1. First few listens: My heart starts to race. This sounds nice. This sounds really nice…. Passes through quickly to…
2. Deep dive: Can last one month or four. This sound is all my brain wants to receive. Can I play it again? Again? Again? Again. Again. Joy.
3. Sudden burn out: Recoiling. I will not listen to this today. I will, um, listen to something else.
4. Return to obsession: Tentative. It’s been a little while. I can put it back in rotation now. I think. Still sounds great but… something’s not quite right.
5. Time apart: Could be a year. I need my space. We both need our space. I’m talking to you, 1940s Frank Sinatra.
6. The rest of my life: Sounds good again, sure. I mean, it’s great music. But there’s a sadness now too when I play that batch of tunes. The sparkle has evaporated. Or did the cartilage disappear? If only I’d had a little more self-control back in Step 2….
so true, except for soft cell’s ‘tainted love’. remember, g’town, summer of ’82?
and, anything by men at work.
Brilliantly outlined Cecil. Glad to find out that someone else goes through these stages too.
I was in g’town the summer of 82 too.
I always wondered if I was the only one. I agree with the whole thing. After enough time apart, though, you can get a massive sparkle effect the first time you re-hear the song.
Too true! What music are you currently in Stage 2 over, if any?
My whole family was Stage 2’ing the Dr. Horrible soundtrack, but I’ve been trying to back off a bit now. Just picked up the Inara George/Van Dyke Parks, which is lovely, but I’m trying to use a little restraint. 🙂
Anybody else deep diving at the moment?
-Cecil