What Song Are You Listening TO?

We’ve all seen countless “what are you listening to?” TikToks and gotten a glimpse into people’s music tastes. Writer Chelsie DeSouza took to Temple’s campus to discover what’s blasting through students’ headphones.

By Chelsie DeSouza

Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” -Maya Angelou

For many people, music is an extension of their emotions. Songs can represent our feelings of love, happiness, sadness, anger, and everything in between. Recently, videos of random people being asked what song they’re listening to have gone viral on social media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, and you may be wondering why. It’s the same reason why musicians have tours for fans from all around the world: Music brings people together in an authentic way that transcends time and sets aside the things in life that typically push us apart.

“What song are you listening to?” I asked people walking around Temple University’s main campus.

“One Beer” by Doom. “Hellcats and Trackhawks” by Lil Durk and “OTF For the Crowd” by Lolo Zouai. “Bad Habit” by Steve Lacey. “Mean” by Madeline The Person.

If you’ve ever walked past someone on campus and wondered what they’re listening to, these are just a few of the songs that I discovered students like to bump as they walk to class. You may be asking yourself why you got excited reading a list of songs other people like listening to.

Gabrielle Culbreath, a senior psychology major at the University of Pennsylvania, says it’s psychological. “People like to feel included,” says Culbreath. “Social inclusion is important for one’s well-being, health, and overall life. When asked ‘what song you are listening to,’ people are given the opportunity to share and be heard, which is a part of social inclusion.”

In regards to the relationship between music and emotions, interactions with music can produce chemical changes in the brain that affect our emotions.

“Happy and upbeat music can lead to increased production of serotonin and dopamine, which contributes to positive affects and emotions like joy,” Culbreath says.

The “what song are you listening to” trend began in 2021. The concept is simple: content creators ask random people walking by wearing headphones what song they’re listening to. Shan Rizwan, a 22-year-old YouTuber, created the first “what song are you listening to” video for YouTube. He later shortened it for a TikTok video, which now has over 10 million views. With these videos, he gave us a peek into the lives of complete strangers. He proved that you can learn a lot about someone based on the songs they listen to, including their current mood.

“It’s sort of a guessing game,” Rizwan told Mashable. “You look at them and before they answer you have a preconceived notion of what they are listening to and once you hear what they say, it’s interesting to compare. This guy was wearing this and I didn’t expect him to listen to this genre.”

According to a study in the National Library of Medicine, music is an enigmatic human behavior.

“Most common behaviors have a recognizable utility that can be plausibly traced to the practical motives of survival and procreation. Moreover, in the array of seemingly odd behaviors, few behaviors match music for commandeering so much time, energy, and money. Music listening is one of the most popular leisure activities. Music is a ubiquitous companion to people’s everyday lives” (The Psychological Functions of Music Listening).

When you’re going through a breakup, you listen to sad songs. When you need to get pumped up, you listen to Lizzo. When you’re anxious, you’ll probably listen to something mellow. The lyrics in songs make us not feel alone in whatever we’re going through.

This trend is a new way to not only get into the musical likings of strangers, but also discover new music in a more personal way. There’s nothing like hearing a song that gives you chills and makes you want to listen to it on repeat because you love it so much. There’s nothing like a song that perfectly captures your rainy day depression, makes you feel closer to someone you’ve lost, or brings back a memory. Avid music listeners i.e. almost everyone are constantly in search of their next favorite song, and the “what song are you listening to” trend allows us to go on that journey together.