Post 49: Public Singing and Radio Troubles

So, I have been looking for a song that I heard on the radio for over a month now. Over a month! And I finally found it. Actually, I didn't find it. I posted a Yahoo! Answers question with some of the lyrics and just got a response. I am pretty excited. I like it alot, and as I've said I am always looking for new music.

However, I am a little frustrated about how long it took. Usually when I find a song I like on the radio I can use SoundHoud or Google the lyrics and find it. However, it didn't work in this case. Why? Because sometimes radio stations play songs that have yet to be released. It makes sense. It gets people interested even before the song is out. And it might also allow artists to measure how much the song is liked so they have a better idea for pricing and release. For example, the more requests and feedback the price is the normal iTunes price and they can release it on a CD  or do pre-orders. If it doesn't get much or any feedback, they can lower the price or hold the release entirely and cut their losses. At least, that is what I assume it is for. Maybe it is just to mess with people.

Anyway, the song was only just released recently so, it took awhile for it to play on the radio again and awhile longer for it to be released for the person who told me what it was called to find the link and send it to me so I could confirm it.

That is one that can be troublesome when listening to the radio. I order got an app to identify songs that I like when they come on, but it cannot identify songs that haven't been released. So, when radio stations play unreleased songs that are catchy and awesome, I am stuck with a melody and some random lyrics in my head driving me crazy.

Still, it worked out in the end. And now, I have it.

However, it has been so long since I heard it so it has been stuck in my head so long that the first time I played it, I caught myself mouthing along. Which would have been fine, if it hadn't escalated.

Mouthing along to a new song started my mouthing along to the next song, and when my favourite song came on I ended up singing along. It was quietly, but it was also in the middle of the computer lab in the campus library. The people next to me looked at me like I was crazy. And a library staff person walked by and she looked a little bit horrified.

My singing isn't great, but it isn't horrible. But, I guess, the library isn't really the place for singing. There aren't very many places that really accept public singing, unless you are good at singing really. I mean, really good like contestant on The Voice good.

Maybe, deep down we are afraid of the obscurity  that results in musicals and so singing in public is like a gateway activity to a more musical-like life. Or maybe singing is just not a public activity now that people have iPods and other music players to keep the songs to themselves.

What do you think?

Ever catch yourself singing out loud in public?