Guy asked me "do autistics want to hear songs about specific topics?"

[Lysholm]

I occasionally do the sound/lights for live bands at a local bar. It's great because I get to sit in this little room where nobody can see me, but I can see everyone. We set up yesterday afternoon for tonight and tomorrow night, and one of the guys in the band has an autistic niece and he just got her a beginner guitar. He asked specifically if there were any topics autistics want songs about.

I told him what I wanted to hear, but that it really depends upon the person and where they are in life...just like everyone else. Wondering what you all thought about it.

 

[Judge]

Generally lyrics and subject matter aren't as important to me as the melody. I have any number of favorite songs where the lyrics and subject simply don't matter. Though on rare occasion there are certain songs and subjects in which the lyrics are everything.

 

[Gerontius]

Nah. If this forum is to be believed, we're musically omnivorous as a population, and are specific on the individual level--just like most folks.

 

[Raggamuffin]

There's so much music out there that makes me feel physically uncomfortable as soon as I hear it. Pop and all it's sub-genres enrage me to the point that it must be carcinogenic for my body.

I guess the only topic I want songs to be about is natural talent. Truthfully, I don't understand how mainstream music holds mainstream appeal. Of course, musical taste is ideosyncratic.

One thing I would love to request from modern musicians, is if they could leave the auto-tune at home. Throughout all of human history - a singer had to be able to sing, and we all know these people can't sing. Sounding like a Speak and Spell drowning in a swimming pool isn't convincing.

Ed

 

[Lysholm]

Generally lyrics and subject matter aren't as important to me as the melody.

I told him fun, repeating melodies hypnotize me. I pointed out The Cars, Jefferson Starship, and CCR as examples of the eras said local band plays. But I also said Lizzo fits that bill as do a lot of old Blues and even Disco. I may come to regret that last one...

I guess the only topic I want songs to be about is natural talent.

Randomly, one of the band dudes told an anecdotal story. When he was in high school (early nineties I think) there were dozens of bass players and drummers, but there were only one or two singers. When his high school aged daughter wanted to start a garage band a few years ago, there were one or two guitar players and hundreds of singers.

 

[Forest Cat]

For me it doesn't matter much, I don't really pay much attention to lyrics, it's all about how it sounds. The sound of the words are more important than the meaning. So I don't listen to music because of lyrics or what they are singing about. They could sing the phonebook, as long as it sounds good it's good.

 

[Outdated]

I'm very similar to Judge and Forest Cat, for me it was always about melody, including a melodic voice.

Germanic death metal yelling and screaming, no. Rap, some angry bloke telling me how I should live my life, no. I also had to be able to relate to what they were singing about, so Michael Jackson, no.

But all of us are different. I know that some of the people on these forums will find my comments disappointing.

 

[foliodoe]

I would think that taste in music is even more personal idiosyncratic in autistic people than it is in everyone else... and musical taste is already such a highly subjective thing.

 

[Duncan74]

I love listening to music - spotify and noise cancelling headphones gets me through the day. However, I am 100% incapable of 'hearing' lyrics in any song. No matter how many times I hear it. I just can't focus on the words for more than about 15 seconds and so whilst I can identify a song from the melody/tune, I'm useless at any lyric quizes even for my favourite songs unless it's opening lines.... Then I've a chance ;-)

 

[Mr. Stevens]

I love lyrics. I enjoy lyricists who can use words to reveal insight in unique ways. I get annoyed when they rely on cliches.

 

[PastelPetals]

It goes on a person by person basis. Many if not most autistics have a very specific and intense relationship with music. It it repetitive and stable and you can listen to it all the time if you want these days due to streaming (that's what I do anyway). Due to that I have no way to tell you what another autistic person wants to listen to. You will have to ask.

I tend to like pop and rock but those genres are vast so I have a large variety to what I listen to. Recently I have been listening to a lot of synth pop and dream pop though I like indie rock and rock and punk and really lots of things as long as they match the mood. Subject wise I don't care so much. With some groups like MCR lyrical content matters because that help sell the emotion and the lyrics are poetry but many others are just shallow love songs and that suits me just fine when trying to walk down the street or clean my room or get energy out.

 

[SusanLR]

Germanic death metal yelling and screaming, no. Rap, some angry bloke telling me how I should live my life, no. I also had to be able to relate to what they were singing about, so Michael Jackson, no.

Agree.
Not much on romance and love songs either.

I listen to soundscapes all day. It plays all day streaming not really music and no lyrics. Nature sounds to ethereal is how I would describe it. Keeps me calm and gets me through the day.

When driving, I do like songs with lyrics. Classic rock mainly, but I must be able to relate to the words.

 

[Slime_Punk]

I'm such a mixed bag; on one hand, I don't pay attention to lyrics and focus on the music only... but then there are those bands who I'm totally obsessed with and listen to them mostly for the lyrical content alone (like special interest topics). Then there those insane amounts of instrumental playlists I have when I don't want to listen to lyrics at all.

I think I just need 'themes'. I can't mix all of these around in the same evening, it's too much. All three of these are different moods, and don't get me started on all of the specific genres and subgenres that go into it.

I also agree with @Raggamuffin, music that I don't like can be downright painful to listen to. I also can't stand when some earworm that I dislike gets stuck in my head just because some store or restaurant chain was playing it. I guess that's the downside of being madly in love with something, you realize just how much of it you also despise.