Music From a Work Day, Part 1

Music From a Work Day, Part 1

One of the (many) things I love about my job is that when I begin to work on a project, I can throw on some headphones and listen to Pandora (or Spotify/Grooveshark/AOL Radio) while I dig in on anything that requires serious thinking.  While I certainly have a predilection for Pandora, the others are always a viable alternative.  About a year ago, I randomly took note of the songs that came up during the day.  Today I was boxing up my desk and I found that list. Being the ever-curious type, I have decided to make a comparison.  I shall write the songs that I heard then, and tomorrow I will take note of the songs I hear and post them here.  Then I'll try to see how my evolving music selections on Pandora have altered the music I am being presented with.

I am listening to the same channel today that I did then - it's titled "Musical/Comedy" and was seeded with the Wicked Original Broadway Cast album and Weird Al Yankovic.  Please note that on my list, for comedy entries I seem to have mostly recorded "Comedy Song/Routine" rather than what it actually was.  Too bad.

On a slightly unrelated note about preferences influencing what you hear (and yes, this whole thing may eventually devolve into observations on how our choices affect the advertising we see), months ago I briefly listed to a Spanish Music channel.  For about an hour.  One time, one day.  Since then, every time Pandora gives me an ad featuring alcohol, it is in Spanish.  Only alcohol, but it appears to be ALL the alcohol ads.  The one I hear the most is for Bud Light with....ugh....CLAMATO?  How the heck did that happen?  On to the list!

• Sarah McLachlan - Fallen (live)                                      
  
• Tom Lehrer - Comedy Song
• Simon and Garfunkel - Sound of Silence (live)
• Glee Cast - Animal
• Steven Lynch - Comedy Song
• Flight of the Conchords - Business Time
• Taylor Swift - Today Was a Fairy Tale
• Weird Al - When I Was Your Age
• John Mulaney - Comedy Routine
• Tenacious D - Wonderboy
• Tom Lehrer - The Elements (Comedy)
• Steven Lynch - Comedy Song
• The Beatles - Come Together/Dear Prudence
• Tripod - Comedy Song
• John Lennon - Imagine
• Glee Cast - Silly Love Song
• Tenacious D - Dude
• Weird Al - Ode to a Superhero

Well, that is interesting.....to me, if to nobody else.  My first impression would be that I hear more musicals and soundtracks, possibly a bit less comedy, with about the same amount of radio junk.  I'll tell you after tomorrow.

By the way....have you heard of Tom Lehrer?  He is a comedy/satirist/mathematician who was active from 1945 to the early 70s.  I love his stuff.  It's all horribly dated, of course, but entertaining.  It is interesting to hear his often comedic songs that occasionally feature him interacting with his audience before the song begins.  I have heard him casually refer to the death of Winston Churchill, the push to teach different numerical bases instead of base 10, World War 2, and many other things.

Then he sings about poisoning pigeons in the park.  You should give him a try for something very different.