The evolution of your music taste

[Prowler]

As we get older, our tastes change in pretty much everything, including music.

When I was a kid, I didn't care much about music. Sure I enjoyed listening to it, but I was far from being passionate about it. I stuck to video game OSTs and to what my parents listened(mostly 60s ans 70s classics radio). So yes, I grew up listening to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and such. On the other and, my brother blasted Metal on his speakers frequently, mainly Power metal from northern Europe.

In my teenager years, I stopped caring about music pretty much. Only really listened to game and anime OSTs. I didn't care much to search for music at the time.

Then, I turn 18, and suddenly start searching for music and end up becoming a metalhead, which I still am to some degree today. But in the last 2-3 years or so, after a phase where I pretty much only listened to Metal, I started getting into Classical music and also Rock, Blues and Jazz music. I can safely say that nowadays I can enjoy a song of any major genre, despite my favorites still being Metal and Classical by a considerable margin.

What about you?

[PAAATE]

I never cared for music before the age of 13. I might've enjoyed the occasional song on the radio, but that's about it. When I was 13 I discovered nu metal and became obsessed with it, then a brief period of nu metal/hip hop/pop music, then back to only nu metal.

At about the age of 16, my taste in music went in a heavier direction and I listened to only thrash, black and death metal.

Then, at the age of 22, I heard Gangnam Style and my taste in music did a 180. I still enjoy metal occasionally, but I mostly listen to k-pop now.

Like you, I can enjoy most genres. I never understood the appeal of reggae, but that's the one genre I never "understood".

(Btw, the fact that I enjoy most genres is the main reason I prefer k-pop over western commercial pop; the experimentation and broadness of genres/sounds that k-pop has, and western pop severely lacks. All k-pop is clearly influenced by western pop (unlike j-pop, which in my opinion is unlistenable trash), but it's basically western pop done right.)

[Whatswiththeheadbands?]

I never cared for music when i was growing up. It was only really video game music that i listened to.

I then watched a movie called Wayne's world, which had the song 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in it, and i liked that song, so i decided to listen to what other Queen songs there were. I then become a fan of Queen, but i also developed a love of Led Zeppelin, and also 70s and 80s Rock Music in general.

Then one day, i listened to Pink Floyd, and then they became my favorite band.

[RaphAndDonnie]

Never really got into music until I was about twelve and even then I just listened to whatever was on the radio. My tastes eventually developed and changed.

[Mzx10484]

My memories go back to the early 1990's - my 3 years older sister watching MTV, up to date was Guns 'N' Roses - Use your Illusion, Nirvana, she as a girl was a big fan of Take That.
The first band, with which I could identify myself (at least wanted/tried to) was "Die Toten Hosen", a cool Punk Rock Band with a longer history in Germany. My first CD was "Opium für's Volk". I was 12/13 years old.



Later I got into RAMMSTEIN, great & powerful band which is well known in the US and the rest of the world. Visited 4 concerts.



After I got into Pink Floyd / David Gilmour in 2008 (watched the P.U.L.S.E concert from 1994), I started to play guitar in 2009 and still do today. That is one of best activities in my life.

So, my taste in music has not changed, but it has expanded, and that's good.

[Sofistocat]

Cool thread. I have always been into music. Got to go see The Talking heads and Cat Stevens while still in the womb. Grew up on classic rock, motown and classical. The first TMNT movie introduced me to electronic music, I had started to listen to hip-hop just before the movie came out. I got into more electric music: Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode.

Then When I was 15 I went to my first RAVE, holy SH*T... I was hooked

I spent my later teens and early 20's DJing house and techno. I got to play at some clubs in NYC during the good ole days(Pre - 911) and haven't looked back since.

I'll listen to anything but couldn't tell you anything about music in the 10 years... guess I'm getting old...

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by PAAATE

I never cared for music before the age of 13. I might've enjoyed the occasional song on the radio, but that's about it. When I was 13 I discovered nu metal and became obsessed with it, then a brief period of nu metal/hip hop/pop music, then back to only nu metal.

At about the age of 16, my taste in music went in a heavier direction and I listened to only thrash, black and death metal.

Then, at the age of 22, I heard Gangnam Style and my taste in music did a 180. I still enjoy metal occasionally, but I mostly listen to k-pop now.

Like you, I can enjoy most genres. I never understood the appeal of reggae, but that's the one genre I never "understood".

(Btw, the fact that I enjoy most genres is the main reason I prefer k-pop over western commercial pop; the experimentation and broadness of genres/sounds that k-pop has, and western pop severely lacks. All k-pop is clearly influenced by western pop (unlike j-pop, which in my opinion is unlistenable trash), but it's basically western pop done right.)

I like J-pop and K-pop to some degree as well. They're "guilty pleasures", I suppose.

I cant' get into reggae either, to be honest. And I also am not a big fan of techno, trance, house music and the like.

[PAAATE]

Originally Posted by Prowler

I like J-pop and K-pop to some degree as well. They're "guilty pleasures", I suppose.

Hah, not for me. I'll never feel guilt about anything I like :p

Sure, it's as commercial and over-produced as music can get, but I don't give a ****. Good music is good music, no matter the circumstances.

And in the end, all big-label music has Important Men In Expensive Suits™ making the ultimate decisions, no matter what genre or singer/band. Pop music is just more open about it. Or at least Korean pop is. Western pop tends to create faux-artists like Lady Gaga or Rihanna who try to fool people into thinking they're deep or whatever. Hey, another reason to prefer K-pop! Less pretensions!

[Whatswiththeheadbands?]

Originally Posted by PAAATE

Hah, not for me. I'll never feel guilt about anything I like :p

Sure, it's as commercial and over-produced as music can get, but I don't give a ****. Good music is good music, no matter the circumstances.

And in the end, all big-label music has Important Men In Expensive Suits™ making the ultimate decisions, no matter what genre or singer/band. Pop music is just more open about it. Or at least Korean pop is. Western pop tends to create faux-artists like Lady Gaga or Rihanna who try to fool people into thinking they're deep or whatever. Hey, another reason to prefer K-pop! Less pretensions!

That so true. I read a YouTube comment that sums that up:

'Classic music artists made Music for Music's sake
Modern music artists make Music for money's sake

Make Music for Music's sake, not Money's sake'.

[ObiWanFan4life]

Listened to some (not alot of) Lil Wayne and Chris Brown ( I was young and naive ). But then I heard what happed with Rihanna, saw a London Symphony Orchestra concert in 2010, listened to my dad's slayer and NWA tapes before smartiening up and I gave up on being hip. To this day, my favorite genres are Metal, Rap/Hip Hop (with some obvious exceptions), Orchestral and Alternative Rock.

[shuriken]

Grew up with classic rock (Eagles, Beatles, Creedence, Dylan) and Romantic Mexican music that my folks liked.
When I was about 11 or 12 I really got into alternative music, then grunge and only grunge for a while.
Now my tastes are pretty diverse, while I do enjoy what I enjoyed before, just more into ska, thrash, hip hop, reggae punk and some electronica.

[PAAATE]

Originally Posted by whatswiththeheadbands?

That so true. I read a YouTube comment that sums that up:

'Classic music artists made Music for Music's sake
Modern music artists make Music for money's sake

Make Music for Music's sake, not Money's sake'.

I don't agree with this at all. Again: I don't care about the circumstances of music's creation. If I enjoy a song, then I don't care if they made it for money or whatever.

Modern pop music is just the equivalent/extension of folk music 200 years ago, and no one is trying to make folk music illegitimate. Music for the masses. It's just that nowadays the masses should preferably pay for their music, whereas they didn't have to 200 years ago (I presume? I don't know, they probably did, whatever), and this commercializes music.

In the end, music for the masses always existed, and it's all fine by me. I don't like pretensions anyway. There's great art music, there's great pop music. Great music is great music, no matter the circumstances

[Storm Eagle]

I developed an interest in mainstream music when I was 11. That included alternative, rap, and R&B. I also found that I could even enjoy classical and country, although I never really had much of a chance to listen to them as often.

When I was 22, I developed an interest in classic rock. Before that, I was just more into the modern stuff. I regret not becoming a fan of classic rock when I was younger, although I was sort of fan of Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, and Led Zeppelin in college. It was just a couple of years after that where my interest in many other classic rock acts got stronger.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Storm Eagle

I developed an interest in mainstream music when I was 11. That included alternative, rap, and R&B. I also found that I could even enjoy classical and country, although I never really had much of a chance to listen to them as often.

When I was 22, I developed an interest in classic rock. Before that, I was just more into the modern stuff. I regret not becoming a fan of classic rock when I was younger, although I was sort of fan of Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, and Led Zeppelin in college. It was just a couple of years after that where my interest in many other classic rock acts got stronger.

Sometimes I wish I could re-discover all the big Metal and Rock bands again. I remember how great it was to listen to their classics for the first time.

[Whatswiththeheadbands?]

Originally Posted by PAAATE

I don't agree with this at all. Again: I don't care about the circumstances of music's creation. If I enjoy a song, then I don't care if they made it for money or whatever.

Modern pop music is just the equivalent/extension of folk music 200 years ago, and no one is trying to make folk music illegitimate. Music for the masses. It's just that nowadays the masses should preferably pay for their music, whereas they didn't have to 200 years ago (I presume? I don't know, they probably did, whatever), and this commercializes music.

In the end, music for the masses always existed, and it's all fine by me. I don't like pretensions anyway. There's great art music, there's great pop music. Great music is great music, no matter the circumstances

Yeah, now you say that, i suppose that makes sense.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

I've been a music-lover pretty much my whole life. My mom always had her favorite local radio station playing in the morning while we got ready for work and school, and I started taking dance lessons when I was 3, so music has always been a part of my life. She listened to a lot of 60's, 70's, and early 80's folk, easy-listening, light rock, and some classic rock and pop, so I got exposed to many different styles as a kid. That's in addition to the many musical styles we danced to during my weekly lessons and the annual recitals. When I was in middle-school and high-school, I started getting into 80's rock and pop, Metal, and old-school rap and hip-hop. My mom also introduced my to show-tunes and world music through watching musicals and performing arts, both movies and in stage theaters. Now I love Andrew Loyd Webber and Grease as much as Pink Floyd, ELO, ACDC, Blue Oyster Cult, Meat Loaf and Chicago, or Huey Lewis, Michael Jackson, Simon and Garfunkel, or even Riverdance and Celtic Woman.

My music tastes have grown and diversified even more as I get older- now I also listen to a lot of anime and game music as well, some J-pop, and a lot of techno, new-age, and ethnic music as well as more commercialized main-stream stuff. I also love classical and oldies, thanks in part to my love of Disney movies and animated films, which of course often have those types of music in the soundtracks. Fantasia and Sleeping Beauty were a big musical influence on me growing up, as were Back to the Future and Footloose. In fact, movie soundtracks have become one of the main ways I find new music I like now, because they often have a lot of bands that I've never heard or that aren't well-known or over-played. For example, I started liking One Republic thanks to the track of Secrets in Sorcerer's Apprentice, LOL!

[Krutch]

I remember not even liking music when I was younger, but that was probably due to the fact my mother would only only ever play Rod Stewart or Michael Bolton. So I still have pretty much their entire catalogue memorized.

My youngest tastes of music that I can remember came from Prozzak and Weird Al. When I grew up and discovered Insane Clown Posse, my tastes were pretty much fixated on anything on Psychopathic Records while also dabbling in other NuMetal bands like KoRn, Drowning Pool, etc... Also listened to Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Puddle of Mudd...

It was also around this time I discovered my favourite band, Thousand Foot Krutch, with their album "Phenomenon". This, combined with dating a Christian girl, got me interested in other Christian rock bands: Switchfoot and Lifehouse being the main ones. As I grew into my early 20s I really got into classic rock like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Blue Oyster Cult, ACDC, Zepplin, Ozzy, Pink Floyd...

Right now, in my late 20s, I'm noticing a combination of everything; nothing really outweighs the other in terms or preference or playtime. I like a lot of 90s alternative, I like throwing on some ICP from time to time, or if I want to slow it down and drive I like throwing on some Lifehouse. If I'm working out I like classic rock or some punk from my youth(Sum41, Offspring, GreenDay, Blink 182)... it really feels like anything goes right now.

Except Rod Stewart and Michael Bolton.

[Slade]

I've always liked music. I remember all the stuff my mom listened to when we would ride somewhere. She had all tapes of Journey, and White Snake and things of that nature. She'd play MC Hammer a good bit too. So, I loved the song Can't Touch This. I listened to a lot of 90's pop back in those days too.

This was also the time I started listening to rap. I stayed hooked on it from then on. Hated country music with a passion.

Somewhere in the early 2000's I started listening to I guess certain Alternative Rock and Johnny Cash. My wife loves country, so there are certain songs I can tolerate in that genre now. Not many though and they are more the pop country than anything.

[Leo656]

My tastes have always been pretty eclectic. As a young kid I was exposed to everything from The Beatles to Willie Nelson through my parents and their friends, so I'd always heard a wide variety of music. Up until I was about 8, I mostly listened to Elvis Presley and The Monkees. In fact, I had a serious obsession with The Monkees and to this day far prefer them to The Beatles. Thanks to my parents, I heard a lot of The Beatles and The Who; I always enjoyed The Who and still do to this day, but I grew sick of The Beatles fairly early on and never really liked them much since.

Despite my reputation as "The 80s Guy", I was too young to fully appreciate all the stuff from that era until the early 1990s. I was aware of and had an appreciation for what was popular back then, and thanks to my older sister I was always exposed to a heavy dose of MTV, but I didn't fully branch out until around 1990.

When "Wayne's World" came out, I heard Queen for the first time and "Bohemian Rhapsody" completely blew my mind. We had just gotten a new stereo, so I went out and got a few Queen CDs, the first CDs I'd ever owned. By age ten I was listening to a ton of rock music from the late-70s through the early-90s, heavily favoring bands like Metallica, Guns N Roses, and a lot of the hair metal stuff. I never really distinguished between styles, to me if it had drums and guitars it was "rock", whether it was hair metal or thrash metal or whatever, I enjoyed it. At first I really hated rap, but I eventually warmed up to some of it. It's still not a favorite genre of mine, but there's stuff I enjoy, which would have been unthinkable when I was 10.

Nirvana became my favorite of everything when "Nevermind" came out. It seemed to so perfectly match my pre-teen angst. When Offspring and Green Day broke big around '94, I started listening to a lot more punk-style music, which I still enjoy. People can knock on those two bands for not being "real punk", and I wouldn't argue, but if many kids did the same as me - get hooked on Offspring, then go back and get hooked on The Ramones, Black Flag, Bad Religion, Pennywise, etc. - then I say Great Job to them. Then, when I got to high school, there was a huge kind of cult thing going on where a lot of kids started re-connecting with all the 80s bands that were no longer "hip" to like, and that's where I fully formed an appreciation for GNR, Poison, Motley Crue, Van Halen, etc. The upbeat, semi-cheesy, over-produced style seemed a perfect counter-balance to all the cynical, jaded, "college rock" that was en vogue in the mid/late '90s - a lot of which I also liked, but still, a little balance is good. Freshman year, I was also introduced to The Misfits, which became and remains a huge obsession. A lot of what I got into that year, I credit to a bunch of Senior kids I was friends with, who would almost exclusively listen only to stuff from the 80s.

So now, compared to when I was a kid, the stuff I like the most still remains GNR, Metallica, Offspring, AFI, Bad Religion, Nirvana, Bon Jovi, Kiss, and Queen. Occasionally I'll listen to some N.W.A., or KMFDM - oddly, "Juke Joint Jezebel" may just be my favorite song ever, for some reason - and I don't mind country music much. The only stuff I can't stand is the Grateful Dead and stuff like that, although I do like some Spin Doctors and Soup Dragons stuff, which is kind of similar, I'unno. I also like a lot of the "Nu-Metal" stuff like Drowning Pool that was so big in 2002 and so hip to hate nowadays, but objectively, it's mostly just good for working out to.

[snake]

I'm not into music that much, if I want to list to it I'll listen to something like Weird Al.