Instant messaging software is the standard for communication on college campuses, and for good reason—it’s quick and easy. While it’s sometimes difficult to convey emotion and other tonality (read: sarcasm) via a heartless IM box, IMing is everywhere. Screen names are exchanged at parties the way phone numbers once were. Here at RPI, AIM is as pervasive (and for some people, as necessary) as oxygen.
The personal profile in AIM has to be one of the most captivating elements of today’s internet pop culture. Everyone gets their own creative license; a 1024-character block where they can say whatever they want. Inside jokes, thinly veiled political statements, shout-outs to friends and significant others, song lyrics—they’re all fair game. In fact, when people are experiencing profile-writers’ block, they’ll just stick in a few lyrics to a song that’s stuck in their head.
And why not? They’re easy to remember, and a well-versed person can pull a lyric out of his or her mind to convey any emotion. Song lyrics can often signify a mood or feeling better than the user can himself. With such a tendency toward using song lyrics, it’s worth thinking about: Which bands have such an easily accessible range of emotion in their lyrics? In other words, which bands are the most profile quotable?
There are quite a few bands that get a lot of profile-time. Some, however, get it for the same lyrics over and over. Dave Matthews Band comes to mind. “Celebrate we will for life is short but sweet for certain,” from “Two Step,” has been in more profiles than the letter Q. Maroon 5 is guilty of this, too. While their album Songs About Jane was a critical and commercial success, most people (mostly lovestruck gentlemen) tend to stick to a banal phrase from “She Will Be Loved.”
Sadly, O.A.R. falls victim to this treatment, too. With so much to choose from, people keep coming back to “When music is the one thing that surrounds you, you feel no pain,” from “Anyway.” It’s a shame, considering how inspiring and sanguine most of O.A.R.’s lyrics can be.
Other bands have the recognition but not the breadth. Their songs get quoted, but tend to cater to the same emotions. Feel like rocking out? Feel like telling the world what a free spirit you are? Look no further than Led Zeppelin. If you ever need to passive-aggressively tell the world how much your life sucks, merely copy and paste a few lines from Bright Eyes. Maybe you’re feeling lovesick (which AIM users are far too often) or “Unwell.” Luckily for you, Matchbox Twenty has just what you need. If you’re deeply in love, or you’re enraptured in a never-ending quest to become deeply in love, Sarah McLachlan has the heartfelt words that you can share with everyone.
Who, though, can put it all together? What band can give your profile any emotion it could possibly want without sounding trite? What band can snap your buddies to attention with mere words?
The answer, of course, is Counting Crows.
Adam Duritz’s lyrics were made for the profile. From the escapist feelings of angst in “Hanginaround” to the frustratingly upbeat wishes of “Mr. Jones,” they’ve got it all. Or, if you’d prefer to be esoteric for the sake of esoterica, “St. Robinson in his Cadillac Dream” provides a postmodern punch for any profile.
Granted, most of the Crows’ lyrics deal in varying degrees of moroseness—depression with hope for the future (“Maybe this year will be better than the last” from “A Long December,” or “Well everyone needs a better day/And I’m trying to find me a better way” from “All My Friends”), plain old depression (“I can’t go outside/I’m scared I might not make it home” off of “Rain King”), or pure, unabated jealousy (any part of “A Murder of One”).
There are still numerous elements of positivity, though; the free-wheeling “American Girls” and parts of “Anna Begins.” (“And I’m not ready for this sort of thing/But I’m not gonna break/And I’m not going to worry about it anymore.”)
The song “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby” portrays perhaps the pinnacle of quotability. One could throw just about any line from the song into a profile without giving it a second thought.
No matter which artist you decide to quote in your AIM profile, make sure you give it some thought beforehand. As silly as that sounds, think about it—your profile is probably read by more than 100 people. Why not give them a few meaningful lines that offer a poignant yet incomplete window into your life? Or why not offer up a good conversation starter? You’ve got 1024 characters to work with. You might as well let them work for you.
