Re-Discovering Forgotten Songs

Sometimes I have a bad habit of listening to a very small selection of music. I often wonder why I do this, because I have nearly 21,000 songs in my iTunes library. Realistically, there is no excuse for me to be listening to a limited selection of songs.

Queue iTunes DJ on stage left.


When I find that my musical musings are becoming limited to a tiny variety, I rely on iTunes DJ to help me re-discover some old favorites. Typically, I use my Last.FM to tip me off when I have been limiting my music selections. For example:

As you can see, over the past 3 months I have listened to 574 blink-182 tracks. That is 34% of my top 10 most played artists. Something is wrong there. Personally, with such a wide collection of music I feel as though I should truly be enjoying a wide variety of songs, genres, artists, albums, etc on a regular basis. This is a perfect example of a time when I have not accomplished this.

As a result of this finding, I chose to call up my good old friend iTunes DJ this evening. I let him run the show for about an hour until I brought his set to a screeching halt. What caused me to pull the emergency break on this vehicle of audio discovery? It was a song that I had not heard in far too long. Coming through my speakers was "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd.

Like most teenagers, I went through various musical phases as I grew up. In elementary school, I was knee deep in pop-punk like blink-182, Sum 41, and Treble Charger. In junior high, I became fixated on hip hop and rap. That is why you'll find artists such as Tupac, 50 Cent and Eminem within my iTunes Library. When I hit high school, I started to hunt down and search for music that was popular far before my existence. The Beatles, Van Halen, Nirvana, and AC/DC were just a few of the bands that soon joined my ever growing library. Boston soon joined my list of favourites.  Pink Floyd was also a part of that crowd.

My first experience listening to Pink Floyd came when I discovered the "Dark Side Of The Moon" album. I can still remember sitting and studying in Bishop Carroll High School and having "Dark Side Of The Moon" on repeat in my Sony Discman. Yes, I had a Sony Discman in high school. After all, this was back when iPod's cost $500! I used to carry around a CD wallet that held 64 CDs. As my collection grew, I carried two of those 64 CD wallets. I could never have enough music at my disposal.

Finally in grade 11, I broke down and bought an iPod. Being the stubborn high schooler that I was, I had once vowed to never give in to the iPod craze. I wanted to listen to my music in its original form. I didn't want to listen to a digital copy of my music. I wanted the real thing.

Boy was I naive.

Getting my iPod was the greatest thing that ever happened to me, at least in terms of discovering and enjoying music.

Back to the real issue at hand. "Comfortably Numb" came through my speakers this evening and as a result, I tuned into my entire Pink Floyd collection. What a treat. It's a real shame how easy it can be to forget about great music. Whether you get caught up in listening to the newest releases or you bury yourself digging through records trying to find something previously unknown to you, always keep the classics and your favourites close to you. Don't neglect them. Give them the quality listen that they deserve. And do it as often as you can. Appreciate them for what they add to your everyday life. Whatever you do, don't ever forget them.

Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd

Hello, hello, hello
Is there anybody in there?

Just nod if you can hear me
Is there anyone home?

Come on, now
I hear you're feeling down
Well, I can ease your pain
Get you on your feet again

Relax

I need some information first
Just the basic facts
Can you show me where it hurts?

There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship smoke on the horizon
You are only coming through in waves
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying
When I was a child I had a fever
My hands felt just like two balloons
Now I've got that feeling once again
I can't explain, you would not understand
This is not how I am
I have become comfortably numb

I have become comfortably numb

Ok, just a little pin prick
There'll be no more
But you may feel a little sick

Can you stand up?
I do believe it's working, good
That'll keep you going for the show
Come on it's time to go

There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship smoke on the horizon
You are only coming through in waves
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying
When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown
The dream is gone
I have become comfortably numb

Learning To Fly by Pink Floyd

Into the distance, a ribbon of black
Stretched to the point of no turning back
A flight of fancy on a windswept field
Standing alone, my senses reeled
A fatal attraction holding me fast
How can I escape this irresistible grasp?

Can't keep my eyes from the circling sky
Tongue-tied and twisted
Just an earth-bound misfit, I

Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
Unheeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything
No navigator to find my way home
Unladened, empty and turned to stone

A soul in tension that's learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try

Can't keep my eyes from the circling sky
Tongue-tied and twisted
Just an earth-bound misfit, I

Above the planet on a wing and a prayer
My grubby halo, a vapour trail in the empty air
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly
Out of the corner of my watering eye
A dream unthreatened by the morning light
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night

There's no sensation to compare with this
Suspended animation, a state of bliss

Can't keep my mind from the circling sky
Tongue-tied and twisted
Just an earth-bound misfit, I