I have heard the definitive example of "soulless"

[Dave Lemire]

My centenarian Mom is in a small assisted living facility. One of the other residents has a phone that her children have programmed with various collections of music that the woman reputedly finds calming (and from what I've observed it does seem to do some good). However, what I heard yesterday was beyond the pale.

I'm no fan of Bridge Over Troubled Water. But I have to consider it sacrilegious to perform it to an ~125 bpm, poppy musical background. And that was only the start of the horror. Over the next hour or so there was an endless medley of numerous tunes from a broad variety of source, all performed to essentially that same uptempo, poppy, little more than drum machine and keyboards backing track. 50s era popular music. The Bee Gee's San Francisco. The Carpenter's Sing A Song. I Don't Know How To Love Him from JCS. On. And on. And on.

Soulless. I can't even bring myself to append "music" to that adjective. In the form of this recording it really was just background noise. Really irritating background noise.

Escaping from that was such an enormous relief.

 

[doc]

Hmmm. I think I can find some outdoor speakers. Finally an effective way to get keep those kids off my lawn.

 

[vegarman]

EAR BUDS? AND BEST TO YOUR MOM!!

 

[Dave Lemire]

EAR BUDS? AND BEST TO YOUR MOM!!

Two problems there:
1) I still need to be able to communicate with my mother.
2) I've never found earlier that reliably fit my (apparently quite small) ears.

 

[Strummerfan]

Bad music is so irritating. My coworker Listens to this horrible reggae mix at least a couple of times a week. I like reggae, but this is just awful, devoid of feel, one basic relentless rhythm that goes for an hour straight while a bunch of men who can't sing, and a bunch of women who drastically over sing, sing badly rewritten pop lyrics from 80's and 90's songs by Elton John, Phil Collins, and any number of one hit wonder bands. Then, as annoying as it is, it ups the bar when a DJ starts toasting over the music at a volume twice that of the song.
I don't know what happened in the world of reggae, there was so much emotion in Bob Marley, Barrington Levy, Jimmy Cliff, Junior Murvin, Eddy Grant, Toots and the Maytalls, but this stuff is completely devoid of passion.

 

[DanR]

One of the other residents has a phone that her children have programmed with various collections of music that the woman reputedly finds calming (and from what I've observed it does seem to do some good).

Hmmm. The woman seems to enjoy it and finds it calming. Hardly soulless, IMHO.

 

[Trevordog]

Doesn't sound much different than most hip-hop covers of older songs.
the triumph of technology over music.

 

[Dave Lemire]

Hmmm. The woman seems to enjoy it and finds it calming. Hardly soulless, IMHO.

The overall effect on her seems pretty binary, regardless of the music. But the rest of what I've heard from her collection has at least some musical value.

Doesn't sound much different than most hip-hop covers of older songs.
the triumph of technology over music.

I really think this was far worse. This droned on and on and on and on without any variation or emotional content whatsoever.

 

[Think Floyd]

I really think this was far worse. This droned on and on and on and on without any variation or emotional content whatsoever.

That's a shame that someone ruined those great songs!

 

[fretless]

I thought you were going to say your cousin came over and he plays guitar.

 

[Dave Lemire]

I thought you were going to say your cousin came over and he plays guitar.

That one is running a somewhat distant second.

 

[Sacrifice]

The way we treat our elderly is sad.

 

[Rocco Crocco]

100-year-olds can listen to whatever they want.

 

[Dave Lemire]

The way we treat our elderly is sad.

As an overall commentary on how things are in the US I'd probably agree. OTOH I saw a number of facilities while searching for a home for my mom and many were quite nice and seemed to be well run. In her case, she's in an excellent situation: a small assisted living facility with a high staff to resident ratio. My wife and I are quite happy with the situation.

100-year-olds can listen to whatever they want.

I agree, although in this case the music isn't for the centenarian. Doesn't mean I didn't find it painful.

 

[twoheadedboy]

Doesn't @Turi gig in retirement homes?

 

[cvansickle]

Soulless. I can't even bring myself to append "music" to that adjective.

Sounds like the Pop station my teenage son listens to.

 

[Paul Rathjen]

Don’t bring up soulless conversations of guitars whatever you do!

 

[WesDocJimi]

The music was probably originally for an aerobics class.

 

[tim gueguen]

Makes me think of Hooked on Classics, and its spinoffs.

 

[geek-mo]

I wouldn't call that soulless. Soulless is belittling other people and using them for your personal gain. Exploiting and harming the weak and vulnerable is soulless. The endless rapacity for power over others while providing nothing in return is soulless.

Tacky music is not soulless. It's merely annoying.