Entry Songs

This is how it goes: I'm a douchey sort who is resistant to certain recording artists because my pretensions get in the way. I say, sometimes justifiably, "I won't listen to that band. I heard 'em on the radio and they are deservéd of my scorn." I then shut my blinds and masturbate with giant headphones on listening to 1990s alt-rock, crying nostalgically.

But sometimes there are one or two songs that crop up. I might be sick of Triple J's Aussie hiphop boner or Gold and Vega are both playing the exact same ad three times in a row. I switch to Fox or Double T (I don't care, they'll always be Double T to me!!) and hear a song I've gleaned snippets of before. Maybe I got a whiff in a clothing store and tapped my foot. Maybe it was buried in a movie soundtrack. I find myself digging this song by the artist I hate.

Usually it's a track that departs from the regular style propogated by the artist. For me, it's usually a bit more rokin', a bit more serious or a bit more moody. Sometimes it's straight up catchy-as-balls pop. Suddenly, my resolve melts and I think the phrase from which I can
never return: Hmm, they aren't so bad...

These songs are entry or gateway songs. They catch you off guard or slip in through the back door, and they're great for a band or singer to reach a broader audience. The funny thing is, accepting one song usually does lead to liking the rest, because the group's individual tale on melody, rythm, singing or playing becomes familiar to you and makes the rest of the back catalogue more accessible to you.

Just like maurijuana led me to impure cocaine, a well crafted pop song can lead you to puritanical ruin.