Had a weird moment at a red light yesterday that changed how I listen to music

I was sitting at a long light on Broadway near the old theater district, stuck behind some guy in a Prius who had his windows down. My windows were up but I could still hear his music clear as day, some old classic rock track I hadn't heard in years. It hit me that I've been blasting songs in my car for years with no real thought about why I pick certain ones. Usually I just throw on whatever's on my phone or the radio, but hearing that song through his speakers made me realize I never crank up anything that actually means something to me. The light turned green and he peeled out and I just sat there for a second thinking about it. Now I'm trying to figure out what my actual "always max volume" song is and it's harder than I thought. Anyone else ever have a random moment like this that made you rethink your playlist choices?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenix2915d ago

Wait, are you saying you never crank up music that actually means something to you? That's kind of wild to me, I'm the opposite where I have like five songs that I literally have to listen to at full blast every time they come on no matter where I am. But I get what you're saying about hearing that song through his speakers, sometimes hearing something through someone else's setup makes it hit different because you're not expecting it. I had a similar thing happen at a drive-thru where the kid working the window had some indie band playing and it reminded me of a mix CD my ex made me, now I can't listen to that band without getting all weird about it.

david_rivera415d ago

Is it weird that I almost prefer the accidental hearing of a song, like through someone else's car or a store speaker, over putting it on myself? It feels more real that way, like the universe is reminding you of something instead of you just hitting play.

xena_brown5015d ago

Funny you say that, @david_rivera4, but I actually hate that accidental hearing thing. If a song I love comes on in a store, I get annoyed because I can't hear it right with all the background noise and bad speakers. Giving up control like that feels like letting the universe pick my playlist, and I've got terrible luck with random shuffles. Putting on music yourself means you can decide the volume, skip the parts you don't like, and actually pay attention without distractions. Plus, if a song means something to you, shouldn't you be the one deciding when to hear it, not some grocery store or a stranger's car? That whole "universe reminding you" angle sounds nice, but it's just random chance with no feeling behind it.