Growing up with Music
Music is something that didn’t really come into my life until I was a tween. I don’t have the early memories of music that many do surrounding their first years. I do remember Mums reggae christmas tape, her Michael Bolton CDs, and that I got a New Kids on the Block tape when I was five.
My first foray into metal came when I was about 11 years old. My Mums partner was a huge Metallica and Megadeth fan. I really liked Megadeth when I heard it. So much so that I convinced two friends to do a dance to it in our Primary School talent quest. It’s pretty embarrassing thinking about it now!
I listened to Megadeth around the same time I got into Aqua, Backstreet Boys, Hanson, Destiny’s Child and Spice Girls. Spice Girls were the first band I ever became obsessed with. I had their CDs a VHS of the movie and I cut out every single picture I could find to plaster my bedroom wall. The one and only time I went trick or treating I dressed up as Sporty Spice.
Around this time mum found a TLC tape in our driveway which I claimed for myself. I loved it, perhaps without realising how dirty it was, and I learned the Waterfalls rap off by heart.
The first years of high school saw new genres added to my love list. Nu metal, rap, punk, and ska. I was introduced to many new bands through mixed CDs sold at the store and mix tapes borrowed from boys at school. Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, System of a Down, MxPx, and Eminem were the big ones.
Later years of high school came and I was getting over my wigga stage. I no longer rapped along to Eminem every day. I was listening to Incubus, Alien Ant Farm, and Rammstein. All bands I still love to listen to. Rammstein was what first sparked my interest in the German language.
When I left home I was pirating a lot of music. I didn’t know what a lot of it was before I had it on my computer, I just went for punk. I ended up with The Ataris, Third Try, and Fenix TX splattered throughout the mix CDs I made for my discman.
A couple of years ago I got back into music after seeing the video for Helena by My Chemical Romance. It was love at first sight purely for aesthetics, but I found I loved the music too. I became obsessed and would spend hours on the MCRmy street team site. I knew every fact about the band and had hundreds of photos saved. But then Welcome to the Black Parade was released and it was different to the music I loved them for.
I joined MySpace and found the world of online music. I started listening to songs people suggested and found Fall Out Boy, Coheed and Cambria, and Mindless Self Indulgence.
These days Mums partner introduces me to most of the “new” music I hear. My favourite is Sonata Arctica.
I think it’s true what they say about the music you listened to when you were a teen staying with you for life. I still like the music I listened to when I was about 16, Rammstein and Incubus etc. And I’m not (too) ashamed to admit I think Fred Durst did some great stuff that I still listen to on long road trips.
Can you match music to periods of time in your life? Do you still like the music you listened to when you were a teen?
10 Responses to “Growing up with Music”
I completely agree about music you listen to when you’re young. I can’t even tell if the music I used to listen to is good or not, because it fills me with excitement at all those old feelings I used to feel that I just can’t be objective! Plus I was the same with the Spice Girls, cutting out all their photos and everything. I also had it with the Beatles (still do)!
Music can transport me back to a specific time or moment in life, sometimes bringing back all of the emotions that went with it, good and bad. Music is very powerful in that sense.
~ Kristi
haha, that’s so awesome that you did a dance to Metallica in your primary school talent quest!
I was never really into the Spice Girls – Hanson was the first band that I really got into (oh the shame).
In high school I listened to a lot of punk – MXPX, New Found Glory, Less Than Jake, Goldfinger. Then in my late teens/early twenties I got heavily involved in the hardcore & screamo music scene, particularly local hardcore bands.
Around the time I turned 21 I discovered the Dresden Dolls, and became hugely attached to their music. Still my favourite of all.
These days I listen to a fairly wide variety of music, from heavy stuff like Marilyn Manson and Rammstein, to fucking insane screamo shit like Job For A Cowboy (listen to their cover of My Sharona, it’s INCREDIBLE), to mellow stuff like Death Cab for Cutie and Porcupine Tree. Plus numerous other genres in between :)
No no, even better. We did the dance to Megadeth!
I’m really not into screamo, it’s a very hard gernre to make sound good. But I’ll definitely look up that cover when I get home. Thanks :]
When I was younger, maybe 8-10 I listened to the typical pop music. Some Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls and Savage Garden. I also adored ska music too. My older brother introduced me to ska music. Oh, and the Grease and The Lion King soundtrack
From about 10-12 I listened to to pop stations. So…a lot of rap and R&B and singers like Britney Spears. I don’t know why. I think this was more of an attempt to fit in because I never truly liked the music.
Once in middle school, I started listening to rock music. Linkin Park was that band that piqued my interest, and I listened to the “alternative” radio station all day hoping to hear a song by Linkin Park.
Eventually, I became tired of the mundane songs on the radio. In high school, every other weekend, I’d spend my days in the CD store buying loads of CDs. I’d become rather chummy with one of the fellas that worked there, and he got me into The Cure, Skinny Puppy, Switchblade Symphony, The Smiths, and…other bands of the sort. Also became a huge fan of “old school alternative”, that’s what the local radio show called it. Everything from the Clash to Bauhaus to Siousxie and the Banshees. Then, I became OBSESSED with AFI, and that turned me on to completely different genres of music. I listened to psychobilly, like Tiger Army and Necromantix, and East Bay Hardcore bands.
Probably around my senior year of high school, I started mellowing out a bit. Well, a lot. I started listening to a lot of “indie” stuff. Whatever that means. I didn’t have a favorite band. I just made mix cds with a bunch of bands whose names I could never remember. I started getting into ska music again (actually, to be honest, my love for ska never ceased. I bought ska CDs when I was buying pop albums and rock albums, and hardcore albums)
Sorry, this was a super long comment. I didn’t mean to type a novel. Music makes me nostalgic! Oddly, I rarely listen to music anymore. I rarely listen to music alone. Usually, I only listen to it when I’m in the car with my boyfriend (so, it varies from Led Zeppelin, Megadeath, the Moodly Blues, Coco Rosie, and old old old blues). If ever I’m alone and listening to music (it’s because I can’t sleep) and I’m either listening to Japanese music or K-os, a super rad hip hop artist.
Don’t apologise for the long comment! It’s great to hear everyone’s stories and see what we all listen to.
You’ve got quite a wide range of tastes.
Green Day, Weezer, Everclear – my three favourite bands from my teens that are still favourites till today. Will be getting Green Days new album come May 16 :)
While we’re in Oz even :]
omg i love alll the heavy metal music my fav band i could say is My Chemical Romance Im going to there concert in less then 2 weeks im so excited Gerard Way is so amazing i love the song mama he is so goooooood WOW!!!!!!!!
love green day
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