When someone asks me what my favorite song is, I can never give them an answer. As a general fan of music, I try to listen to as many different types of songs as I can. My musical taste is a bit all over the place. If I tried to put all the songs that I enjoy into a playlist, it would be a mess. However, I do have a favorite genre of music: rock. No matter what kind, whether it be classic rock, hard rock, punk, indie, psychedelic, alternative, etc… I love it all.
I think part of this stems from the music I grew up with as a kid. My family had an old karaoke machine that we would constantly sing along to. Here, my Dad introduced me to The Beatles and Billy Joel. My parents were also 80s music fans and played bands like The Police, U2, and the Grosse Pointe Blank soundtrack for me. I also remember a lot of Jimmy Buffet being played, strangely enough.
But most people grow up with their parent’s music. I’m not special in that regard. So, while this musical foundation certainly helped, the real question is, why is rock my favorite type of music? Well, I like the sound and the aesthetic. I love the rush of adrenaline I get from fast guitar riffs, funky basslines, and fabulous drum solos. I love the slow rock ballads that make me cry. I love how rock can be about anything, such as political and social outrage, love, heartbreak, partying, depression, mental illness, and drugs. I love that rock can be high-concept and experimental while also being thoughtful, gritty, and down-to-earth. I can go on and on. The more I learn about it, the more I fall in love with it.
I didn’t want to make this article seem like it was about how one genre of music is objectively better than all others. Only listening to one type of music is boring and I think it’s healthy to try and listen to as much music as possible. The point is, this is the kind of music that I connect with and it makes me feel a little bit better about myself. I think that’s how everyone feels about their favorite music. (I managed to squeeze universal sentiments into an article about music, YAY!) I’m no music critic, I just know what I like. And the music that I really, really like happens to be rock.