I think I have to go with the obvious answer. I love the use of Elton John's Tiny Dancer in Almost Famous. I can still remember how shocked I was when everyone on the bus started singing along. Excellent use of the 4th wall.
As for TV shows, I adore Community's use of ABBA in the zombie episode from the second season. I would never have expected that combination to work, but it was perfect.
I also want to talk about my least favorite use of a song in a movie. Which is hands-down Hallelujah in Watchmen. It doesn't fit with the scene at all, and it completely took me out of the movie when I saw it. So awkward and cringe-worthy. Here's the clip if you feel any need at all to watch it.
Wicked! Avenue Q! Rent! Jesus Christ Superstar! Camelot! The Fiddler on
the Roof! Cinderella! The Sound of Music! Buffy musical! Chicago!
Moulin Rouge! Phantom of the Opera! Bye Bye Birdie! Into the Woods! Oklahoma! My Fair Lady! Grease!
I love musicals. It's why I'm still watching Glee, despite all the problems with that show. Express an emotion with a song and you've got me hooked.
If
I have to pick just one musical, I think I'll go with Rodgers
and Hammerstein's Cinderella, the one with Brandi. I adored
this musical when I was a child. I actually wore out the VHS from
watching it so often. It's a fairy tale! And the songs are so fun. I
especially love the opening duet between Cinderella and the Prince,
which they wrote just for this edition; it's what bumps it up above the
Julie Andrews soundtrack for me. I like that Cinderella and the Prince
meet before the ball, and that they actually have some things in common
that make a relationship between them plausible.
On top of that I love every single song. Impossible is something of a mantra I can hum to
myself when things start to get overwhelming. I'll often find myself
singing A Lovely Night after a particularly good date
(and occasionally I Could Have Danced All Night, but
that's a different musical). In high school, I got to choreograph a
waltz to Ten Minutes Ago when the choir did a
Broadway review.
I do need to give a special shout out to Jesus Christ
Superstar, which I listen to every Easter. It's about the only
tradition I observe in conjunction with that holiday, but it's an
important one.
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.
I have a huge soft spot for folk music. It's probably not terribly surprising, since I grew up listening to Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and the Eagles, all of whom have folk roots. My dad also owns a bunch of traditional Irish music, which has a lot in common with traditional folk music. I've always found this genre to be soothing, even though peer pressure told me that I was supposed to like pop or rock or hip hop. Although the first time my mom heard me listening to The Decemberists, she was surprised that folk music had manged to become to popular among my generation.
Folk songs, especially traditional ones, tend to have a plot, which I love. I'm not really sure I could tell you why I prefer songs that tell a story, but I definitely do. I also like the use of string instruments, the slight twang, and the overall earthy feel of folk music. It has deep roots. There are a lot of traditional songs that show up over and over again, meaning you get to hear a ton of different takes on the same source material.
This question has two parts that I'm going to tackle one at a time.
Which musical instruments did you used to play?
Like everyone else in my elementary school, I had to learn to play the recorder. I actually still have it somewhere, I believe. And I spent a year playing clarinet in the school band, but I gave it in up middle school so I could take Spanish. My school didn't really support being in band and doing anything else. I don't currently play any musical instruments.
What's your favorite musical instrument?
It's a tie between the fiddle and the banjo. With the cello as a close second. The fiddle is incredibly versatile (and okay, is more a method of playing an instrument than an instrument in its own right, but I don't care). It can be upbeat or mournf
I love stringed instruments, and I especially love listening to them play off each other. One of my favorite bands is Crooked Still, unsurprisingly because they have a fiddle, a banjo, and a cello. Enjoy their cover of this traditional folk song, The Dreadful Wind and Rain
The first concert I remember was The Backstreet Boys when I was 13. It was basically just a bunch of screaming girls, but my dad did manage to score seats in the second row for my best friend and me. I don't remember much about the concert, but I did have a lot of fun at it.
My favorite concert was Muse, who I got to see during college. It was notable because I actually managed to stay and have fun for the entire concert. Usually I get claustrophobic and have to leave early, which is really sad. I've stopped going to concerts, because it always ends up being a waste of money. I'll enjoy one song, then get progressively more uncomfortable until I have to leave to wait in the lobby. But Muse played at a fairly small, outdoor stadium, so I didn't feel overwhelmed by the crush of people. The simple fact that I enjoyed the entire concert makes it my favorite.
I'm a bit old fashioned in that I love FM radio. I have my CDs, I have a Pandora account and iTunes, I've even got an iPod (somewhere...). But FM radio in the car is where it's at. And at work I use iHeart radio to stream a station from Colorado, because I grew up listening to it and still love the DJs
Part of it is that I like not necessarily knowing which song comes next. When the station has good DJs, I also like learning bits of trivia about a song or artist. Good DJs can also put together nice sets of songs that play off each other.
On longer road trips (like DC to Pittsburgh, which I do somewhat regularly) I still use the scan button to flip through radio stations and get a bit of local flavor. It's also a good way for me to stumble across music I haven't heard in a long time. Or that I wouldn't necessarily think to put on.
I have 6 stations programmed in to my car so I can keep music playing when I'm driving. But at home, I usually just have one station on when I'm cooking or cleaning. I like hearing about events going on in my area. I discovered a local wine festival this way, and am occasionally reminded of events or places I'd like to go to. You don't get the same sense of your community listening to iTunes or CDs
