Affectation

One of the few concepts I remember from my cultural studies and English literature subjects at uni...

No, that's unfair. I do remember more than just a few concepts. After so many theorists being thrown at me many have actually stuck in my head, even to a very limited extent.

Anyway, to wander back onto the topic, what I wanted to discuss was the idea of 'affectation'. For most people, 'affect' is a word often confused with 'effect' (something I find myself often having to explain to my students). I particularly like the meaning in a cultural studies context- being made to feel, think or act a certain way, by particular cultural products.

So I thought I would write a little bit about the idea of being affected by music or songs. There's a certain pleasure in this, when you hear a song and discover it makes you feel more alive for a brief second or two, as it reaches a climax after the second chorus or at some other key point in the song. It sometimes works every time with one song, at other times it's a one-off occurrence. This can be what makes me obsessive about particular songs or artists at particular times. Often it occurs when I'm sitting listening to my iPod on a train or when I'm walking somewhere listening to music. For some inexplicable reason you find yourself more excited by the world generally, because you're listening to this particular song. And it's different for everyone. Some people find Metallica does this (definitely not me). Everyone brings their own unique personal interpretations to music.

A few songs that have affected me in this way recently:

1. Willie, Cat Power
2. Up the Wolves, the Mountain Goats
3. Misunderstood, Wilco
4. The Truth About Cats and Dogs (Is That They Die)- Pony Up!
5. Pale Horse- John Vanderslice (performed live- the recorded version doesn't have the same effect)
6. Red Rabbits- The Shins

No, there's no animal theme here to explain this phenomenon. It's just a coincidence that many of them refer to animals.

Last time I asked for audience participation I had NO responses. Come on, people! I know SOME of you read this blog. So how about listing a couple of 'affecting' songs?