Pon de Replay

Photo courtesy of Ned Richards on Flickr under CC license.

By SAVANNAH RHEINHART, Copy Editor

When I was just a little tot, I used to love music, but not that Barney or Teletubbies junk. I loved No Doubt, 4 Non Blondes, and even The Proclaimers. I have been told that I would stomp around my house singing “I would walk five hundred miles” constantly for hours.

But that was my own choice. Now it seems like I cannot escape hearing the same songs replayed against my will. Constantly. Due to the fact that my car is a bit of a Luddite, I have yet to acquire an iPod cable to my radio. This, sadly, results in using the radio for well…the radio. I know, it’s just awful.

Although I am someone who prefers alternative rock or 80’s hair metal, I can be known to enjoy some Top 40 songs from time to time.

That is NOT to say that I enjoy hearing the same five songs. On every station. Everyday. All. The. Time. Over the past few months, I have grown to like some popular songs, such as the every catchy “Call Me, Maybe?” and (don’t judge me) “Whistle”.

But, luckily for my general well being, I can no longer stand either of these songs. How could I go from loving a song and blasting it every time it was on the radio to groaning and changing the station quicker than if Nickleback just came on? It all has to do with the repetition.

In one hour, most Top 40 stations play these popular hits twice. Last year, I once heard Adele’s “Someone Like You” eleven times in a six hour shift at work. How could anyone expect to still appreciate ANYTHING after that? I started to understand why that guy left her.

I understand that when a song is popular, people want to hear it. But, it is a little ridiculous and completely unnecessary for the same song to be playing on two stations at the same time.

There are literally thousands and thousands of songs to choose from. This should eliminate the chance of ever needing to repeat the same song in an hour or being played on multiple stations at the same time. And, this type of exposure is over kill for the artists, too.

Fans are going to eventually hate their record because the thought of hearing it one more time makes them want to drive their car off an overpass to rid themselves of that taunting melody being stuck in their heads again.

I guess as a journalist, I don’t quite understand how the radio disc jockey business works. I do know, however, that I am not the only one screaming at Mojo in the Morning for playing “Payphone” for the sixth time before lunch. I mean, isn’t variety the spice of life? I feel like asking to hear a bit of variation is not too much to ask, especially when the small remainder of my sanity is at stake.