Out Of Touch

I've mentioned before that I'm out of touch when it comes to pop music. Truth be told, when I know of a pop song, it's almost always because I've heard in a movie. I've never been able to listen to the radio for two reasons: 1) I hate commercials. It's bad enough when they're on TV and you can mute them. But when you're aurally focussed on something you're enjoying and then something as obnoxious as a radio commercial comes on, it's far, far worse; 2) It always seemed like I could use my listening time better by playing my own selection of music.

So when those "greatest hits of the XXs" album commercials play on TV, a lot of times that's often the first time I'm hearing that song, even though I was around at the time. (And even in decades when I was the target audience.)

I had one album by The Who ("Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy") and I had seen Tommy as well as read some sheet music with their music on it. But I heard "Won't Get Fooled Again" for the first time in this version. (I can't really make out John Williams guitar work on this recording, which was very cool on the recording I have.)

As is traditional for me, I played it without a capo and entirely using bar chords. Seeing it now for the first time, I realize they're not working half as hard as I was. (That happens to me a lot.) Their guitars have lighter, lower strings, too. Oh, well.

I suggested performing it once to a friend of mine, and he indicated it was pretty tired, kind of all played out. Cliché even. (That also happens to me a lot, a consequence of not listening to the radio, etc.) My response is generally, "Huh".

True story: Because every time I played anything with fingerwork someone would say, "Is that "Stairway To Heaven"?" I had my guitar teacher teach me "Stairway to Heaven" so I could say, "No, this is "Stairway To Hevaen"!" I knew how to play that song years before I had ever heard it.