Soundtrack of my Life – Rolling in the Deep

January 9, 2016
by Rodney Olsen
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Soundtrack of my LifeThis is one of a regular series of articles highlighting some of the music that has played a part in my life.

You’ll find a range of songs from old to new. You’ll probably find music that has been part of the soundtrack of your life too.

You can also check out some of the other songs that make up the soundtrack of my life.

Rolling in the Deep – Adele

We waited several years for new music from Adele and when her single ‘Hello’ was released in October last year, followed by the album ’25’ a month later, any doubts that she might not live up to her incredible reputation were immediately dispelled. It seems that just about wherever you go in the world, people can’t get enough of that big voice.

Today I’m looking back to 2010 and the first song I remember hearing from Adele. I saw Rolling in the Deep on a video show and being impressed by the video clip as well as the outstanding vocal and the song itself. It would seem I wasn’t the only one.

“Rolling in the Deep” was acclaimed by music critics and represented a commercial breakthrough for Adele, propelling her to international success. The song reached number one in 11 countries and the top five in many more regions. It was Adele’s first number-one song in the United States, reaching the top spot on many Billboard charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 where it was number one for seven weeks. By February 2012, “Rolling in the Deep” had sold over 7.6 million copies in the United States, making it the highest-selling digital song by a female artist in the US, the second-best-selling digital song in the US and Adele’s best-selling single outside her native country, topping her previous best-selling “Chasing Pavements”. Worldwide, it was the fifth-best-selling digital single of 2011 with sales of 8.2 million copies, later going on to sell over 14 million copies. The song spent 65 weeks on the chart, making the song at that time the fourth-most weeks spent on the chart, tying the place with Jewel with her double single “Foolish Games”/”You Were Meant for Me”. – Wiki

 


I’d encourage you to get involved too. Let me know about some of the songs that are etched in your mind. What are the tunes that bring back a flood of memories every time their opening notes start cranking out on your stereo? Are there songs you love for their music and others that speak deeply through their lyrics?



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Soundtrack of my Life – When Smokey Sings

January 2, 2016
by Rodney Olsen
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Soundtrack of my LifeThis is one of a regular series of articles highlighting some of the music that has played a part in my life.

You’ll find a range of songs from old to new. You’ll probably find music that has been part of the soundtrack of your life too.

You can also check out some of the other songs that make up the soundtrack of my life.

When Smokey Sings – ABC

In 1987 new wave duo, ABC, released a tribute to soul singer Smokey Robinson. When Smokey Sings had varying degrees of chart success around the world.

Robinson himself was on the pop charts with his single “One Heartbeat” at the same time as this tribute song, marking one of the only times to date that a singer simultaneously was the performing artist of one Top 40 hit, while the subject of another chart hit. For the week ending 3 October 1987, both songs were in the Top 10 simultaneously. – Wiki

I hope you enjoy the song and video as much as I do.

I’d encourage you to get involved too. Let me know about some of the songs that are etched in your mind. What are the tunes that bring back a flood of memories every time their opening notes start cranking out on your stereo? Are there songs you love for their music and others that speak deeply through their lyrics?



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Pressing Play on Christmas Music

November 27, 2015
by Rodney Olsen
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christmasbox

You may not want to hear it but it’s less than a month until Christmas. Shopping centres pulled the decorations out of the box weeks ago but more and more of us will be decorating our homes in the coming days.

I must admit that I’ve already hit the play button on my Christmas music selection. I’ve got a few hundred Christmas songs on my iPod and they’ve already been filling our home with Yuletide cheer … whatever that is. Everyone from Michael Buble to Diana Krall, Bing Crosby, Run DMC, Barry White, The Wiggles, Guy Sebastian, Jimmy Barnes and even Russel Coight, along with many others, are singing about Christmas on our stereo.

What is your favourite Christmas music?

Do you have a favourite Christmas song? Do you have a favourite artist at Christmas time? Does Mariah Carey’s very successful Christmas album get a spin at your place each December?

I’m not a huge fan of the song Little Drummer Boy but I am a fan of both Bing Crosby and David Bowie so I love hearing their Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth medley around this time every year. The chat at the start of the video is cheesy and somewhat awkward but I just love it. Enjoy.

Let me know about your musical tastes around Christmas.



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Does your musical taste define you?

July 24, 2015
by Rodney Olsen
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sheet-music

If you’ve been in the workforce for any length of time you’ve probably taken a myriad of personality and work style tests. There are tests such as Myers Briggs, Strengths Finder, Big Five Factors and many others designed to help us understand ourselves better.

Now comes a new idea in determining the kind of person we are. The Public Library of Science has recently released their research on musical preferences and personality type. In an article titled, Musical Preferences are Linked to Cognitive Styles, they suggest that there are strong links between what’s on our stereo and the kind of people we are.

Why do we like the music we do? Research has shown that musical preferences and personality are linked, yet little is known about other influences on preferences such as cognitive styles. To address this gap, we investigated how individual differences in musical preferences are explained by the empathizing-systemizing (E-S) theory.

Reporting on the study for ABC Science, Bianca Nogrady highlighted the key findings of the research.

Their work shows people who are more empathetic — have a greater ability to identify, predict and respond to the emotions of others — are drawn to more mellow, sad, poetic and sensual music, such as R&B, adult contemporary and soft rock.

However people with more analytical tendencies (called ‘systemisers’) go in the opposite direction, seeking punk, heavy metal, avant garde jazz and hard rock.

“Systemising … is this drive to look at patterns and deconstruct and analyse the rules in the world,” says lead author David Greenberg, psychology PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge.

“So if you’re looking at a mountain, you’re curious about how the mountain is formed and how it’s developed over a period of time, [while] an empathiser may focus more on the aesthetics of it or the feeling of awe.”

The study emerged from an ongoing effort to understand why people like the music they do; why some people love the music of Joni Mitchell while others can’t stand it. – ABC Science

The studies are quite extensive and worth reading through but I’m left with the bigger question of what my musical taste might be saying about me.

Considering my iPod has music from a wide range of genres, from rock to jazz to very mellow, I’m confused as to where I fit. Does my eclectic taste mean that I have elements of both the empathiser and the systemiser or does it mean I’m neither? Does the fact that I’m even asking these questions mean that I lean more towards one than the other?

What do you think? According to the study are you an empathiser or a systemiser? Does the study seem to fit with your experience? I’ve love your input.



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Soundtrack of My Life – Awkward Age

February 1, 2015
by Rodney Olsen
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Highlighting some of the songs that have been part of the soundtrack of my life.

When I was young I would see older people as having it all together. I wondered when I might reach that point when I knew all I needed to know and had life completely figured out. I’m still waiting for that time and unless I’m very much mistaken, so are you.

Sure, we are constantly growing in knowledge and life lessons but I think we’re always on a journey.

Most of us have felt the weight of unrealistic expectations and as life goes on we find more and more there are times that we’re left with a gnawing feeling that we’re never going to have it all together. Many are left wondering when that pressure will finally crush them.

I reckon British singer/songwriter Joe Jackson described it pretty well in his song Awkward Age where he identifies with a fifteen year old who’s struggling with life. He tells her she’s just an an awkward age before admitting that some of that awkwardness never wears off.

The Youtube clip below is only the audio and a picture of the album but have a listen anyway. The lyrics are below.

Awkward Age – Joe Jackson

I should have know that you were only just fifteen
You had a scowl like a Klingon beauty queen
Old enough to stand out but too young to stand with pride
So uncomfortable in your messed-up skin
And the cool parties never let you in
I can still relate to being left so high and dry
So don’t cry, you’re just at an awkward age

We’ll all be fine, disgraceful under pressure
Don’t toe the line, you’re just at an awkward age
Don’t cry

You look at me like I know what’s going on
I’m looking back and I wonder what went wrong
I really thought by now a few things might just clarify
I got a mind that goes out to lunch for days
And a body that sometimes disobeys
I get into the parties but I hate them ’cause I’m shy
Oh my, I’m still at an awkward age

We’ll all be fine, disgraceful under pressure
Don’t toe the line, you’re just at an awkward age
Don’t cry

We’re supposed to be happy, supposed to be tough
Supposed to be flawless and buy the right stuff
They want us all swimming don’t care if we drown
So don’t let ’em take you down
It’s a scary mountain to climb up without a guide
Besides we live in an awkward age

We’ll all be fine, disgraceful under pressure
Don’t toe the line, you’re just at an awkward age
Don’t cry

Towards the end of the song he sings, It’s a scary mountain to climb up without a guide. I agree. That’s why I’m glad I have someone who’s a guide, in fact far more than a guide, who helps make sense of my awkwardness. In times of pressure or confusion the words Jesus spoke around 2000 years ago are of great comfort.

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or illfitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. – Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)



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