For Fans & Friends of BlackLight Radio
Songs To Keep, Songs To Toss
I now have enough songs in rotation that it's time to do spring cleaning and narrow categories down to "best of the best," and at times it is proving very challenging.
Not only am I trying to decide which song I like best, but I'm trying to avoid the broadcaster's trap of, "well, that song tests well usually" or "most people would probably like this song." There are McStations all up and down the dial if you want "general consensus" playlists... BlackLight is supposed to be an artist's expression, right or wrong. It doesn't sound difficult, but it can be.
Two other tough variables are making sure I'm not selecting the "best" song (as in the best written or best produced or best performed) because there are some technically impressive songs that I can admire for their skill but just don't "do" it for me... and another is not simply selecting a song because I haven't heard it in a while, or for shock value. In other words, what songs do I want to hear repeatedly?
A challenge I didn't expect was determining which of two songs which appeal to two different parts of me is the more desirable song.
I will have one song I LOVE because the music just tickles my ears the right way, and another that lyrically just blows me over. perhaps one has emotional value to me, tied to an important event in my past, or another is by a favorite artist... or perhaps I've just heard a song so often on popular radio, making it seem more (or less) desirable to me.
When "I like them both" isn't an acceptable answer, the job becomes a challenge. Which would you rather have: a filet mignon, or a dark chocolate French pastry? Well, the steak is more expensive... but the pastry is more rare... the meat is more filling... but the dessert hits my sweet tooth... I just had some candy... but we'll be having burgers tonight...
It's like sides of my brain, affected differently by different songs, are all vying for my "vote" to keep the song in... and I have to compare apples and oranges to decide which songs to keep and which to toss. It literally feels like I can feel the front and slightly to the left part of my brain react to this song, and the back right part of my brain react to that song.
Another example of a challenging decision is when I find a song that I fought to add to rotation, one that I had to hunt down, maybe only remembering part of the lyrics, tearing the web apart to figure out first what artist and title are, and then searching high and low to find a copy... maybe having to spend hours cleaning up the recording in order to put it into rotation...
...only to come back months later and realize... I like other songs in rotation better, and the song I worked so hard to get is now going to sit and collect dust.
The process is fun, it's frustrating, hopefully it makes BlackLight better, and (cheezy though it sounds) I think I'm learning some interesting things about myself and my reaction to music.
...But seriously: how do you decide between Rockin' Sydney's Don't Mess With My Toot-Toot and Mozart's Reqium?
Not only am I trying to decide which song I like best, but I'm trying to avoid the broadcaster's trap of, "well, that song tests well usually" or "most people would probably like this song." There are McStations all up and down the dial if you want "general consensus" playlists... BlackLight is supposed to be an artist's expression, right or wrong. It doesn't sound difficult, but it can be.
Two other tough variables are making sure I'm not selecting the "best" song (as in the best written or best produced or best performed) because there are some technically impressive songs that I can admire for their skill but just don't "do" it for me... and another is not simply selecting a song because I haven't heard it in a while, or for shock value. In other words, what songs do I want to hear repeatedly?
A challenge I didn't expect was determining which of two songs which appeal to two different parts of me is the more desirable song.
I will have one song I LOVE because the music just tickles my ears the right way, and another that lyrically just blows me over. perhaps one has emotional value to me, tied to an important event in my past, or another is by a favorite artist... or perhaps I've just heard a song so often on popular radio, making it seem more (or less) desirable to me.
When "I like them both" isn't an acceptable answer, the job becomes a challenge. Which would you rather have: a filet mignon, or a dark chocolate French pastry? Well, the steak is more expensive... but the pastry is more rare... the meat is more filling... but the dessert hits my sweet tooth... I just had some candy... but we'll be having burgers tonight...
It's like sides of my brain, affected differently by different songs, are all vying for my "vote" to keep the song in... and I have to compare apples and oranges to decide which songs to keep and which to toss. It literally feels like I can feel the front and slightly to the left part of my brain react to this song, and the back right part of my brain react to that song.
Another example of a challenging decision is when I find a song that I fought to add to rotation, one that I had to hunt down, maybe only remembering part of the lyrics, tearing the web apart to figure out first what artist and title are, and then searching high and low to find a copy... maybe having to spend hours cleaning up the recording in order to put it into rotation...
...only to come back months later and realize... I like other songs in rotation better, and the song I worked so hard to get is now going to sit and collect dust.
The process is fun, it's frustrating, hopefully it makes BlackLight better, and (cheezy though it sounds) I think I'm learning some interesting things about myself and my reaction to music.
...But seriously: how do you decide between Rockin' Sydney's Don't Mess With My Toot-Toot and Mozart's Reqium?
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