I'm not usually one to complain about not having a car on campus, since driving is the absolute worst, but I do miss one thing about being able to drive myself around: the radio. Having gone months without listening to the radio, I have no idea what songs are popular right now. I have no doubt that they'll get to me eventually - once they've been overplayed into oblivion, and everyone else is already sick of them. I don't know how people who don't drive are able to stay on top of the latest in pop music, because, as of now, when a new song hits the airwaves, I have absolutely no idea what it is.
I realized how out of touch I am with the latest and greatest in pop music when I went home for break and drove a little bit. Just to give you an idea with how out of touch I am, I heard the song "#Selfie" by the Chainsmokers (2014) for the first time just a few days ago. I'm pretty sure that that song is the definition of old news by now, but I guess that's life without a radio (no worries, I've listened to it at least 20 times since then to catch up).
One day, I was listening to my usual station, which features pop-ish music (Fresh 102.7, for anybody who knows their tri-state area radio), and a Disney song comes on. The song was "Let it Go" from "Frozen" (2013), which you've definitely heard even if you haven't seen the movie, because lately people have been all about channeling their inner diva, screaming the song at all hours of the day and night.
I can't say I was all that upset hearing "Let it Go," because who doesn't love a good Disney song? But, I was surprised. The station had just played "Timber" by Pitbull featuring Ke$ha (2013). I didn't know that the same audience was supposed to appreciate a song by somebody who rose to fame by bragging to world about how she wakes up in the morning feeling like P Diddy, and a song that is performed by an animated princess. The movie and the song have won all kinds of awards, but these accolades have primarily emphasized the movie's youth audience.
I, of course, have seen "Frozen" more than once and probably enjoyed it more than any of the "adult" movies I have seen recently. Then again, I am very into all things Disney and generally enjoy all kinds of movies, TV shows and music that are probably aimed at a much younger demographic. I am not surprised that I loved "Frozen," and I certainly would have played its entire soundtrack on the radio if anybody gave me that kind of power. But, I am surprised that so many other people love it - especially people whose tastes are mature and sophisticated or whatever.
The reality is that people are crazy for this movie (and not just psychos who still occasionally whip out their Jonas Brothers' playlist when they are attempting to work out). It is slowly seeping into pop culture, and not just the pop culture that only nine-year-olds care about. There have been approximately a billion Buzzfeed articles about it, Facebook went wild when it won a Golden Globe and it seems as though the whole world has seen it.
Maybe "Frozen" is so popular because of its "girl-power" message, or maybe because the soundtrack is just that good. Either way, if the hugeness of "Frozen" isn't a sign that Disney is taking over literally everything, I don't know what is.
Rebecca Hutchinson is a freshman majoring in international relations. She can be reached at Rebecca.Hutchinson@tufts.edu.
