Posted by: anneghormley | November 7, 2007

FYI, I chose NPR

As I was driving along today, I contemplated what I should listen to. Should I turn on the radio? NPR usually plays some pretty nice stuff during their morning concert. Plus, I would be able to play Name the Composer. Or should I turn on the CD that’s been in my car for the last week or so? It’s one of my standard sing-along CDs, and I really like singing along.

It struck me that the question was more about listening to something familiar versus hearing something new. Then I started pondering (because I love to ponder)…

What song have I heard most in my lifetime? Is it a hymn? Is it a Christmas carol? Is it the theme song to a TV show? It’s strange to think that some of the songs I’ve heard a million times (like the violin solos from Suzuki Book One) would be unfamiliar to someone who has a different job than I have. But I think that within our culture a lot of our “most heard” songs would overlap with each other.

Here are a few that I think are front-runners for me.

    • Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (or The ABCs, or Baa Baa Black Sheep)
    • Happy Birthday
    • Amazing Grace
    • Canon in D (I’m counting not only times that I’ve heard it, but also times that I’ve played it)

      So how about you? What songs have you heard the most?

      Posted in Deep Thoughts, Music

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      Responses

      With the video game generation what it is, I’d have to go with a the Mario theme. Granted it’s probably not as common as some of the songs you listed, i think that eventually it will have that notoriety in our culture.

      Beethoven’s 5th (at least the first phrase) and the Star Spangled Banner are 2 that i would classify currently as deserving on your list.

      By: Joe Ghormley on November 7, 2007
      at 12:57 pm

      GAH. CANON IN D. Hate hate hate. I have to admit that most of that hatred is born of being a cellist and having to play that odious song at countless events.

      I don’t know what song I’ve heard most, but my “song for life” would probably be Babylon by David Gray. Which is slightly weird because the lyrics don’t entirely encompass my life, but it’s always been “my” song.

      And Joe, the Mario theme song is my ringtone. Love it.

      By: Lindsey on November 7, 2007
      at 7:36 pm

      I’d guess something like the Doxology, which I’ve heard every other week or so for my whole life.

      By: Bethany on November 8, 2007
      at 7:10 am

      A very good pondering.

      I agree it’s definitely going to be a familiar piece that no one thinks of immediately. Then it just depends on how small you’re willing to still consider a song. The 20th century fox theme? I know I’ve heard the Simpson’s theme at least 500 times (probably closer to 700 and maybe even 1000). Joe brings up a good point about video game music. Most of the “songs” clock in at about :30-1:00 and are repeated as long as you play. How many hours worth of the Final Fantasy battle theme have I logged? The mind boggles.

      I was actually pondering a very similar about a week ago, but mine was about performing songs. “Sons of the Black and Red” was quickly eclipsed by “Hail Varsity”, but have I played “The Army Song” more than “Hail Varsity” yet? If not, give it another year.

      By: Sam G on November 8, 2007
      at 9:24 am

      If I were younger (still in my teens?) I’d guess that the Sesame Street theme song was a strong contender — at least once a day, pretty much five days a week, for, what, seven years of my life? More? But I’ve probably reached the age where even such a sizable chunk of listening doesn’t make it my most-heard song.

      By: Bess on November 8, 2007
      at 9:39 am

      Just a few:

      Taco Bell’s Canon
      Louie Louie (a pep band favorite)
      Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata (this one I didn’t think about initially, but I hear it in lots of commercial stuff, and even had a game that used it for the theme)
      Beethoven’s Fifth
      In The Mood
      Mario Theme
      Zelda Theme
      Tetris Theme (oh the hours upon hours I’ve played Tetris… ;)

      Okay, that was a little more than a few.

      By: Heath on November 8, 2007
      at 12:43 pm

      How about “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield? That’s a contender for “songs that I’ve heard way too many times.”

      By: anneghormley on November 9, 2007
      at 8:54 am

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