CDs, iPods, Vinyl, & Spotify - The Evolution of Music
Hi, Friends,
This week on the blog, I am writing about one of my favorite “loves”,...Texas Country/Red Dirt Music. Music is a beautiful language, and I have deeply connected with songs for as long as I can remember. My parents instilled in me an appreciation for music. Living 30 miles out in the country, we burned up thousands of highway miles back in forth from home to town listening to the radio. In elementary school, my CD player was pink and even had a plug-in microphone extension. I have always appreciated music, but I was not gifted with the voice of an angel or the ability to play guitar - but man, would I get excited when I fell in love with a song. What started as collecting CDs evolved to making custom-burned CDs, which then transitioned to making my very own playlists on the OG (original) iPod. You know the one I’m talking about - I listened to that iPod for hours on end. For allowance money or a gift, all I wanted was an iTunes gift card. I had song and album “wish lists” a mile long. I would log in to iTunes and calculate to the exact penny what songs I could purchase for the month. It was the best!
Colten and I both have January birthdays, and my parents gifted us a together gift of an old-school victrola record player. We have enjoyed coming home after work and picking out a record to listen to while we prep dinner. We have original hardwood floors in our home, which makes it perfect for dancing around the house. My mother-in-law also joined in on the fun and sent us a whole bag of vintage records that she had acquired. We look forward to continue building our record collection! I find it pretty cool that current artists are offering merch in their stores for vinyl records of their albums.
My family members and friends have joked with me for years, “Katherine, you like the saddest and most depressing county music; how do you listen to that all day?” I guess I have a lot in common with George Jones. George is famous for saying, “When you're happy, you enjoy the music. When you're sad, you understand the lyrics.” Those words could not be more true. In 24 years of life, I have listened to countless songs and talented artists. I thought it would be fun to compile a Song Diary from 1999 to 2023 of the songs in my playlist that means something special to me today.
I connect music with memories, as I imagine many of us often do. Every emotion can be captured in a song, which is why I feel it is relatable across varying audiences. I’ll never forget the songs that played in the background when I had my first dances with my PaPa, Dad, and husband. Those are sweet moments - from sad songs that bring weepy tears to summer music by the lake and melodies that are best heard with the speakers loud and shared with great company.
What song is meaningful to you and why? When I ask that question, I guarantee an answer automatically surfaces for you and rises to the top. This week I have prepared my song diary from 1999-2023 of the songs that I love that were released each year within that timeframe. This was so challenging! I could not pick just one song, and for several years I decided to list multiple songs. There are 88 songs on this playlist (5 hours of great content). I know what you are thinking, “Lady K, I get that you are an old soul and all, but there is no way you are 88 years old - you would only need 24 songs listed from 1999-2023.” And you would be correct :) … it’s truly a blast from the past, with some more current music mixed in. As a special bonus feature (being the old soul that I am), I have included a list of songs released from 1963-1996 because old-school country music has my heart. It felt like a whole section of my favorite artists/songs was being left out without including music from the 1960s-1990s. This playlist is random, but if you queue it up for a drive in the car, it is sure to make you smile. If you give it a listen - let me know if any of the songs stick out to you! I hope you have fun with this playlist - I had an ABSOLUTE blast putting all these songs together.
Here it is… Lady K’s Song Diary - you can listen to my “Then and Now 1999-2023” Playlist on Spotify here:
Lady K’s One Thing:
As an extra bonus feature, I have curated an additional playlist titled “The Sound of Summer” to get you geared up and ready for all your summer events. This is an upbeat playlist perfect for hanging by the pool, hosting friends for dinner or game night, or having on hand for summer vacation!
Adios and off to listen to music,
Lady K
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