Shot Through the Heart

Back around Valentine’s day, Rolling Stone had a fun list called 20 Love Songs We Never Want to Hear Again.

Aptly described as cheddar bombs, it’s hard to dispute that most of these songs induce more groans than sweet whispers.

But it raises an interesting question:  how does a song go from “love it” to “hate it”? 

By getting overplayed?  As tastes change?  As good memories change to bad ones?

The passage of time and changes in personal relationships will definitely alter your view of a song, especially a love song.  But is there a single moment when you decide you no longer like a song, or is a gradual thing, with the song creeping imperceptibly towards Yuckville?

Actually, in the case of these songs, my dislike was more or less instantaneous; we all like the idea of a love song, but man is it hard to pull one off without coming across as cheap and manipulative.

But the question still stands:  how does a song lose its appeal?  What makes us cover our ears and run away when we used to smile and hum along?

I’ve always believed that great songs become timeless because they take on a life of their own, so maybe this list just represent songs that aren’t so great.  Maybe the songs that wear out just lacked substance to begin with.