Music I Hated as a Child

When you're little your parents' choice in music has a big influence on your taste as you grow up. Whether or not you liked it is inconsequential... it would still affect you.  I got pretty lucky; my Dad was a big Beatles' and classical music fan and my mom liked Motown, Santana, Paul Simon, etc.  But there were certain things they used to play that I detested. Here are three examples... all of which I love now that I'm old enough to know better!

1. Some radio station where I grew up played an hour of Beatles' music every Sunday morning (and still does). Me and my brother used to call in and try to request songs (back when real people did that kind of thing). I was probably only 5 or 6 but I was a big Beatles fan already... mostly of their early rock and roll stuff.  My Dad recommended that I ask for this song; I had never heard it and he thought I'd like it. I didn't... and I was mad about it. Now I know better; it's a beautifully simple McCartney song with Lennon and McCartney singing together in harmony for most of it, both parts equally important.  It's about John and Paul's relationship which, by 1970, was strained to say the least.  I really wonder what John was thinking about when he was singing this:

The Beatles - Two of Us (1970/2009: Let it Be Stereo Remastered)

2. I couldn't stand Randy Newman's voice until about 4 or 5 years ago when I became addicted to it.  I guess since he's done a lot of soundtracks to kids movies, kids tend to like his voice. Not me though, I really hated it.  Now Good Old Boys is probably one of my top 10 favorite albums.  This is one the 12 best tracks on it:

Randy Newman - Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man) (1974: Good Old Boys)

3. I liked Steely Dan as a child. I still do. The songwriting, lyrics and musicianship in their music is just good enough to keep them from being a run of the mill L.A. contemporary soft rock band, though they sometimes dip into that realm a little too far for sure. My parents used to play 'A Decade of Steely Dan' (a greatest hits compilation) pretty often and this was one of the few songs on it that I didn't like. I always wanted to skip it. About a year ago I gave it another chance and it blew me away. It's the epitome of what makes this band good.  How come guitar solos can't be this good anymore?

Steely Dan - Bodhisattva (1973: Countdown to Ecstasy)