# Tunes

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tunes/360204>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 10, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tunes/360204 "2006-06-10T15:09:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tunes/360204/1 "2006-06-10T15:09:17Z")

</div>

Thoughts while waiting fifteen minutes for the band to hunt up a melody at the jazz festival…

If there’s no tune, it’s jazz.

If it’s a bad tune, it’s country.

If there’s one tune, over and over, it’s metal.

If you know the tune even before the song starts, it’s folk.

If it’s somebody else’s tune, it’s hip hop.

If you can’t get the tune out of your head even when you want to, it’s pop.

If it’s a great tune, but the band is out of tune, it’s rock.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tunes/360204/2 "2006-06-10T16:21:50Z")

</div>

If there is no tune _or_ music, it’s rap

If it’s a tune you only know from school, it’s classical

If it’s intentionally _out_ of tune, it’s punk

If it’s a very twiddly, clever tune and the lyrics include ‘cosmic’, it’s 70s prog rock

If it’s a tune, but just not a very good one, it’s Phil Collins on tour

If there’s a tune, but with a million extra notes peppered all over it for no reason, it’s Mariah Carey

If it’s a good tune, just not quite as good as you remember it, it’s a tribute band

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tunes/360204/3 "2006-06-10T18:23:42Z")

</div>

> [@ianzin](#):
>
> If it’s a tune you only know from school, it’s classical

If it’s a tune you only know from cartoons, it’s light classical.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tunes/360204/4 "2006-06-10T19:10:32Z")

</div>

If you’ve never heard the tune or the lyrics before, but you can sing along with no problem, it’s Blues