Radio Revelations Part II – Three Measures, Culture, and “Travelin'”

More things I’ve observed and learned from listening to the radio:

4) Three measure max: I can usually tell what song is starting by hearing the first three measures.  This is helpful when the song is one I don’t like – my fingers quickly flip to a different station.

5) On Culture: Listening to the radio gives me great insight into contemporary culture.  Songs reveal what people value and find important in their lives… and this is somewhat scary.  Often, the artists focus on shallow relationships, money, and the emptiness of life when they don’t have these things.  Recently one of my youth girls was singing a song that’s not particularly positive, and I told her to pick a different song.  She looked at me incredulously, and almost snapped, “Have you heard it?”  I said, “yes I have.”  She said, “Oh” and stopped.  This insight into culture has helped me already in working with youth and understanding the media that attacks them day in and day out.

6) On my travels: I identify with the chorus of a popular song, and find it particularly applicable when sitting in traffic on the 405 or the 134 or the 5 or the 210 or the 15… “Ohhhh, I’ve been travelin’ on this road too long, just tryin’ to find my way back home…”