Music Lesson

In college, a lot of learning happens outside the classroom. In fact, much of it happens at the local watering holes.\nAll you have to do is listen. And if you listen carefully inside, outside or even 50 feet away from any bar, you’re only going to hear one thing – the same songs you heard last weekend and the weekend before. But they have a lot to teach us.\nI learned everything I need to know from hit hip-hop, rhythm and blues, and 80s rock songs. \n1. How to be hot\nSome people say we live in a society where physical appearance dominates how human beings are valued. Well, those people are right. It’s important to be hot. But what makes someone hot and more importantly, why? Mims has a simple answer to this question with “This Is Why I’m Hot.” If you’re fly, you’re hot. If you’re not fly, you’re not hot. It’s that easy. Also, if you really want to be hot, selling a million copies saying nothing on a track is also helpful.\n 2. Spelling\nYou’ll never forget the first time Gwen Stefani taught you how to spell “bananas.” Fergie and Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas are taking the spelling lesson further with “Fergalicious.” I’m pretty sure “fergalicious” is a word they made up, but the song will drill the spelling of the words “tasty” and “delicious” into your brain forever. Except I think they add an unnecessary “E” to “tasty,” so ignore that. And while Fergie’s new single “Glamorous” sends me mixed messages about my socio-economic status, it did teach me how to spell “glamorous.”\n3. Dharmic religion\nI wanted to leave Justin Timberlake out of this, but that was impossible. He’s taught us so much about karma. What goes around, goes around, goes around and comes all the way back around. Next time a guy or gal cheats on you, just remember, he or she will probably get eaten by a shark or something.\nI got through that without making a “bringing sexy back” joke. You’re welcome.\n4. Organization\nMore than 1 million Americans suffer from “chronic hoarding and clutter,” according to Blueprint Magazine. Thankfully, Beyonce is always looking out for us. Everything you own in a box to the left.\n5. Faith\nI’m willing to bet big cash money that any college student who has been to a bar in Bloomington has at one point been surrounded by (or been one of) many drunks unabashedly singing, “Streetlights! Peopllllle!” We could probably found a new religion on Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” alone.\n6. Natural disaster preparation\nIt’s impossible to know exactly how you will react when disaster strikes. That’s what drills are for. You can thank 80s metal band Scorpions for their tribute to simulating nasty weather, “Rock You Like a Hurricane.”\n7. The secret to great skin\nThere are hundreds of skin-care products on the shelf at your local drugstore. It can be overwhelming. Def Leppard gave us an anthem to exfoliation, “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” I’m hot, sticky sweet from my head to my feet, yeah.