My Diversions: Song Pop

I only played Angry Birds once, and it gave me a headache.

I have played Farmville and Mahjongg Dimensions -- eventually concluding they were just boring.

Ever since Christmas 2010 when I got an iPod Touch, I've been playing Words With Friends, but not with great enthusiasm.  Words interest me, so I've stuck with it.

But a year ago I found the game that is just for me. Song Pop. This is my perfect diversion -- it combines my love of all kinds of music, my knowledge of hits throughout the decades, as well as my skills as an English Major.

The challenge is to compete with someone else guessing five songs as quickly as possible.  The songs are on playlists under various categories. When I first started playing, the categories were somewhat limited. They were by decade or song genre: Country, Rap, Top Hits, Alternative, and the like. At the beginning, I only played people I knew.  Since not that many people were playing Song Pop, that didn't work too well.

But Song Pop is smart.  They have a way of matching a player up with other players who like to challenge in similar song genres.  Because of this, I am able to play dozens of people from all over the country, which keeps it fun and competitive.

When I first started playing, it was about being fast. But as time went on, I started to focus on being accurate.  So even if it took longer...like say,  7 seconds instead of 2, if I guessed it right I might still win the match against an opponent that jumped too soon.

I was a few months into playing, when I realized that this game was raising and reinvigorating my interest in music -- all kinds of music.  I would write down songs unfamiliar to me, but that I liked the way the small snippet sounded, and I'd check them out on iTunes.  One of my "new" favorites is "Friday I'm in Love" by the Cure.  I honestly had never heard that song before! What also started to happen was that I found interest in songs that I never paid much attention to -- but now they sounded good to me.  Some of these were simply because I recognized the song, but never bothered to figure out who the artist was.  I've added songs like  "Second Chance" by REO Speedwagon, "What I Like About You" by the Romantics, and "Street of Dreams" by Rainbow to my iTunes playlist as a direct result of Song Pop. 

I guess some things just sound better with age.

A person can get quite an education playing Song Pop.  In a few seconds, I've learned that Gretchen Wilson is a "redneck woman"; Faith Hill is a "Mississippi girl"; and Patti Smith "don't care."  I discovered that Bono and Pavarotti did a duet called "Miss Sarajevo" and  Loretta Lynn did a duet with Jack White of the White Stripes -- which seemed like an odd combination. (Watch the video -- it's pretty good!)  I've learned there is no end to ridiculous song titles: "Whip My Hair," "Pimp Juice," and "Stupid Hoe" come to mind.  And I don't even want to mention some of the names of bands.  Garbage?  My Bloody Valentine? Butthole Surfers?

Ick.

Don't they look Sublime?

Song Pop makes me feel smart about today's music.  In just a couple of seconds, I can usually distinguish Ke$ha from Katy Perry, Flo Rida from Tyga.  In the 1950's Collection, I can identify the Drifters, the Coasters, the Flamingos, and the Monotones fairly accurately.  In the past, they all sounded alike to me. Bands such as Sublime and Joy Division and Hoobastank -- all of whom I never heard of before Song Pop -- have become regular winners for me.


What makes Song Pop the most fun is when a song pops up that I haven't heard in years -- maybe decades.  Remember these?  "Sexy Eyes" by Dr. Hook.  "Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition Was In)" by Kenny Rogers.  "No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Alice Cooper.  "When You're Hot, You're Hot" by Jerry Reed.  "Cinnamon" by Derek. "Convoy" by somebody McCall. Or this classic by Ian Drury and the Blockheads:"Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick."

I've enjoyed playing people from all over the country.  Shout out to Claradella in LaGrange, Kentucky -- she and I play over 50 matches a week, and she has never come close to winning. But she keeps playing.  I've learned a bit about human nature.  There is only one male who has sustained competition with me -- Sonny in Bradenton.  I've only beat him once, and I suppose that is the only reason we are still playing.  Most males, if they don't win consistently, will eventually drop out of competition.  Most women will stay in and keep playing.

Grammy awards for Skrillex?  I can't even handle 5 seconds...

This game continues to hold my interest because I use my literary analysis skills.  Over the months I've played, I have incorporated techniques to help get the answer correct.  First it was listening for words that might rhyme with one of the song titles.  The title is sometimes mentioned in the beginning of the clip, but that only happens about 35% of the time.  So listening for rhyme works well. The other technique I use is tone.  If a song sounds melancholy, I look for a melancholy sounding title.  This works with names of artists as well.  Good example: there is a singer called Skrillex that sounds exactly like you would think a Skrillex would sound.  No lie.  The sounds of our language direct us to meaning -- always, unless irony is involved.  The second I heard the screechy annoying sound, I picked "Skrillex."

As you may guess, I have never heard a Skrillex song all the way through, nor do I want to. 

The collection of playlists on Song Pop continues to grow -- they now have a couple of hundred to choose from. Besides genre, they sometimes focus on artists:  Billy Joel, Kelly Clarkson, Willie Nelson, and Elton John, to name a few.  The Elton John one has surprised me--I was a huge fan of his in the 1970's, and am constantly surprised how many of his more obscure songs I still remember immediately, even though I probably haven't heard them in thirty years.

Since getting an iPad, Song Pop has become more enjoyable than ever to play, and I don't see myself stopping any time soon.  I relish the challenge, the opportunities to find new music and old music I have forgotten, as well as going down memory lane with many of the songs.  I enjoy the chance to use what I know about tone and language to succeed.  Most of all, it relaxes me. Sitting back in my recliner and clicking through 20 or more games after work is the perfect unwinding activity.

Song Pop may surprise me sometimes -- like finding out that Elton John recorded an album of covers of 1970's songs (not very good, admittedly).  And it might frustrate me occasionally, when I make a stupid mistake or don't concentrate.  But it has reconfirmed to me a couple of things regarding music from my young adulthood:

1.  Disco still sucks.
2.  Foreigner is still the most boring band that ever played music on this planet.

Some things do NOT sound better with age.