That Darn Tune

I've thought at various times in the last, say, two years, about the sad reality that there really is something in a person, that, if changeable, is yet not overly fickle. Some or most people call this taste. Personally, the analogy to food seems more than useful. I don't hugely enjoy pickles, I kind of detest both cranberries and cherries, and I love...what is the weirdest food I love? Without much thought, I give up. Anyway. I'm sure I've put off dozens of readers for a month, at least.
See, I love some types of food that others wouldn't eat if they had to, but I hate some types of food that others adore, at least vocally, more than direct family.
I argue that it's the same with music. I love almost anything Hans Zimmer makes, and yet some of my friends can find few adjectives to describe such music either than "repetetive," or such.
There's probably an element of mood in there, meaning listening to the saddest music you can think of...wouldn't be your best choice when, for instance, you were downright joyful. When I'm happy, I can enjoy happy music more. When I'm sad, sad music can sometimes even comfort me.
Songs are enjoyable in a unique way, because words have been carefully crafted to fit the tune. It may be hard to tell which is the most powerful, words or music, but, combined, they can be an amazingly beautiful medium. More than frequently, songs express elements of life that we can relate to better than who knows what. They speak of truths, or lies, that we know of, think about, and react to emotionally. I, personally, have very few songs in my collection of music, (actually, my collection of music is small. Period.) and those few that I have, I don't relate to as well as others. I much more enjoy the soundtracks of the Batman series, or Crimson Tide, or even small, happy tunes like those borrowed by Zimmer from Carl Orff, You're So Cool, from True Romance. The movies Hans Zimmer scores are more than frequently foul, but the music he makes for even these is wonderful to me.
I believe some people are capable of enjoying some music immensely, others are able to enjoy said music slightly, and others still can exude nothing but boredom in their presence. I think our taste for music is probably shaped at one time or another in life by those around us, but, as we grow older, I think our taste for music becomes much less changable, much more stable and sure.
I used to enjoy Vivaldi. I can, occasionally, enjoy one peice or another of his, but, by and large, my love for his music has evaporated.
I'd really love to enjoy all the music there ever was. If I were a mite stupider, or a mite more loving of music, I'd probably sell my soul to the devil to be able to. As it is, I enjoy only what I enjoy. It will, no doubt, be the same with you. You can't just download ten random songs from iTunes and love every one of them, both because not all music is good, but also because of your taste in music.

Your miserly, music-loving, and hardly indicative writer,


!Noah!