Songs I Learned To Love--By Vicky

I consider myself a pretty open person. I try to approach new things with the hope that I will enjoy them.  Sometimes I fail.  Miserably. Sometimes I form an automatic opinion and decide that I absolutely hate said thing. And sometimes—sometimes my hatred turns into a weird love of a formerly despised thing. This happens most often (that I can tell) with songs.  I hear a song and I will think it is dumb or that it sounds like something else or I just plain don’t like it. I go on grumbling through these songs as they play on the radio, but don’t bother changing it because I’ll probably have commercials on some other station. So I sit through it, again and again and again. Then something weird happens, suddenly I am singing along with the chorus, looking up the lyrics, on YouTube searching for videos.  That’s when I realize with a sudden mix of disgust and acceptance that I have come to like this song. Crap!  Now I’m a faddy, someone who likes those dumb songs everyone else likes. What happened? Oh well, I decide that these songs are now a part of me and I just have to live with it. I am a fan. A reluctant fan, but a fan nonetheless.  Damn it. I’m like a classic rom-com formula: girl and song meet, girl loathes song, song pursues girl with charming persistence, song and girl are perfect for each other. The End.  Roll credits.  Maybe there’s a cute outtakes section.

So here are some of the songs that I reluctantly appreciate.  You could say that I learned to love them…

Smooth Criminal – Alien Ant Farm
Think what you want about me, I didn’t realize this was a Michael Jackson cover when I first loathed it.  I just didn’t like it.  I thought it was loud and weird and… I mean it’s about a chick who gets attacked.  What is there to like?  Well, a punky rock vibe that insists upon being heard.  The heavy lyrics against the upbeat tempo of the song.  The persistent “Annie, are you OK?”  Is she ok?  I didn’t like it, I thought the words were dark, the music too opposed to the lyrics, it just wasn’t something I wanted to hear. But it was on the radio all the time. One day, I liked it.  Don’t ask me why, I just do. And then I realized it was MJ which just made it better. I even wrote a paper in English Literature about my change from hate to love.  Inexplicable is about all I have as an explanation.

Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
I’ve discussed this song before.  I adore it and its many, many video inspirations. I thought it was dumb at first, the bubbly melody, and the catchy lyrics.  I was annoyed. Call Me, Maybe?  Ok, but I don’t know anyone who likes to be called “Maybe.” And again, after hearing it one too many times I found myself dancing along, singing about ripped jeans and hot nights.  I looked up the video which is cute in and of itself. That Carly Rae has a good sense of humor. Then I found all the parodies and dance-along videos and discovered than even the Marines enjoy a good pop song.  So I decided that I liked it and I haven’t looked back since.  So you may or may not agree, but either way, call me…maybe?

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – Taylor Swift
My only problem with Taylor Swift is that a lot of her songs sound very similar to me.  I admire her for the way she’s become a star. I can appreciate her talent for writing. I just abhor watching her perform “live” (granted, I’ve only seen her on award shows or TV specials, not in concert). She is not the best singer. I watched an interview once where she admitted that she never warmed up.  It shows.  I’m sorry, it does.  I have a real love/hate relationship with T. Swift.  I enjoy a lot of her songs, as I said, her rise to fame and subsequent ability to remain humble and sweet are admirable, and I am grateful that there is a young woman out there who knows girls are looking up to her and acts accordingly. (Ahem, Lindsay Lohan).  She is genuine, kind, and talented. But she writes about all these guys who’ve wronged her and it all starts to sound a little—whiny. Despite all of that and my conflict, I do enjoy Taylor’s latest bashing song.  I found it completely immature and silly when I first heard it, but now… well, WE-HEE!

Payphone – Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa
This song was more of a gut reaction for me.  Who uses a damn payphone anymore?  Where did he find one?  Who has change to put in that damn payphone anymore?  Wait, he’s lovelorn and sad and calling her—that’s so sweet. And the melody, the lyrics are too fun and catchy not to enjoy.  Plus, HELLO! Adam Levine is a fox and I like watching him on The Voice so anything he does is good. I never got on the Maroon 5 bandwagon when they first got popular, but I have always admired their rock/pop thing.  Now I have another song to add to that list of goodness.  (Warning: This video contains the explicit version of Payphone).

50 Ways to Say Goodbye – Train
Oh, this song really pissed me off when I first heard it.  It sounds like a mix between a Mariachi band and The Phantom of the Opera. Think about it. Yeah, you hear it now too.  I was so irritated.  Being a theatre person, I couldn’t help but feel offended that it sounds way too much like the classic show.  But it’s Train.  I really do like Train.  I have listened to them for a long time, been a fan for a while.  I gave it a few more chances, looked up the video, and then BAM!, I fell in love.  Now I know all the lyrics, but I can’t sing them because I’m laughing. It is hilarious and I appreciate the humor. I put this song at the end because it’s my favorite of all the songs I’ve learned to love. And this is the truth, the more I listen, the less I dislike the similarity to Phantom and just dance along like I’m at an East Side nightclub.

What songs have you learned to love?