Have you ever tried listening to the same song several times?!
At least three times in a row?!
For those who enjoy listening to the same album by their favorite artist, the difference between the first listen and the tenth will be very significant. At first, some compositions leave no trace of pleasure, while others remain in our hearts forever from the very first chords. But if you listen to those “unappealing” songs again and again, you’ll more likely come to like almost everything that you missed the first time.
I call this effect “habituation.”
When someone plays you a track you can’t stand several times, then, whether you like it or not, you begin to get used to the melody, rhythm, and vocals. And miracles happen: that initial feeling of the music being “not your own” disappears.
We all know how television, radio, and the internet exploit this.
Hits flow like water, and you’re a little surprised: are the producers and musicians really so masterful that they can crank out a great song every week?
My respect for our popular producers is probably expressed, in small part, by a simple “thank you.” These geniuses create a musical image that is exactly what is needed at a given time. I don’t know what technologies they employ: how they analyze and figure out what’s hot right now; for what audience to craft a masterpiece for and when; and why to release their songs – but clearly, they all CAN do it.
I’m not really a fan of pop songs, but what these “magicians” do in terms of composition is not something everyone can do. I believe that’s the only reason why all their performers become the bearers of global hits.
Yes, vocalists are hard workers too. They are. Not all of them are talented, but they are certainly all workaholics. Any musician who has ever performed on stage in different cities every day for a month can understand this!!! It ruins everything, both the physicality and the lyrics.))) Oh, and the performance gets stuck on a few songs, which is extremely difficult.
But I’ll add a fly in the ointment: our composers know well that even Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto won’t work the first time. No matter how triumphant the introduction. That’s why they exploit the effect of repetition and habituation. And ordinary songs start to become hits.
I’m not against it at all. For myself, I’ve chosen to listen to songs based on first impressions. If I don’t like a song the first time, I don’t listen to it. If I like it, I’ll definitely listen to it a few more times, paying attention to the song’s texture and the vocalist’s performance. Then, I can determine what it is that really grabs me and pay tribute to our “masters.”
In conclusion, I would like to wish you to listen to yourself and remember that the first impression is the most correct.
Listen to good music! Good luck!
List your favorite hits! Do you remember liking them right away?
Task:
Try listening to an old hit from the 80s, 90s, or 2000s three times in a row. Do you like it?! Now try listening to a song from an unfamiliar genre (let’s say you like pop, but you listen to jazz or country), also three times in a row. You’ll start to like it too!
