I’m not a fan of albums.
Instead, I tend to find one song I really, really like and listen to it over and over again for a period of time, ranging from a few hours to two weeks. I think my record for the longest time spent listening to one song is maybe three whole weeks of Tame Impala’s “Yes I’m Changing.”
I’ll never forgive my roommate for introducing me to it.
I’ve always listened to music like this. When I was 10, I discovered Chris Brown's “Forever” after watching the famed episode of "The Office" with my dad (you know the one). I listened to it for hours, constantly hitting the replay button on my permanently open YouTube tab.
I’m honestly grateful that I grew up in the age of music on digital. Now I can hit the repeat button once and listen to my song of the day indefinitely.
I don’t remember where I first heard most of these songs. What I do remember is the feeling of wanting to listen to it again and again. And again. I get so attached to one song, and can’t think of listening to anything else for that period of time, when the sound is still new and there is so much to explore. I’m listening to Tracy Chapman’s cover of "Stand By Me" on repeat as I type this.
I’m not proud of my serial overplaying, but I really can’t help it. The problem with this obsessive listening is that eventually the song’s allure fades. The melodies I found so moving turn into background noise. Then I have to find a whole new song to ruin for myself.
Even after getting sick of some of these songs, I still keep them around. Eventually, after some time has passed, I’ll play that song again and feel the awe that a good song can bring. I can re-experience the feeling of listening to one of these addictive songs all over again, with something of both wonderment and nostalgia.
Sometimes it feels like I remember my experiences based on the songs I was listening to at the time. Or in my case — song. When I look back at different phases of my life, I can hear the specific songs that I listened to constantly. Not just albums or artists. But individual songs.
