Here it is: my year in review entry for 2001. This is a listing of CDs and artists I especially loved this year. As always, there are things I loved that didn't make the list, but this was the stuff that was mostly new to me in one way or another (either a new artist, or new music by an old favorite).
Does it coincide with your list of faves for this year? Write and let me know.
Wednesday, December 19, 2001
What am I listening to?
You don't want to know. Believe me, you don't want to know.
*NSYNC. All three of their albums: *NSYNC, No Strings Attached, and Celebrity. Plus my own *NSYNC mix (which I like best). Plus their Christmas album, a little bit. And I've downloaded over 40 of their videos and performances through Morpheus, too, so when I'm home I can watch them as well as listen to them.
There's no explaining it. It's kind of like the Colin Firth obsession from last summer -- I know it'll burn itself out, or at least die back to a reasonable level, but I have to feed it until then. It's kind of like smoking a whole pack of cigarettes so you won't ever want to smoke again. Except -- as with Colin Firth -- I can't see myself ever not liking *NSYNC after this.
It's kind of funny, this angst over the music I like. I have had some perfectly respectable musical obsessions this year -- Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, world music. But I haven't wanted to update here for nearly a month, because almost all I've been listening to is this mainstream, overproduced pop. Am I scared of losing my cred? (If I ever had any, I mean.)
I guess my friend Hal said it best -- everyone likes ABBA, but nobody wants to admit that they like ABBA. Well, I've always been glad to own up to liking ABBA, but I think by and large he's quite right. For a lot of music fans, there's something a little shameful about loving something so popular, so ubiquitous. It's a bigger phenomenon than just ABBA, though. Two years ago I had to come to terms with this same thing when I went head over heels for Ricky Martin. How can a serious music fan embrace the queso (as Maria would say) and still respect herself in the morning? I don't know, but I have to own up to it now.
This *NSYNC music makes me giddy. I love it and it makes me happy. Why wouldn't I want to listen to something that makes me feel like that? I know that part of the reason it works that way is the utter ridiculousness of some of the lyrics, but a lot of it is just the joy of listening to people who sound like they're having a good time (this was always a big part of Ricky's appeal to me, too). Sometimes the songs are funny and I don't think they're supposed to be, but the boys are just so earnest about it that it adds to the effect. I laugh out loud when "Digital Get Down" comes on. "Up Against the Wall" too.
It's not just the humor, though. I don't want to make it sound like I only listen to this music to make fun of it, because I really don't. I know almost all the words to almost all the songs. That's pretty serious.
I'm not alone, at least. I fell into this with one friend, and pulled at least another one in after me. I even joined an online discussion group called too old for this crap, full of other women who know better but still got sucked in the same way I did. It's a trip. And it's one I'm glad to be on.
In a week or so I'll be writing my 2001 music roundup, so that may get me listening to a wider variety of music again. In the meantime I have to laugh over what Alicia said when I posted this in my weblog on 11/17:
Susie: No, I did not buy any 'N Sync, and I don't intend to.
Alicia:Right. I'm starting the calendar now (or maybe I should say the stopwatch).
Guess what? She was right.
Monday, December 10, 2001
Today was a flashback to December 2000 -- I was listening to U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind on the way home from work. What an amazing album. A year later and it's still blowing my mind.
