Music!

When Emma and I get in the car to go somewhere, we play a little game. When both of us are seated, the first one to yell Music! gets to choose the music for the entire trip. I think I have lost about thirty straight.  I used to fight a little harder to win when I had Sirius xM. They had a Beatles Channel! I gave that up in a round of budget cutting. I try distracting her as she enters the car and sometimes that works. But mostly I listen to rap, hip hop, modern pop, and an occasional good song.

I think she is even a little tired of what is on the radio, as she often just plays songs from her Spotify play list.  I know there are some songs on that play list that she and I both love, but she won’t play those. Teenage defiance! When I complain that she doesn’t play “Little Moon” or “Don’t Lose Your Love”,  I get the retort:  “Should’ve been a little faster calling Music! Dad”. These kids today!!  She will occasionally throw me a bone and play a Beatles song, most likely “And I Love Her” or “Eight Days a Week”. Thank you, Em.

I don’t want you to think I am stuck in the sixties. I’m not. I like to listen to different kinds of music from different generations. There is one genre of music that I absolutely can’t stand and that is Jazz. Luckily, Emma feels the same. Her new boyfriend likes Country so she is starting to get into that. I can handle Country in small doses. There is only so much twangity twang twang one can hear at a time.  I hope that Emma  likes it for the sake of the music and not just because it is what her boyfriend listens to.

She listens to a lot of Eminem. I admit he is a genius with words and wordplay, but oh that language!  How many F bombs can you fit in a three minute song?  But just when I get my prude hat on, I remember even my Beatles can turn out a pretty filthy tune. Remember “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?”.   Oh my!

Our tastes can be similar enough to enjoy concerts together. Paul McCartney and 21 Pilots come especially to mind.

I guess this difference in musical tastes is generationally expected and normal.  But I have go to get better at winning the Music! game.  Maybe today I will practice.