I just...I like music to relax me. I like instruments and voices that calm me down. Heavy Metal has the opposite effect. It stresses me out to listen to it. So I avoid it.
Funny story, though. The summer after high school I was dating this guy (who I honestly should have dumped long before I did, but c'est la vie). He was a huge fan of Metallica and immediately burned me a CD to which I dutifully listened. I didn't like it. I tried to be as diplomatic as possible when I told him this (they're fine, but it's not my taste) and he just exploded. I don't think he would have really accepted any reaction other than "Oh my god! This is the best thing ever! How have I lived my life so far without knowing about this glory?" (which, incidentally, was my reaction to trying sushi on my 21st birthday) Anyway, there was a fight. In retrospect, I should have broken up with him then and there, but I let it drag on for another month and a half.
All that said, there are of course songs I like that are considered heavy metal. In fact, I was surprised to discover that Led Zeppelin is considered a heavy metal band, mostly because I've always thought of them more as folk rock. It just goes to show how fluid musical genres are. Since they fit the bill, I'll leave you with Ramble On as an example of a metal song that I like.
Again I'm going to sit out for one, because to classify an entire genre as least favorite seems too general. I don't like howling "country", but there's some "country" that is basically rock that I'm ok with. I'm not a big fan of "rap" with zero melody at all, but there's plenty of other "rap" I like. I could go on, but I won't.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to throw an entire genre under the bus. That genre is country; since I don't know enough about the genre to distinguish a sub-genre, I will say this: I do really like bluegrass. In my opinion it has almost no redeeming qualities. Many songs that I have heard lack substance, and for music that relies so heavily on story-telling, the stories that I hear in popular country music, a la 'Beer for My Horses' just don't it for me. I dated a girl in high school who listened to country music almost exclusively, unless I had music control, and I can tell you, it was not something I enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite country song is probably 'Travelin Soldier' by the Dixie Chicks (a cover, the original is by someone named Bruce Robinson). Not because I know the song all that well or have any real connection to it, but because the Dixie Chicks took a huge risk in coming out as liberals on the country music scene. The song came out in 2003 and it was released in conjunction with some statements by the Dixie Chicks about how they didn't believe in George W's plan and certainly didn't want to go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. They took a huge hit financially and publicly, their fan base dwindled and they almost completely went under. All of that to stand up for what they believed in. That was very inspirational for me back in the day (they were routinely lambasted and made the butts of jokes on my girlfriend's country music station).
The Dixie Chicks are one of my favorite groups, they're the band that got me started listening to country in the first place (and they aren't the only liberal country artists, though that breed is rare.
DeleteOne of my favorite songs of theirs is Not Ready to Made Nice, which they wrote and released in response to all the fallout from the story you describe. You should give it a listen. It's one of my favorite songs to listen to when I'm angry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pojL_35QlSI