodity. Sad.
And oh how exciting when your favorite band came out with a new album. You had to buy it and rush home to listen. Such anticipation made the pleasure so much greater.
Hah! I share your rising levels of craziness. In recent months I’ve been forced to turn off shuffle and manually select an album to listen to from beginning to end.
Shuffle only works for me if I’m making my own playlists song by song :).
So true. We don’t allow ourselves to absorb the music. It’s trippy, actually. But our whole life is run this way, being on a date and using blackberry. Everything is multitasked, everything deserves our wholehearted, divided attention.
Don’t get me started on the Blackberry! I’ve been on too many dates where there were three of us, rather than two. Blackberry is the uninvited guest at way too many gatherings.
I really liked this. I never thought about how it has changed from developing devotion to one artist to a jumble and hodgepodge of whatever, and the effect it has on us as listeners.
Absolutely!
That picture is the iPod my violin teacher just found in a cupboard! It’s really old, right?
Really interesting observation. And another way in which “progress” might be more of a mixed bag than it can seem. What promise that “sandpaper scratch” held…
Turn your ipod off shuffle.
like the pic! I got exact the same ipod, but going to get a new one soon 🙂
I think iPods have a lot to answer for these days! I feel the same loss of flow so usually listen to specific albums and often create playlists to suit different moods or situations it eases my mind!
it’s the totally same thing with me and MY iPod.
Man, what have we all become?
🙂
This is my first time reading this blog. I really enjoyed this post, and can totally relate. I remember the highlight of my day as a kid being taking the bus downtown to the my favorite record store and purchasing an album. The anticipation on the ride home to get into my bedroom and embark on a journey with the music artist would nearly kill me, and by the end of the album, I felt as if I had gained something, and I felt peaceful. Listening to my iPod takes me up and down, from one extreme to the next- and not in a good way. Reading this post makes me want to bust out my walkman.
Dude, make a playlist.
Dude, I will.
There’s nothing more jarring than going from super-depressing-makes-you-want-to-slit-your-wrists William Fitzsimmons to Will.I.Am, as can happen if I don’t have a playlist on repeat.
I am a prolific playlist creator, and love to gather songs of certain tempo together (slow, fast, workout, dance like maniac, depressed…) to avoid what is happening to you.
Still, you are not having the love affair with the artist, but if I’m in the mood for fidelity, I go back to the old “album” list.
Ah, fidelity. Such a quaint, but lovely notion.
So true.
iPhones/iPod playlists are addictive. I have even made playlists for my cats. I remember making mixed tapes and CDs back in the day (for sweethearts, not cats, lol).
Just don’t shuffle? If you have a touch or a nano, any model over which you have play control, you can play an album from beginning to end. You can even group songs or albums together in playlists by mood or temperament, which is what I frequently do–gym mix, driving mix, relaxation mix, etc.
We can’t blame the medium for how we choose to employ it. 🙂
A great post!
First of all- absolutely love your blog! Second of all… yes, I completely agree! ipod and itunes have completely revolutionised how we listen and buy music. I rarely EVER buy an entire album anymore from an artist. Having said that- that is not always a good thing, there are albums that have a musical arc and one probably should listen to them all the way through. Then again, how many times in the past did you buy that album, because you fell in love with that one song, and once having listened to the album, noticed that there are no other good songs on there….what ipod/itunes has given us is fabulous choice… And to me… musical ADD….lol… on my ipod I have so many songs…and I have so little time!! :o)
What’s stopping you from putting the iPod away? What’s stopping you from sitting down and listening to your turntable like before?
t like the idea that i can drifft between variouse tunes and not know what artists are coming next
Having an iPod makes you a lot of things… the least of which is crazy.
Haha! I agree! Although whenever I hear a song at the back of my mind, I immediately look it up my ipod so as not to suffer Last Song Syndrome.
Master the art of “Playlists”. Take the time to arrange the cluttered mess of your technology and you might find some peace in the groups you collaborate together.
That’s how I keep my sanity.
S
I haven’t listened to a full album since Clinton was president. And my aunt Tootsie is a total schizo-genius, but that is a somewhat unrelated comment.
I’m so glad Aunt Tootsie is finally getting acknowledged. Enough about the iPod. More about Aunt Tootsie.
That’s so true…We’re driven trough a very weird experience, like there’s something sweeping us around lol
It makes me wanna get along with it, but I just can’t…
And don’t forget how easy its now to erase a whole song from a record, like if it never existed 😦
Ooh, now I’m just creeped out.
Well, you don’t have to play it on shuffle 8)
Wow I know exactly what you mean. I was just listening to mine last night, it’s new and I was trying to meditate and then the next minute it went to heavier music…it was quite disconcerting…hmmm, there has to be a better way! Great post, I know exactly what you mean about albums…I’ve memorized albums that I was in love with that I can still sing along with!
So true. I got my first ipod one year ago and it took me a while to adapt. I kept reaching for my CDs instead. Now, I’m not sure which I prefer! Sanity or schitzopherenia?
Not the same as a record, granted. But, you don’t always have to be on shuffle. You can go in and select a certain artist, or genre to play only if you know what you wanna listen to.
So true! I desperately miss my vinyl and can’t wait to get a new system so I can experience music that way again. The cover art alone was such a pleasure…Sticky Fingers’ zipper!!
I’m a writer who wonders when the same phenomenon will occur to my work — people listening to or reading only a paragraph or page at a time?
It’s called blogging. Reading for people with short attention spans. What’s a book?
Maybe you should create playlists with themes such as “raunchy music”, “happy music”, “love songs”, etc? This will help to reduce the chaos you are feeling perhaps?
Congratulations on being FP!
I miss the vinyl records I used to play in my early teens. I haven’t got any of them anymore and the record player is long gone, but I’m still nostalgic about them – it must have something to do with the romantic charge I’d put on them at that time. Now I’ve advanced with the times and am stuck on CDs. Obviously, I’m not advanced enough since there aren’t any iPods in my house. Not yet, at least, although I’m getting weaker by the day and ready to succumb to my daughter’s pestering requests for such a devilish, brain-wrecking device. I guess that now, after reading your post, I’m more equipped to handle it. Or not 🙂
Thanks for the congrats! Just hope that no one asks for one of those strange new devices called televisions.
😀 Oh, the noise boxes, you mean!!! I’ve got one of them, does this make me cool?
On a less jokey note, I admire your attempt to reply to all of your comments. I bet you didn’t get much sleep last night.
I kept my iPod going all night
Nice post. Congrats on FP
Thanks a bunch.
Great read!
Thanks, Barry
Great post…love your site!
Many thanks, countoncross!
This gets to the heart of what you’re talking about — but oddly enough we pine for albums and the long-form, casting aspersions on “disposable” music…
As a composer of contemporary classical (which isn’t as stuffy as it sounds), I’m always thinking about technology’s effect on music. But the ipod is just personalizing what the radio already and the idea of a cover (starting with Liszt and moving all the way out to the Super Bowl) did for us.
Is it the physical feeling of vinyl or is it being caught off-guard that you miss?
I really can’t deal with shuffle…it jars me too much! Thank goodness for playlists!
I relate to this and agree! It is both good and bad and causes me to have a love/hate relationship with my ipod. My little shuffle also has the added surprise/pain of me not even knowing what song I am listening to at times. Yes, I added them to my shuffle, but I can’t keep track of all those song and artist names. Maybe we need t get better at those playlists to create the one just for the a) strings and b) party music.
Thanks for the pleasurable post and congrats on being freshly pressed!
Thank you! This is such a beautifully made point – this is what blog posts should be. Time-out posts! And posts that make me realise what makes me happy. Art for art’s sake. Not art for gleaning’s sake.
In these days of discographies available online, and radio streaming on places like Jango, I like to play one artist at a time. Appreciating one thing at a time is a beauty in life, especially in these peculiarities of 21st Century civilisation.
😀
Maybe we should take a hint from the Slow Food movement and create a Slow Music movement.
In fact, if all information and artistic products were taken at a slower pace, the world would be a better place.
I want to reblog your post. It’s that good.
Thanks. I mentioned the Slow Food movement. Think we need a Slow Life movement?
Perhaps you could share some of musics you have in your iPodic memory? 😀
Gee, I don’t know you well enough, yet. Maybe on our second date.
I was just thinking about this exact thing the other day… “schizophrenic listener” sums it for me and it’s making me crazy too! Then I go to the extreme of hyper-organization of playlists and miss the random mix. I don’t know if I’ll ever achieve the Perfect Mix.
Congrats on FP!
Ah, the myth of the Perfect Mix. Xanadu.
I’ve never had a record player (though my parents did!), yet your post makes me wish for that! It’s nice to sit back and listen to a whole album non-stop. I don’t mind getting the shuffle most of the time though…at least it’s MY music and not chosen by someone else!
I feel the same way! 🙂
honestly i prefer cds then too ipods and mp3.
This is an awesome post. I feel the same way. It’s not even necessarily the arbitrary order of the songs that is frustrating, but how easily I can afford to hit the “next” button and skip a song entirely.
Pity the soul who hits the ‘next’ button in life.
Ooh I so agree. Gone are the days when I’d take the time to discover what the artist had to offer via the entire album. Now? Buy the one song I like and rarely go back for more. Great post! Cheers on being freshly pressed as well .. MJ
Thanks emjoyandthem.
So true! Even the days of blasting the Bodyguard soundtrack from my Sony compact disk player seemed more musically meaningful than my current “arrangements,” haphazardly chosen by my iPod.
😦
You remind me of why I like soundtracks. Sometimes (not always) a carefully selected mix of great music from a variety of artists. There are some great ones out there.
Great one, Suz!
I got inspired to (hang on, I have a Facebook notification) write a couple (wait a sec, a good song just came on) haikus. I’ll post ’em after (okay, I’m back…. had to read this mass email):
Modern Life and Friendship
hi follow friend like
tweet post comment LOL
share link brb
Modern Meditation
shuffle bustle mash
playlist rss news feed
can’t sit still and think
-Bill
Amazing, Bill. 🙂
Oh, and fantabulous post too!
Thanks! glad you enjoyed those.
Love your reply, but I’m so distracted that I can’t recall…what were we talking about?
Thanks, Suz!
This strip by Stephan Pastis really sums it up when it comes to lack of attention span and the frenetic online life:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/4vt99cq
-Bill
Very funny.
..but too true!