Personal Narrative: My Itunes Library
My iTunes Library and How It Defines Me “New York is more than a tan that you’ll never lose,” this quote is by Lady Gaga, who is one of my favorite singers. Quotes like these are unique. This quote shares uniqueness with the music I listen to, which defines me and my personality. I consider myself to be a very unusual and colorful character. Anyone who didn’t know me should be able to figure out my personality just from listening to the music I own. This is primarily because I listen to a variety of genres when it comes to music. The genres that dominate my “Top 25 Most Played” playlist are: pop, alternative, electronic, hip-hop, and jazz. Pop music for me isn’t just a genre, it’s a lifestyle. Pop is basically the soundtrack to my life.
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Whether it’s a night out on the town with my closest friends, recovering from a bad break-up, or needing some encouragement after a rough day; there’s a pop song to be played. And with my iTunes library, there’s never a shortage in pop music. Roughly 60 percent of the 1500 songs in my music library are all pop. The most popular artists I listen to in this genre are: Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Maroon 5, Lady GaGa and Ke$ha. Each of these artists has a different “persona” when it comes to pop music. Miley Cyrus is the rebellious teen who just wants to have a good time. Some of her songs feature heavy processed vocals, while in other ballads, she shows off those pipes that made her famous. Britney Spears is the pop queen of my generation. She shouldn’t necessarily be classified as a singer because she’s more of a performer. Britney plays the “Good Girl Gone Bad” role perfectly and she has let us know this since she sang her most infamous lyric “I’m not that innocent!” Demi and Selena are the pop princesses next door. They never sing anything too risqué. Maroon 5 is more of pop-rock, and their music is for one of those rainy days when I’m sad. Ke$ha and Lady GaGa deserve their own branch of pop music because their songs are so exotic compared to other artists. Ke$ha is all about glitter, drugs, and partying. I’m certain every single one of her songs mentions glitter or alcohol. She also “wakes up in the morning feelin’ like P-Diddy” according to her hit single “Tik-Tok.” How a Caucasian female can wake up in the morning feeling like an African American male baffles me. Lady GaGa is probably the most talked about pop artist. She manages to out-weird herself at every award show. GaGa is all about accepting one’s self, and singing about topics one would not normally sing about. Topics such as but not limited to: sex, money, homosexuality, rebelliousness, colorful hair, religion, and alcohol have all made appearances in one of GaGa’s hit singles. These ladies are all unique in their own way and they make up the reasons why I love pop music. Alternative or “Indie” music is for the hipster inside of me. It’s music that can express feelings or emotions that I can’t quite explain. My all-time favorite alternative artist is Florence and The Machine. Her haunting voice looms over every track she sings and it’s truly mesmerizing. My favorite song by Florence is “What the Water Gave Me” from her latest album Ceremonials. Another band that I feel like belongs in this genre is Fleetwood Mac. Of course, anyone who is superior to me in age may question what I know about Fleetwood Mac. I consider Rumours one of my favorite albums of all time as well as one of the greatest albums ever. “I Don’t Wanna Know”, “Dreams”, “Go Your Own Way”, and “Songbird” are the standout tracks on this album. Alternative music takes up about 20 percent of my iTunes library. It’s definitely the genre I listen to when I feel like nothing else quite explains what I’m feeling. Electronic music really serves only one purpose in just about anyone’s life: to give them something to dance to. This particular genre of music is mastered by DJ’s who often remix pop or hip-hop songs to their tastes. My favorite DJ is the Frenchman David Guetta. He often produces music for several pop artists and releases the songs on his own compilation album. Electronic music also has a sub-genre that has gained notable fame as of late, Dub-step. Dub-step features heavy bass and synthesizers that make the listener want to contort their body in the strangest fashion. This genre came from Europe and was popularized by Britney Spears in America with her comeback single “Hold It Against Me.” Electronic and dub-step are also much more popular in Europe than they are in America. I feel like this adds charm to my strange library of music. A rather small amount of charm I might add. I’m rather finicky when it comes to this genre so I only have a few songs in this category. Hip-hop for many members in the local community is a lifestyle.
For me, it’s something to listen to when I feel narcissistic. This genre takes up a smaller portion of my iTunes Library because I don’t agree with it all of the time. Hip-hops all about being better than everyone else; and by better I mean being hotter, richer, or more talented than the competition. Some notable artists in this genre that I like are: Mac Miller, Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, and Nicki Minaj. Mac Miller is a relatively new artist in this genre. His first studio album actually came out a week ago. However, his lyrics amuse me and he always has a rather swell beat. Beyonce and Kelly Rowland are the same type of artist. This should not come as a shock considering they both got their start in they girl group Destiny’s Child. They are both all about over-sexualizing one’s self and dancing around in skimpy outfits. Beyonce has branched away from that with her latest album 4 which has more of a soul vibe to it. Nicki Minaj is probably the Lady GaGa of hip-hop. She’s very strange. She raps amazingly fast and takes on several alter-egos as she performs. One of this alter-egos is “Roman.” Roman speaks in a very deep voice and yells profane things often. He can be heard on Nicki’s single “Roman’s
Revenge.” Jazz music is literally music for the soul. It’s music that when you listen to it, you can feel the singers despair, ecstasy, or remorse. The genre takes its roots in the diverse city of New Orleans so it’s only fitting that I represent my home state with some jazz. The only artist that dominates my most played list in this genre is Amy Winehouse. She had a rather tragic life. Her career was often overshadowed by her troublesome addictions that she eventually succumbed to and ended up losing her life over. However, Amy’s talent shouldn’t be forgotten. She was a singer with remarkably talent. Whenever I listen to her smash record Back to Black I almost feel as if I’ve entered her world and can feel her sorrows. To me, that’s what jazz music is all about. The diverse range of music I listen to represents the unusual character that I am. Pop music represents the fun side to me; alternative music represents the more intelligent side of me; electronic music represents the inner party animal that dwells within; Hip-hop represents the part of me that doesn’t care about others opinions; while jazz represents that part of me that’s unpredictable. All of these genres reside in my iTunes library and that library paints the picture of me.
Whether it’s a night out on the town with my closest friends, recovering from a bad break-up, or needing some encouragement after a rough day; there’s a pop song to be played. And with my iTunes library, there’s never a shortage in pop music. Roughly 60 percent of the 1500 songs in my music library are all pop. The most popular artists I listen to in this genre are: Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Maroon 5, Lady GaGa and Ke$ha. Each of these artists has a different “persona” when it comes to pop music. Miley Cyrus is the rebellious teen who just wants to have a good time. Some of her songs feature heavy processed vocals, while in other ballads, she shows off those pipes that made her famous. Britney Spears is the pop queen of my generation. She shouldn’t necessarily be classified as a singer because she’s more of a performer. Britney plays the “Good Girl Gone Bad” role perfectly and she has let us know this since she sang her most infamous lyric “I’m not that innocent!” Demi and Selena are the pop princesses next door. They never sing anything too risqué. Maroon 5 is more of pop-rock, and their music is for one of those rainy days when I’m sad. Ke$ha and Lady GaGa deserve their own branch of pop music because their songs are so exotic compared to other artists. Ke$ha is all about glitter, drugs, and partying. I’m certain every single one of her songs mentions glitter or alcohol. She also “wakes up in the morning feelin’ like P-Diddy” according to her hit single “Tik-Tok.” How a Caucasian female can wake up in the morning feeling like an African American male baffles me. Lady GaGa is probably the most talked about pop artist. She manages to out-weird herself at every award show. GaGa is all about accepting one’s self, and singing about topics one would not normally sing about. Topics such as but not limited to: sex, money, homosexuality, rebelliousness, colorful hair, religion, and alcohol have all made appearances in one of GaGa’s hit singles. These ladies are all unique in their own way and they make up the reasons why I love pop music. Alternative or “Indie” music is for the hipster inside of me. It’s music that can express feelings or emotions that I can’t quite explain. My all-time favorite alternative artist is Florence and The Machine. Her haunting voice looms over every track she sings and it’s truly mesmerizing. My favorite song by Florence is “What the Water Gave Me” from her latest album Ceremonials. Another band that I feel like belongs in this genre is Fleetwood Mac. Of course, anyone who is superior to me in age may question what I know about Fleetwood Mac. I consider Rumours one of my favorite albums of all time as well as one of the greatest albums ever. “I Don’t Wanna Know”, “Dreams”, “Go Your Own Way”, and “Songbird” are the standout tracks on this album. Alternative music takes up about 20 percent of my iTunes library. It’s definitely the genre I listen to when I feel like nothing else quite explains what I’m feeling. Electronic music really serves only one purpose in just about anyone’s life: to give them something to dance to. This particular genre of music is mastered by DJ’s who often remix pop or hip-hop songs to their tastes. My favorite DJ is the Frenchman David Guetta. He often produces music for several pop artists and releases the songs on his own compilation album. Electronic music also has a sub-genre that has gained notable fame as of late, Dub-step. Dub-step features heavy bass and synthesizers that make the listener want to contort their body in the strangest fashion. This genre came from Europe and was popularized by Britney Spears in America with her comeback single “Hold It Against Me.” Electronic and dub-step are also much more popular in Europe than they are in America. I feel like this adds charm to my strange library of music. A rather small amount of charm I might add. I’m rather finicky when it comes to this genre so I only have a few songs in this category. Hip-hop for many members in the local community is a lifestyle.
For me, it’s something to listen to when I feel narcissistic. This genre takes up a smaller portion of my iTunes Library because I don’t agree with it all of the time. Hip-hops all about being better than everyone else; and by better I mean being hotter, richer, or more talented than the competition. Some notable artists in this genre that I like are: Mac Miller, Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, and Nicki Minaj. Mac Miller is a relatively new artist in this genre. His first studio album actually came out a week ago. However, his lyrics amuse me and he always has a rather swell beat. Beyonce and Kelly Rowland are the same type of artist. This should not come as a shock considering they both got their start in they girl group Destiny’s Child. They are both all about over-sexualizing one’s self and dancing around in skimpy outfits. Beyonce has branched away from that with her latest album 4 which has more of a soul vibe to it. Nicki Minaj is probably the Lady GaGa of hip-hop. She’s very strange. She raps amazingly fast and takes on several alter-egos as she performs. One of this alter-egos is “Roman.” Roman speaks in a very deep voice and yells profane things often. He can be heard on Nicki’s single “Roman’s
Revenge.” Jazz music is literally music for the soul. It’s music that when you listen to it, you can feel the singers despair, ecstasy, or remorse. The genre takes its roots in the diverse city of New Orleans so it’s only fitting that I represent my home state with some jazz. The only artist that dominates my most played list in this genre is Amy Winehouse. She had a rather tragic life. Her career was often overshadowed by her troublesome addictions that she eventually succumbed to and ended up losing her life over. However, Amy’s talent shouldn’t be forgotten. She was a singer with remarkably talent. Whenever I listen to her smash record Back to Black I almost feel as if I’ve entered her world and can feel her sorrows. To me, that’s what jazz music is all about. The diverse range of music I listen to represents the unusual character that I am. Pop music represents the fun side to me; alternative music represents the more intelligent side of me; electronic music represents the inner party animal that dwells within; Hip-hop represents the part of me that doesn’t care about others opinions; while jazz represents that part of me that’s unpredictable. All of these genres reside in my iTunes library and that library paints the picture of me.