Pandora, Bad Taste, and Romance

Pandora is an online radio service. You tell it some songs or artists you like and then it creates a radio station for you based on your taste. It matches songs based on their musical qualities, as opposed to Amazon where the matches are based on what you buy.

Dear Amazon.com, I bought that poker book for my brother-in-law. I do not like poker books. It's been two years now, can't we just forget the whole poker purchase and move on?

Ahem. Sorry.

I started a Pandora station and I was so excited. Until it kept playing Waylon Jennings. Yeah. That's right. I don't have anything against Waylon Jennings, per se. I was just surprised. And dismayed. I called my friend and she pointed out that I was feeling offended by my own taste.

Hmph. I should say, I called my former friend...

Luckily you can persuade Pandora to stop playing Waylon Jennings an artist by giving the thumbs down. My station is now better educated and plays just the kinds of music I love. My husband is appalled by my station--both by the songs it plays and by the fact that I've gathered these artists that so clearly don't get along all into one place.

I love my husband but he's a little stuck up about music. Which brings me to my point. In my upcoming book, His Secret Past, I've allowed Anna, the heroine, to share my taste in music. Lucky girl! The hero, Mason, is a musician, and he's horrified by some of her choices. (In one scene, "Annie's Song" by John Denver sends Mason over the edge.)

Someone commented on Anna's bad taste and I had to explain...she doesn't have bad taste, she has common taste. If it's poppy and singable and tells a little story, she's there. An awful lot of women at the Harlequin ball last summer were singing along to "Living on a Prayer" by that great Jersey rocker, Bon Jovi, so I suspect Anna has plenty of company.

Anyone have a secret pleasure, a song that's embarrassing to admit you love?

I'll throw "I got you, Babe" by Sonny and Cher out there on the table. NOTHING could be worse than that. Right? Right?

Ellen

P.S. If Waylon Jennings (or his mom) should stop by, sorry. Nothing personal, buddy. In fact, the theme song from The Dukes of Hazzard? That was awesome. Yeehaw!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi Ellen!

Popping by from the Supers thread and I'm glad I did. ;-) I have never heard of Pandora, but it sounds like something fun to check out. Nothing at all to do with procrastination.

I LOVE the name Mason - in fact, I have a son named Mason. He wouldn't like John Denver either. LOL.

I have a very wide assortment of music I like. One of the embarrassing to admit pleasures...? Probably I Want Your Sex by Wham. I kinda liked Wham back in the day, and actually do have it on Cd. ;-) Not that I'd admit it in public or anything... oops.
Anonymous said…
LOL Ellen. I'll have to check out Pandora.

LOL On Wham. Oh, yeah, I'm an 80's chick, too. Toss in a few hair bands and I'm so there. Great to know I'm not alone.

Kay
Anna Adams said…
Oh, I need to check out Pandora. Ellen, I'm probably a prototype for your Anna's musical taste. Honestly, I had some problems with my last revision, and Rick Astley got me through it with "Cry for Help." I'm not ashamed of loving Rick Astley, but it turns out there's a thing called RickRolling, where folks get lured into a situation only to be blasted with "Never Gonna Give You Up." I don't know what's wrong with other people's taste! :-)
Ellen Hartman said…
Hi Tammy,

Wham! There's a blast from the past. My husband complains that I'm polluting our boys while they're still young and impressionable. (You should see us groove to "Dancing Queen.")

I think Wham is definitely going to join our party.

I'm using up the "Names my Hubby Didn't Like" for my characters. I love the name Mason! I think Sam Hunter said she has a "Mason" book coming up soon.

Thanks for dropping by!

Ellen
Ellen Hartman said…
Hi Kay,

Pandora is tons of fun. I have a Christmas station that plays only the rock and roll Christmas songs. Then I have my love songs station and my acoustic rock station, and ... it goes on.

Cheers,
Ellen
Ellen Hartman said…
Hey Anna,

I'm growing concerned. We're developing a weird confluence of band names on this page. I hope we don't blow up the internet. I bet if someone searches on Waylon Jennings, Rick Astley, Sonny and Cher, and Wham, this will be the only result.

Rick Astley--my sister LOVED him!

Check Pandora out, it's really fun.

Cheers,
Ellen
Chelle Sandell said…
80's chick here, too! Wham, Bon Jovi, Madonna, Journey, Whitesnake...no head bands here though. I was one of the big hair girls. Bangs ratted up as high as my cement hairspray could get them...permed long hair or straightened and hot-rolled with huge, teased curls.
Ellen Hartman said…
Oh, Chelle. The 80s hair. We look so sane now. I had the long curly perm, myself. I can't imagine doing that to my head nowadays.

White Snake. My sister met Winger on a plane one time. Whenever I tell the story I get mixed up and say White Snake. It's the initial consonant confusion. Nothing to do with the bands. (Or my age.)
Samantha Hunter said…
Well, you know I'm a Bon Jovi freak, but in terms of shameful secret songs, how about Love Will Keep Us Together? LOL. I know all the words...

Sam
Ellen Hartman said…
Hey Sam--if you go to Youtube you can see The Captain and Tennille singing that song. (I just realized I had a Toni Tennille hairdo. Match that up with my crush on the Captain and it's a little weird.)

Thanks for bringing it up--I enjoyed that stroll down memory lane a little too much.

Bon Jovi!!!

Ellen

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