So there’s this song, maybe you’ve heard of it, called “Hot N’ Cold” by a little lady named Katy Perry.

It’s a pretty catchy song. Problem is, I get made fun of for liking it.

I’ve had problems with this girl in the past. When she sang “I Kissed a Girl,” I quickly rushed to my iTunes and bought it. Why not? I like kissing girls, and so did she. Except she added a sexy beat to it. That was really the only difference.

While driving, I had my iPod playing through the speakers. As the song I was listening to ended, the next one started playing with that all too familiar beat.

“Why do you have this song?” my friend Charlton asked.

“I don’t know. I kind of like it. It’s a good song.”

“Whatever, man.”

And just like that, I had lost my friendship with Charlton. Not really; we are still good friends. But I definitely lost some man points.

Why can’t I enjoy artists such as Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry or Britney Spears? Sure, their target audience isn’t 19-year-old males at Southern Methodist University, but it stills reaches me.

Why, as men, are we confined to Metallica, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Rolling Stones? Don’t get me wrong, I love these bands. I do. But I also enjoy variety. I like having a beat that drives me through the end of the song. Not everything is about rock n’ roll.

There’s just something about those songs that get played on the radio that makes me feel good and want to dance. You know why they do this? Because they’re good enough to play on the radio and reach a wider audience.

Or Good Charlotte. I remember having to lie in middle school and tell people I didn’t like them because I would get made fun of if I even mentioned them. I wasn’t emo. I didn’t wear all black and cry in corners for attention. They made a decent album that, at the time, I enjoyed. Blink-182 was another one, but I was not going to let go of my love for Blink-182.

What really grinds my gears are the people who refuse to listen to the radio or anything popular because they want to be the person who discovered the band 6 years ago when they were playing in an underground pub in Minneapolis. You know what one of my most hated phrases is?

“I liked their earlier stuff.”

This really only counts as a valid phrase when talking about Led Zeppelin. But other than that, no one cares. It doesn’t matter if you heard about them 6 years ago or 2 weeks ago. The important part is that you both are listening to the same song/band now and you both can enjoy the same song/band, together.

So the next time you’re driving in the car with your friends and “Circus” by Britney Spears comes on your iPod, who cares? Enjoy the song.

Just don’t make eye contact with anyone if you decide to sing.

John Paul Green is a freshman theater major. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].