A couple weeks ago, killing time before the Stuber Eats dinner shift, I scrolled through the Billboard charts, trying to find a song to teach myself on the piano. I do this sometimes—take a popular song and learn it about 20% of the way. Every time, I tell myself I’ll learn it 100% of the way, and be a real hit at parties. I never learn it 100%. I also rarely attend parties. It works out.
The number one song at the time (and maybe still today—there’s really no way to know) was something called “Drivers License” by someone named Olivia Rodrigo. I’d heard the song referenced, but I didn’t know how it went. I started scrolling.
I ended up scrolling for a while.
It wasn’t until the 20’s that I came across “Willow” by Taylor Swift. Thank the gods for Taylor Swift. Out of touch as I may be, I always know when there’s new Taylor Swift on the computerwaves. This isn’t because of any devoted fanhood of my own. Nothing against Taylor Swift (really, thank the gods for Taylor Swift), but I’m just not at that level with her. She’s not, you know, the tuxedo cat I follow on Instagram who gets into all sorts of shenanigans with the two Bernese Mountain Dogs with whom she lives. If that cat released new music, I would know about it. No, I don’t know Taylor Swift’s music because I’m a great Taylor Swift fan. I know it because I spend a lot of time on Twitter, and the people I follow on Twitter tend to be the kind that care about college sports and baseball, which means they’re generally of the demographic that loses its mind over Taylor Swift, which means they’re basic. We’re all basic.
Anyway, finally, a song I knew.
I was a little rattled, not knowing any of the top 20 or 25 songs, but I looked up the chords to Willow, played it through once, said to myself, “Will this be good at parties?” said to myself, “No,” and said to myself, “Well if I keep scrolling this is gonna get really depressing,” and went and ate ice cream. It was fine. I haven’t touched the piano since.
Then, a couple nights ago, I opened TikTok. Again, due to my demographics and my regional background, I follow Charlie Berens on TikTok—the Manitowoc Minute guy. And the video of his that came up first on my for you page was one in which he bought a new snowblower and his shovel got all sad about it. Real Manitowoc Minute stuff. But get this: The shovel was singing “Drivers License.” And I recognized it! Evidently, I’ve been hearing this song despite not listening to the radio and not seeking out new music. I don’t know how it got to me. But I knew it.
I do have a few ideas of where this came to me. I spend a lot of one-to-ten-minute increments in the fronts of restaurants. Very good chance it came on there. Also possible, I…well, I don’t know. Maybe Target? But it feels like Target normally plays music that’s at least a little older. Oof. I know what music Target plays. I really am basic. So, those are the ideas. I probably have been hearing it in restaurants.
Whatever the case, I don’t feel as entirely out of touch as usual. I might not have put the title with the song, but I knew the title and I knew the song. I was aware of both of them.
We can build from this.
