The Great Equalizer: What’s your favorite song? (August 3 [Lauren/Peter])

"Ten Ton Brick" by Hurt
"The Gift" by Seether
"Seasons to Cycles" by 10 Years
"Wade in the Water" by Whomever
"Awake O Sleeper" by The Brothers Bright
"The Awakening" by War of Ages
"Valleys" by Close Your Eyes
"In This Moment" by Since October
"Get Your Shit Together" by Pillow Fight
"Sun Doesn't Rise" by Mushroomhead
"Wait and Bleed" by Slipknot
"Ghost Flowers" by Otep
All of these and millions more could have been, could still be, might one day be considered my favorite song. I listen to music for 8+ hours a day at work. I listen to music for 1+ hours a day before going to work. I listen to music going to work, coming home from work. Working on homework, taking a shower, watching commercials during tv shows; there is music. We surround ourselves by the things that make us feel a live: some people garden, some people read books, some people write, and some people listen to music. Now, these are not mutually exclusive events, merely pointing out we are creatures of habit and hang out with those things that make us feel most alive.
What's your favorite color?
What's your favorite breakfast cereal?
What's your favorite movie?
What's your favorite flavor of ice cream? Your favorite candy bar? Condiment? TV Show? Parent? Sibling? Natural disaster?
When we are asked these things there is generally one answer. There is one thing that has topped our list, by which all new encounters must be judged: Red, Raisin Bran, The Order, Strawberry, 3 Musketeers, Mayo, Sons of Anarchy, Mom, Brother, Sink Hole… see, easy as pie (Apple). We have formed in our minds an ultimate list of our favorite things, but when it comes to music it's different. At any given point in time, our favorite song, artist, or lyric can change at the drop of a hat: what's my mood, where am I located, what day of the week is it, who am I with, what have I eaten that day (one of my favorite foods, or not), what is the weather like? These are all questions that go into answering this seemingly meaningless question: What's your favorite song?
It's really bizarre, isn't it?
Let's not forget that people, in their mind, have created an infinite list of genre types to lump their music into. Lest we forget that when we mislabel one of their artists, we will be quickly corrected and lectured as to what the difference between "pop-euro-punk-metal" and "euro-pop-metal-punk" is—order of adjective makes all the different. Then we get into the color dilemma: is this black, white, gray, yellow, blue-insert general type of music label here (i.e. black metal, blue metal, pink-polka dot punk)? Who knows, and really who cares? Isn't music, music, and supposed to be enjoyed by people who enjoy listening to music? I thought so, which is why I feel that the question "What's your favorite song?" is the great equalizer. It allows us to sit down and really talk it out—sometimes argue, sometimes disagree, and sometimes come to blows—but it allows a deeper connection to the person who is inquiring about your musical interests. There is no single answer to this question. It isn't "yes" or "no;" nor blue or green; nor Jeremiah 33:122; nor Strawberry, Ernest goes crazy on Mars, or Blue Like Jazz. It isn't that simple. It brings both parties to an ethereal plane where life can truly begin.
Step out of this world and into the world that is influenced by music, and you will truly find happiness. Don't take my word for it… do it yourself. Immerse yourself in music: listen to music, play music, watch other people listen to music while you play music, play music while watching other people listen to music and play music at the same time… it will change the way you see the world. Regardless if you garden to find peace, read to become a comic book hero, or write novels in which you project yourself into numerous outlandish characters… listen to music. Do music. Be music. Then, ask yourself: What's your favorite song?
"Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer" by Santa Clause
"Peter Cottontail" by Mrs. Cottontail
"Row, Row, Row Your Boat" by Some Sailors
"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" by Some Ancient Astronomer
"Rub a dub-dub" by Some guy taking a bath and enjoying it
What's your favorite song?
This, is the great equalizer. It allows us to tell our story without having to give anything away. We don't have to open up to the world about our deep dark secrets. We can trace our development, our progress, our relapses and adventures by where we find our favorite songs. It's the great foundation by which we find ourselves living life. Do you dig the Negro spirituals passed down from generation to generation? Do you jam to the Apache war songs? Do you listen to Beethoven, Bach and Hayden? Does it ever stay the same? We come to songs at different times in life and they connect and they become our favorite. We move on, we move out, we move up, and we connect with different songs; different meanings emerge, we are influenced by different people. Different places, different faces, different songs.
So, bring your comfy shoes, brink a nice beverage and let's talk about that… Let's talk about the songs by Cold and Staind that painted my middle school years. Let's journey through the time when Horse The Band, Poison the Well, and Seether brought me solace in my times of need. Let's NOT talk about Shinedown, Disturbed or even 10 Years right now, because those songs aren't ready to be brought to the surface yet. However, Pillow Fight, Flight of the Concords, R.E.M, and John Michael Montgomery are all fair game. How about that time when Slipknot, Reba McIntyre, and Billy Ray Cyrus showed up; or that one night when Sevendust, Ill Nino, and Pillar did that thing together. Let's talk about all the music that has always been there in my time of need, in my time of shame, in my time of loneliness. It's always there; always willing to shed light on any given situation; support us in just the right way; give us the right phrase to make the day of another.
What's your favorite song?
All of them. Every song is my favorite… I just might now it at this particular moment in my journey.
Music. The great equalizer!
Other Honorable Mentions: Kids In the Way, Hurt, Static-X, Smile Empty Soul, Senseless Beauty, Staple, Spoken, The Still Sound, A Plea For Purging, Down, Pantera, Sepultura, Soulfly, *N Sync, Backstreet Boys, *5, 98 Degrees, Brittany Spears… Yes, I have listened to, enjoyed, and sung along to all of these bands and will continue to do so if life calls for it. There are TONS of other artists that go unnamed in these lists, but they know who they are, and they know what they mean to be!