Do you listen to the same few playlists on Spotify or Pandora? Do you find yourself flipping between the same few radio stations in the car? Do you skip songs because you keep hearing them over and over? You may need a musical detox. What is a musical detox, you ask?
Musical detox: a period of time in which an individual "flushes" their brain of familiar music
I spent at least 28 hours in the car over spring break, 22 of which were by myself. I listened to 28 hours of music over spring break in the car alone. You can bet that I heard the same songs again and again, which is why I decided that I needed a musical detox. Here's what I learned and some tips for you to detoxify yourself of the same old songs.
1. Humans really are creatures of habit.
Every time that I've gotten in the car this week, I've automatically reached for the second radio preset. Out of habit, I check what's on AltNation and Pop2K, my favorite SiriusXM stations. If nothing good is on either of those, I'll descend through the '90s, '80s and then Classic Rock. But not this week!
When I felt myself reaching for the radio preset, I instead cranked the seek knob. Depending on what random station I ended up on, I might leave it on. Or I might keep flipping through the higher numbers, unfamiliar stations. But this week I've had so much fun exploring different kinds of music. Returning to my normal routine of listening to the same stations sounds super boring now. I really think I want to expand my musical horizons and mix it up with some new tunes in my life. Plus, listening to all kinds of different genres makes me feel more well-cultured.
2. We should try new things more often.
Since humans are creatures of habit, we often return to the same old things again and again. But mixing it up is fun! Pick something that's very familiar in your life and try changing it up a little bit. For the free spirited souls out there, go somewhere that you've never been before and explore the town, eat only at local restaurants while you're there. Take a hike in the unfamiliar woods, dye your hair, change the way you dress for a day. If you're not super adventurous like me, you can try changing something less daunting: new music genres, trying a new food, sitting in a different spot to do homework, etc. But trying new things is really fun, and we should all find something that we're comfortable changing once in a while. Variety is the spice of life!
3. Music can reflect your mood, but your mood can also reflect your music.
Most of the time, the music we listen to reflects the mood that we're in. If we're happy, we put on our favorite artists. When we're sad, we all have that go to song or collection of ballads. When I'm angry, I blast rock music from my emo middle/high school days. But what do you do when you're only listening to new music?
Well that's the time that you find a genre to explore that suits your mood. Driving around doing errands, I jammed to the hair metal station. Woke up super early, listened to the acoustic coffee shop playlist. Driving to afternoon class, listened to the classic vinyl station. When I was cleaning, I listened to jazz. Super warm weather inspired me to leave the Jimmy Buffet station on. Finding new music that you're interested in listening to is hard, until you base the genre on your mood.
It can be weird to leave all the music you know and love behind for an entire week, or even a day, but it's something that everyone needs to do at some point. It's a great way to branch out and feel adventurous, without actually being adventurous. You learn some new songs, realize how large your taste in music range is, and I even learned a little about myself.
Here are some genres/stations that I suggest for an average Millennial's musical detox:
Elvis Presley. After all, he is the King.
Coffehouse. Coffeehouse acoustic can be kind of considered cheating, if you listen to acoustic versions of the songs on the radio. If you listen to original songs by less known singers/songwriters, that's where it's at.
Jazz. This was the favorite of the new music genres I tried. I'm also taking a class about the history of jazz and listened to artists we're learning about in class. That may have made me a little biased.
Broadway hits. Songs from musicals can be super awesome! Give them a try! If you're like me and know contemporary musicals decently, then revert to the 50s and 60s classics that aren't on Broadway anymore.
Jimmy Buffett. Perfect for relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. I don't recommend that you listen to this while driving though. It really made me want a margarita and a beach.
'60s and '70s music. Not the classic rock hits we all know. Dig into early pop music.
1st Wave. '90s alternative and new wave music. This is what my mom listened to, so thanks for the suggestion by example mom!
EDM. If you're not into the club scene, electronic dance music may be unfamiliar to you. And it's not that bad!
Hair metal. It's pretty good for a few songs, but it does all sound very similar after a while.
Classical music. Whether you pick the originals like Bach, Beethoven, Chopin or 19/20th composers like Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, or Copland, you can learn a lot about history. And see music evolve through the ages! Some of today's modern composers to listen to include Eric Whitacre, Roger Cichy, John Mackey, Frank Tichelli, Samuel Hazo, and Richard Saucedo.