Brad Barrish

Hearing songs again for the first time

David Werthheimer has a long-running (and great) blog that I’ve been reading for many years now. In a recent post, he answers the prompt, “If you could go back and listen to one song for the first time again, which song would it be?” I couldn’t stop thinking about how I would answer, so I figured I would write it down.

I think my answer is “Airbag” by Radiohead, at least right now. The simple reason being that it’s the opening track of OK Computer, which changed everything and came along during a huge transition in my life. A transition that would take me from Lawrence, Kansas to Los Angeles. I was dumbfounded when I heard it for the first time. It cracked my brain open. And it wasn’t just that the song, but the journey of the album. “Airbag” was just the first stop. I remember listening so intently, late at night, in the glow of my CRT computer monitor in my house at 545 Louisiana St. I had either already been hired or was working on getting hired at BoxTop Interactive. I distinctly remember listening to OK Computer, New Forms by Roni Size & Reprazent and Richard D. James by Aphex Twin constantly.

Some other songs I considered were:

I remember hearing “Ocean Size” by Jane’s Addiction for the first time through Brent Zacharia, a friend who lived in Omaha, Nebraska and gave me some Janes Addiction bootleg cassettes that I still have.

When I heard “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince & The Revolution on the radio for the first time, I remember thinking how different it was from so much other stuff. I didn’t really develop an appreciation for Prince until later though.

Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me by The Cure was one of the first albums I ever bought on vinyl and not when it initially came out. I would regularly ask my dad to take me to Streetside Records, which eventually ended up being my second job. “The Kiss” is the opening track and it’s a doozy! I can’t recall my state of mind when I heard it, but I know I was going through stuff and must have been 14 or 15. I remember listening on headphones and it feeling immersive in a way that other music had not at that point.

My dad had Future Shock by Herbie Hancock on vinyl and “Rockit” blew my mind. I knew about Herbie Hancock because of my dad’s love of his music, but this was not like other Jazz. I was into computers from an early age and I remember this song being a distict moment that I realized that computers could make interesting and exciting music, especially when brilliant musicians like Herbie was composing with them. The story of how this song came to be is so good.

When I worked at Streetside Records, one of the first things I bought with my employee discount was the Led Zeppelin Box Set. I didn’t know a lot of their music, but I knew I should and the box set represented my commitment. I drove around with those CDs in my car and for weeks, that’s all I listened to. “Communication Breakdown” was one I remember immediately connecting with.

My friend Kevin Aaron (RIP) introduced me to The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Are You Experienced became one of those albums that seemed to always be playing every time we hung out. “Purple Haze” was the opening track and I remember feeling so desperate to have been born when Jimi was alive. He encapsulated everything I was into (and wanted to be into).

If you’re on Apple Music, I threw all of the songs on a playlist.