DNA Artists
I have this weird affliction that causes me to listen to my favorite music maybe only once or twice a year. I don’t want to lose the memories or the feelings that are tied to them by overplaying, so I parse them out in a way that lets me hold onto all the wonderful baggage that comes with every listen. As I thought about which music most effectively summons up childhood, past heartbreaks, new love, deaths, or just the memories of a random day, it seems to be created by just a few select artists. Why did some bands find a home in the soundtrack to my life when others didn’t?
I decided to sit down and make a list of the bands that are so interwoven with my life that they are now part of my genetic code. Luckily, I love every one on my list. If i were choosing individual songs that trigger memories instead, that would be an entirely different story, with artists like Leo Sayer, The Association, Helen Reddy, or Richard Marx finding their way in. There’s nothing wrong with those musicians, but listening to whatever the radio happened to be playing is different than being immersed in an album or with an artist’s entire catalog.
I was curious if others felt the same way and asked a few like-minded people for their lists. Every person that I asked, came at this question from a slightly different angle and listed at least one artist that surprised me. A common complaint was that is was hard to limit it to just ten. I felt the same way and agonized about my eventual number 11.
Linked below are the selections of a group of people with different tastes and varied backgrounds. I found that newer artists didn’t make many lists. I think they were hurt by the lack of context. Ten years from now they might secure a place, maybe they just need a little time to work their way deeper. Beyond that, I’m not sure there are any conclusions to be drawn from this, but I certainly enjoyed gathering the data and learning a little bit more about the people I thought I knew.
PS - If you would like to leave your ten DNA artists in the comments, I would love to see them.
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