When we like a piece of music, it has to balance predictability with surprise, familiarity with novelty. Our brains become bored if we know exactly what is coming next, and frustrated if we have no idea where the song is taking us. Songs that are immediately appealing are not typically those that contain the most surprises. We like them at first and then grow tired of them. . .Holiday music is irritating because the sort of music that appeals to people of disparate backgrounds and ages is going to tend to be harmonically unsurprising. Unwanted sound in general (think of the incessant drip-drip-drip in the night when you're trying to get to sleep) or unwanted music in particular is not waterboarding, but it is a kind of torture.
Sounds simple and reasonable, but I have my own theory. Most of the ubiquitous holiday music we hear today--on the radio and on endless loops in malls, offices, etc.--is not the traditional carols that we sing with family. Rather, it's often an adulterated version by some pop singer who desperately needs to sell a few records. The purity of the original carol is mangled by corny vocals, laughable modulations, and the general stench of commercialization, and the sacred, historical connection we feel is severed by producers who dump in a few synths, guitars, and backup singers. Don't get me wrong, I'm not walking around every day singing "Jingle Bells," but there are a few simple carols that I find genuinely moving--"Silent Night" and "O Holy Night" come to mind. Of course, when Amy Grant or Faith Hill takes a stab at them, a little part of me dies inside.
Bah, humbug!
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