ok so my Spotify playlist, The Kirkular Vein, has 258 songs and is all over the place. there’s rap, pop, older stuff, newer stuff. mostly i save songs because i like how they sound. i don’t always listen closely to the lyrics, and that’s fine.
two songs came to mind: the “piao piao” song, and “Jane!” by The Long Faces, which is in the playlist. they’re pretty different, but i like both for the sound of them.
the one everyone knows as “piao piao”
it’s called “Yi Jian Mei”, sung by Fei Yu-ching. “xue hua piao piao” is the bit most people know from the meme. the full song is a big, old-fashioned ballad, and his voice is so clear over that melody. here’s Fei Yu-ching’s official lyric video; Taiwan Scene has a nice explanation of the song and its famous chorus.
i first knew it from the meme, which still makes me laugh, but the whole song is nice to put on. it’s quite dramatic, but not in a way that feels like too much. i don’t know the words; i just like the voice and the melody.
then there’s “Jane!”
“Jane!” is a different mood. it’s got that slightly scruffy indie sound, and it feels more low-key after “Yi Jian Mei”. i like putting it on and letting it play; i don’t need to work out exactly what it’s about.
that’s true for a lot of what i listen to. if the sound catches me, i’m in. sometimes i look up the lyrics later, sometimes i don’t.
sometimes i’ll be on the train and some random song comes on, and suddenly i’m tapping my foot without even thinking about it. it can turn my day around a bit. i like that i don’t have to pick a mood and stick to it; a song can just show up and shift things.
i get why people like finding obscure bands and telling their friends about them. i do too. but music doesn’t have to be niche or chic to be good. a song can be famous, silly, or just catchy, and still be worth listening to. “Yi Jian Mei” and “Jane!” don’t have much in common, but i like having both in the playlist.
just liking a song
i like discovering a band nobody i know has heard of, but i don’t think a song needs to be niche or chic to count. sometimes a catchy tune is just a catchy tune, and that’s enough for me.
i try to be like that outside music too: give things a chance, see if i like them, and not worry too much if they’re not somebody else’s thing.
anyway, those are two songs i like for different reasons. sometimes that’s all the explanation i have.