Pay attention to what you listen to (mobile follow-up)

Original post from 4/14/10:

When you really know what you're listening to, music is even more amazing.

Edited to add (on 4/16/10):
I know that I tend to get obsessed and maybe a little neurotic with certain artists, bands, songs, albums, etc., and I know that when I do, it can be a little excruciating for those around me.  That's part of the reason for this blog in the first place.  At least I acknowledge that I do this, and to some extent I really try not to subject anyone to the full extent of my neuroses.  I know that it is seen as a problem by some, but the original mobile post that led to this explanation really says it all.  I obsess the way that I do because when you know and understand the lyrics and the music and the process  and the background that went into creating it all and putting it all together, you gain a whole new level of appreciation for what you're listening to, and the music rises to a whole new level.  So yes, when I latch on to an artist/band/song/album, I learn everything that I can about it, I read lyrics, occasionally I read biographies or autobiographies, I read blogs, I listen on repeat, I play albums beginning to end again and again and again.  And you know what, that works for me.  Because at least for me, when I really know what I'm listening to, music is even more amazing.

Not to belabor the point (but, okay, to belabor the point), and by way of an example, I've been a Red Hot Chili Peppers fan for longer than I can ever remember.  I know a lot about the band's history, and where a lot of their songs came from, but when Anthony Kiedis published his autobiography, Scar Tissue, a few years back, I think I read it in a day and a half, and gained a whole new level of insight into every album they had put out up to that point.  Just when I thought the Peppers couldn't get any better for me, they did.  Because when you really understand everything that went into making the music that you're listening to, and you really know what you're listening to, music can be a whole new kind of awesome.

So pay attention.