Some say that going through one’s playlist is equivalent to taking a peek at their diary. I wonder how true is that? What can you really infer from a list of songs a person listens to most of the time? Do the bread crumbs lead you to the listener’s mind? Let’s ponder, shall we?
There are many who choose music based on their state of mind. There are people who listen to heavy death metal to vent their frustration and some to concentrate. On another spectrum, there are those who listen to zen music to calm their nerves and focus better. When you are gloomy you sometimes listen to melancholic ones and when you are elated you tune in for peppy numbers. While there are no hard and fast rules for picking genres, your mind resonates with music frequency according to your temper, hence pushing you to choose the music you want to listen to. If this is something a set of population follows, there is another set that believes in religiously sticking to their fixed playlist and listening to their favourites on repeat. Sad, happy, nervous or extra time to kill, their dedicated playlist is at their service. Though we may not be able to do a whole personality evaluation for this particular trait of listeners, it’s safe to assume that there is a reason for seeking their fixed music. But, what that reason is, is completely subjective.
Taste in music is said to evolve with age. The type of music you listen to when you are young will get etched as a special memory which you will revisit in your later ages. You will be able to associate particular memories (hopefully, fond) with that kind of music and often resort to it from time to time with the hope of escaping your present; especially, when your present is unpleasant. At the same time, there are also questionable choices of music which you will wonder about in your future and go, “Wait, I used to like that?”
The golden era of classic rock is such an important constituent of my ‘nostalgia music’ and I always consider it as my ‘feel-good’ music.The kind of music that I tune into today is something that never piqued me when I was younger. What I leisurely listen to varies with my mood. It solely depends on my state of mind and the task at hand. Though I have a few favourite genres, I am open to various music only when I am at peace: without any mood swings or disturbances. Music is also hugely therapeutic for me. On days I turn into my ‘Hulk’ personality, if I can somehow force myself to listen to my ‘go-to’ genre of music, which is ‘Trance,’ I can easily calm myself. Similar to how Natasha repeatedly says ‘the sun is getting real low’ to lull Hulk, I wish someone would just approach me with headphones, with Armin Van Buuren’s music, to ease me. It always works! Trance is a genre of music that never intrigued me in my 20’s but ever since it made its way into my choice of music, I have been a proud Trance fan and a huge AVB buff. Hmph, so does this mean anyone can interpret me by unraveling my huge playlist of trance music? Good luck with that.
If we are still wondering if a mind can be unlocked through the knowledge of one’s playlist, we are mistaken. While it is possible to get judgmental about others’ choice of music, it is not possible to read them based on it alone; there are just too many variables. So, there is no need to mask your playlist and most importantly, be unapologetic about the kind of music you like. It might be bizarre or outrageous, but if it puts you in any form of mood which you seek, who’s to judge? Makes me wonder what a person might say if they looked at my list? Profound, deep, mesmerizing, euphoric? Throwing a few wild suggestions, that’s all.
