Sharing is Caring - Music

[Zero_Sum]

This thread is a place to share music, much like the thread on GTP, but I wanted to do it a little differently.

I'd like you to share music that you're listening to, music that has followed you through your life, music that is significant to you.

Tell us something about the song, maybe a short review, maybe why it's always stuck with you, maybe why it's significant to your life, maybe why you think others should hear it.

[Zero_Sum]

To start this off, I offer "Stan" by Eminem.

This song, for me, is off-white paint and moving bedrooms, as it broke just after my sister moved out and so I was moving bedrooms, and repainting from this horrible blue back to off-white. Now, decades later, sometimes when I look at a wall that's just the right tone of not-quite-white and not-quite-eggshell, I get Dido singing "my teas stone cold, I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all" in my head. It is a weird association to make, but it's there and I can't do anything about it!

[Furious]

Currently stuck in my head is "Fontaines D.C. - I love you".
Just learned about this band and there's something about them that I like, at least with this song (there are a few more that I quite like too). The lyrics, the post-punk music, and the Irish accent all just work together somehow.

[Danoff]

Radiohead Fake Plastic Trees



First of all, the song is outstanding. Great vocals, great atmosphere, great crescendo of emotion.

Second, this song has always touched some part of me that feels that society is contrived and people waste their time and are plastered with pretense. "She tastes like the real thing, my fake plastic love". "Gravity always wins".

It's nihilistic, and while I'm not a nihilist, I definitely have a soft spot for nihilism and it takes me a long way into my personal philosophy of life. Honestly the last line of the song pulls it back slightly from nihilism, and that always resonates with me - pulled back slightly from nihilism.

[Furious]

Radiohead Fake Plastic Trees



First of all, the song is outstanding. Great vocals, great atmosphere, great crescendo of emotion.

Second, this song has always touched some part of me that feels that society is contrived and people waste their time and are plastered with pretense. "She tastes like the real thing, my fake plastic love". "Gravity always wins".

It's nihilistic, and while I'm not a nihilist, I definitely have a soft spot for nihilism and it takes me a long way into my personal philosophy of life. Honestly the last line of the song pulls it back slightly from nihilism, and that always resonates with me - pulled back slightly from nihilism.

Yeah, this is one of my favorites as well. Great song indeed.
Radiohead is how my wife and I met actually. Back in the day one music tracking app was popular and you could see people who had similar music taste displayed on your profile, so you could chat with them, if you wanted to. We were both pretty much exclusively listening to Radiohead back then, "In Rainbows" was just released, which is one of their best IMO. Anyway, I sent her a message, we started to talk, and 18 years later still together.

[T.B.]

It is a weird association to make, but it's there and I can't do anything about it!

Same for me with Control by Puddle of Mudd.

For the last 24 years, whenever I hear it, I'm immediately back at my first job with Carlos singing:

"I like the way you look at me, I like the way I ou smack my ass."

And I always laugh a little.

Edit: Bonus one - Super Bon Bon by Soul Coughing will always be connected to Gran Turismo 2. If that song came on, I'm winning this race.

[TheCracker]

Currently stuck in my head is "Fontaines D.C. - I love you".
Just learned about this band and there's something about them that I like, at least with this song (there are a few more that I quite like too). The lyrics, the post-punk music, and the Irish accent all just work together somehow.

I'm just getting into Fontaines too. I heard Starburster as the theme to Mobland TV show a few months back and it just blew me away. I thought i'd become too jaded to feel like that about music again, but it made me feel like i did when i first got into the Stone Roses, the Pixies or Janes Addiction back in the late 80's / early 90's - or even MGMT a touch more recently. As soon as i'd heard ten seconds of it i was like, OMG, i need to know who this is by.

[Joey D]

I have such an eclectic taste in music. In the same drive, I can go from listening to country to rap to classic rock to electronica to grunge. I do have a few songs that are meaningful to me, though.

Darius Rucker - Wagon Wheel
When my son was little, he loved this song, and I would sing it to him almost every night to help him fall asleep. I know there are several versions of it, but he specifically liked the Rucker version, and truthfully, I do too. I've never been much for Bob Dylan, but I don't mind Old Crow Medicine Show.

Wagon Wheel also hits home with the nostalgia from when my buddies and I used to go to the area in the song (Johnson City, Cumberland Gap) for a week during the summer. We mostly drove The Dragon and other roads down there, but we also ate BBQ, drank beer, and smoked cigars.



Yellow Ledbetter - Pearl Jam
If I have a favorite song, this is it. It's also another one I used to sing to my son, since, while there are lyrics, there really aren't any lyrics. If you've heard the song, you know what I'm talking about. It's just kind of harmonic mumbling for several minutes. To this day, my son still likes the song, and when it comes on while we're in the truck, it's amusing to listen to him "sing" it. Eddie would be proud.

The grunge era is still pretty popular with me too. Pearl Jam is probably my favorite, but I love Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, STP, Smashing Pumpkins, and Sponge. Weirdly, I can't stand Nirvana.



Is This Love - Bob Marley
This was my wife's and my wedding song, so it's meaningful. A friend of my mom actually sang at our wedding instead of us getting a DJ, and she learned the song specifically for us. It was pretty cool. We still dance to it when it comes on, and we're doing something around the house.



I do like a bunch of reggae, though. Most of the Marley family is pretty good, Mayisyahu, and UB40 are all on playlists. I also like the sort of ska punk/reggae/stoner rock that's an offshoot. Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, The Elovaters, and Dirty Heads sort of fit the bill here as well.

No Leaf Clover - Metallica
Metallica had a pretty big impact on my young teenage years and was sort of the first band I really got heavily into. There was music I liked beforehand and plenty of bands I enjoyed, but in terms of actually learned about the band, its history, and influences, Metallica was the first. I like No Leaf Clover the best since the idea of the light at the end of the tunnel just being a freight train resonates with me. I was thrilled when Dan Campbell used it to inspire the Lions too.



Metallica started me down the path of finding all sorts of other metal, hard rock, post-grunge, and normal rock bands. Mudvayne, Seether, Ra, Tantric, Crossfade, Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown, 3 Doors Down, and Pop Evil are all among the bands I still really enjoy. Also, I don't care how unpopular they are; I will still always rock out to Creed.

Other than that, I'm into Detroit music since I grew up in the Metro area. I really like Detroit rap, and while Eminem is undoubtedly the GOAT, I also really like Big Sean, Esham, Royce da 5'9", Proof, and J Dilla. Kash Doll is also a great newer female MC, especially when compared to rappers like Cardi B. Other rap outside of Detroit I like is the chopped and screwed style from Houston, Memphis rap, Dirty South, West Coast, and Gangsta. The early hip-hop tends to be more interesting to me than that newer stuff to.

I'm also rather fond of Detroit techno and it reminds me of the parties I went to back in high school. They weren't quiet raves, but they weren't exactly your standard parties either. I went to school with Seth Troxler, who's a decently well-known techno DJ, and remember going to "underground" gigs he was DJ'ing. I'm glad he made it in the industry.

I like other electronica too and have been to a ton of different shows to see various DJs. I like the big names like Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, Deadmau5, and ATB. But I like a bunch of other ones too. I probably couldn't tell you their names but I do recognize a bunch of different mixes and enjoy listening the BPM and Diplo' Revolution on XM.

Country, at least some country, tends to be a genre I go to frequently. I specifically like Gulf & Western like Kenny Chesney but that 80s and 90s country will always sound good to me. Garth Brooke, George Strait, and the like are all frequently played.

Finally, I like that Neo-Soul/Blues/Funk genre too. Mumford & Sons, Mayer Hawthorne, Ben Nichols, Fitz and the Tantrums, Metric, and the Black Keys all sort of fit in here.

Sorry for the long post, I don't really get to ever talk about music with anyone despite having such a wide ranging taste.

[Danoff]

Darius Rucker - Wagon Wheel
When my son was little, he loved this song, and I would sing it to him almost every night to help him fall asleep. I know there are several versions of it, but he specifically liked the Rucker version

Spot on description of me and my kids with The Sound of Silence, specifically the Disturbed version:

[Strittan]

I’m mostly into old music, like 60’s - 90’s, but here are a few exceptions.



I just got introduced to Amyl and the Sniffers a couple of weeks ago by a friend. They’re a pub/punk rock band from Australia and vocalist Amy Taylor is arguably one of the coolest, most energised front figures there is. I don’t know why, but this music gives me great comfort in the messed of world we live in today. So much attitude!



Equal amount of attitude and equally comforting to me, but in a slightly different way are Viagra Boys from my native Sweden. A post-punk/rock n’ roll/punk band, that humorously comments on society, although singer/front man Sebastian Murphy (who writes all lyrics) claims he has very little idea what the songs are about until people he meets gives him feedback. I saw them play in pouring rain last summer down in Stockholm. The weather didn’t stop it from being one of the best shows I’ve been to.



Lastly, lets return to Australia. Once again tons of attitude, once again tons of humor and once again one of the best live acts I’ve seen.

[Zero_Sum]

I'm going to get very personal with this one.

When I was 10 I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It wasn't a smooth transition - I went hard, doing a prolonger hospital stay, being "minutes from death" and spending 2 weeks in a coma. It wasn't fun. On the recovery side of things I was visited by a doctor that wanted to explain my new condition. Part of the explanation was a list of things/jobs I'd no longer be able to do, things like be a fireman, be an fighter pilot, be a policeman... The things a 10 year old boy dreams of. Now times have changed (this was '93), and most of those jobs are now open to diabetics, but back then it wasn't the case, we were considered to unreliable.

This lead to 8-10 years of anger and depression. I was angry at having things taken away from me and there being nothing I could do about it. If I thought that you had a better potential at life than I did, and you wasted it, I had no time for you. Homeless people and addicts in particular became despised for what I perceived as having wasted their lives. As I've grown I've realized that was a very short-sighted view on the situation, but still, in my teens I wasn't emotionally stable.

However,amongst all the maelstrom there was a girl (isn't there always), a girl that had thoroughly friend-zoned me. This girl introduced me to her favourite band. An introduction that came with some caveats - the band was "different", the vocalist had a "weird voice" but the lyrics he wrote were pure poetry, philosophy, commentary on the human condition... Things you didn't hear others writing. The band was Tool.

One song from Tool struck a heavy chord with me during my anger, The Grudge. A song about examine the grudge you hold and refuse to let go of, a song that asks you to consider if it's worth bearing the grudge and being so negative, a song that tells you that if you let it go something positive could happen.



Tool became my favourite band and still are.

[Jezza819]

I've been meaning to get around to this. I don't listen to music as much now as I did in my younger years. I had about 200+ plus CD's and I used to play guitar (very badly). But that was when i had a house with a music room. In 2007 all of that changed when I moved in an apartment in my current city. I put all of my CD's on my computer and sold them a few years ago. In June I bought a new computer and moved everything on to it. Like an idiot I never backed anything up. Well last month that new hard drive failed and I lost all of my music, photos, videos etc.

I thought I would list my top bands, artists, etc. and my favorite song from them.

1. Metallica. This spot used to be occupied by Kiss but since they accepted a Kennedy Center honor from the dicktater they are dead to me now. I've seen Metallica in concert probably a dozen times or so. The first time was in Nashville, TN in 1992 on the Black Album tour. One of the best concerts I've ever been to and also one of the loudest. My favorite song from them is "Seek And Destroy". I used to love playing it on guitar. The last time I saw Metallica was about 2004 or so. They are still touring stadiums. I chose the album version of Seek And Destroy instead of how they play it today.



2. Judas Priest. I discovered them in 1982 when the video for "You've Got Another Thing Coming" came out. MTV also played a concert from that tour recorded in Memphis. That's what really got me hooked. Rob Halford is one of the best singers in metal. The twin guitar attack from KK Downing and Glenn Tipton, all of those Marshall amps. It was great. I've seen Priest 5 times in concert the last time was last year here where I live. Rob is now 75 years old and still sounds great. My favorite Judas Priest song is "Victim Of Changes". This video is from that Screaming For Vengeance tour recorded in Memphis.



3. Black Sabbath. Tony Iommi is the riff king. So many great songs that influenced generations of not only metal bands but other genres of music over the decades. I only got to see Black Sabbath once on one of the Ozzfest tours. My favorite Sabbath song is "War Pigs". Go to any metal concert anywhere and when War Pigs is played over the PA before the concert starts, everybody sings along with it. everybody knows the lyrics. An honorable mention goes to "Into The Void". Just a killer, heavy riff.



4. Slayer. Got into Slayer when Seasons In The Abyss came out in 1990. Went to Atlanta to see the Clash Of The Titans tour with Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Alice In Chains in 1991. I've seen Slayer probably 7 or 8 times including once in a smaller venue in Birmingham, AL in 2014 or so. That was wild. My favorite Slayer song is "Raining Blood" but they have many other great songs, "Seasons In The Abyss", "War Ensemble", "Angel Of Death", "Dead Skin Mask", etc.



5. Ghost. This is my favorite "new" band. I put new in quotes because they have been around for about 15 years or so. I became aware of them after hearing "Dance Macabre" on our local radio station in 2018. Nice heavy guitar sound, catchy lyrics. It reminded me of hard rock from the 80's and 90's. Then they opened for Metallica on one of their European tours and I heard Lars really complimenting them. The only named member of the band is the lead singer Tobias Forge but he is in always in costume as are the other members of the band and they are referred to as "nameless ghouls". They have a bit of a mocking of religion in their stage shows and music. I've seen them twice in concert most recently this past July in Nashville. The fans really get into band and often dress up to attend the shows. They really have a dedicated fan base. While "Dance Macabre" is my favorite song "Mary On A Cross" shows their overall look and again their religious mockery themes.



I do listen to many other types of music and have been to other concerts that weren't metal as well. I love Bonnie Raitt and Brandi Carlile not only for their music but their activism. I've seen Bonnie twice and Brandi once. All great shows. I've seen Emmylou Harris twice and got to meet her backstage once, she was so nice. Allison Krauss & Union Station was another band I have been dying to see and finally got to see them in Birmingham this year. Great show. I've seen The Tedeschi Trucks Band twice. Derek Trucks is a phenomenal guitar player. I saw Jeff Lynne's ELO twice. I got to see First Aid Kit in Nashville a few years ago. Other bands I like are The Last Dinner Party, Amyl and the Sniffers as mentioned earlier by @Strittan. I'm sure I'm leaving others out that I can't think of.

[Joey D]

I've been on a '90s kick the past couple of days and forgot about some absolute gems from that era.

Cornerstone - Brimful of Asha
For the longest time I had zero idea what this song was even about, but I loved it. I know now because I've looked it up in recent years, but but then I didn't have a clue. I also love that it features a sitar.


Freestylers - Here We Go
I remember a friend of mine in middle school gave me the album "We Rock Hard" to listen to and I couldn't get enough of this song. Then I completely forgot about it, but after one listen I remembered why I always thought it was an absolute banger.


Return of the Mack - Mark Morrison
Not really obscure or anything, but I love the beat and there are good memories attached to the song too. When my best friend got married, we had his bachelor party in Vegas. We were at a cigar bar at the Mirage chilling and smoking overpriced cigars. We met a group of Puerto Rican girls, and we got our Indian friend, who's an awkward nerdy engineer, to dance with the girls when this song came out. Dude got kissed by two of the girls and I've never seen someone so happy.

I heard Return of the Mack the other day and it instantly took me back to that trip and how much fun it was.


Eiffel 65 - My Console
I'm never not going to love Eiffle 65 and gave the Europop album another listen the other game. I loved this song back when it came out and I love it now. It's also the only song I'm aware of that drops a "Gran Turismo" line. The music video also has Gabry Ponte having a Tekken battle on stage....which is something else.


And because I can pick just one Eiffel 65 song, another favorite is Living in a Bubble, especially when Papa Winnie drops a random reggae rap verse.

[Mikey]

Repost from the other forum:

Sergei Rachmaninoff - Chopin/Lizst: Polish Songs (Op. 74), No. 1: The Maiden's Wish. This record has an interesting history.

After fleeing Russia following the 1917 revolution Rachmaninoff was forced to become a concert pianist in order to support his family. He recorded several of his performances as paper rolls which were recently digitised and corrected for physical timing discrepancies by ex-NASA JPL scientist Wayne Stahnke and played on a Bosendorfer electronic reproducing piano to create this CD.

[Zero_Sum]

There are a few albums that I can listen to from start to finish and be engaged all the way through. One such album, that often gets a reaction when I reveal it, is Celebrity Skin by Hole, namely because of the popular theory that Courtney Love had something to do with Kurt Cobain's death.

Celebrity Skin was Love's reply. After spending a few years away from music following Cobain's death, she took her thoughts and feelings, and laid down Celebrity Skin. For me, all of that aside, it's pure Americana - it's something between punk and rock, with Love throwing down growls, shouts, snarls and melodic singing. She delves in to the full range of emotions, letting the world know what she thought of it and everyone.

One track always stands out for me - Reasons To Be Beautiful. Love has never been clear and defined her lyrics, but with the public sentiment being a lot of hate towards her at the time, the opening line "Love hangs herself with the bedsheets in her cell" is thought to be an address to her haters, before flipping to "Threw myself on fires for you, 10 good reasons to be beautiful" thought to be a plea to Cobain, as she was facing the backlash for his actions (suicide) and was searching for reasons in that to keep going (despite what public sentiment was calling for). That opening section frames the song beautifully for me.