Over the years, given that I have spent a lot of time and blog space writing about music I like, I realize that I've never devoted any time to music I hate. If one were to gather up all the music on the planet, I'd guess I hate about 75 percent of it.

Seriously. I hate most rap. Most modern R&B. Most modern rock. Most country. I hate classical. I despise classical, in fact. Kiddie pop gives me the creeps, and most brooding singer-songwriters want to make me slit my wrists.

I'm actually very finicky, but I never complain when somebody plays something I despise. And, here's why.

When you're a musician, folks ask you all the time, "So, what do you think about this? You like this song? What about this band?"

The minute you tell them that it's terrible, they reveal that the song was written by their second cousin. Or that the CD was the only thing that got them through rehab, and your scathing opinion just sent them flying off the wagon.

Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one. So, I just say, "Yeah, that's ok." Or, "Dude, I kinda dig it."

So, why is it that it seems as if I really, really, actually like everything I hear? Certainly, it's because I only write about what I like, but also it's that I only categorize it in a thumbs-up, thumbs-down manner.

My presumption is and always will be that folks don't want to hear a music nerd go on and on about the ins and outs of any song. First, music is still subjective, and my musician's opinion is no more valid than anybody else's. If you choose to read this, though, that's your choice.

But if somebody at work says they like Akon's new song, I don't interject by saying: "You do realize there are no actual musicians working on that song, that it's completely electronic." I don't add anything about the ridiculous lyrics or his deafeningly terrible voice.

However, the most popular "pop" songwriter in the world last year was in fact Akon, who generated something in the neighborhood of $10M in royalties. Don't know who this Akon guy is? OK, watch this video.

That's a video for "Smack That," one of 2007's biggest hits. And, I'm pretty ambivalent toward it. I don't listen to it in the car. Don't groove to it at home. It's not my bag stylistically at all, and it rather makes me cringe to think that it passes as "art.".

However, "Smack That" had one of the two or three best hooks of the year in 2007. That chorus is undeniable gold, melodically, and you can get away with a ton if your hook is that good.

In fact, it's a hook that made FingerEleven's "Paralyzer" one of my favorites of 2007. Give it a look:

Neither "Smack That" not "Paralyzer" will win lyricist awards, and neither song is particularly creative. They are both undeniably formulaic, corporately subsidized and produced pop songs. However, I like and clearly prefer the latter over the former. Why? Preference. The same reason why I prefer veggies to meat. Grilled cheese to bologna. Cats to dogs. Beer to wine.

Well, what about a song I really despise?

You'll recognize that as Blink 182's "All The Small Things," and I hate the entire thing. The lazy hook. The terrible, terrible lyrics. The boring arrangement. Of course, Blink 182 was merely a boy band disguised as pseudo rock.

On the other hand, I have no agenda against "boy bands." Boy bands have been around since the 1950s. Heck, one of the best songs of the 1970s was from a boy band:

On the other hand, being a serious songwriter with major credentials doesn't mean I'm automatically enamored. Take Jack Johnson, who has a huge, huge following among twenty and thirtysomethings as being a serious acoustic songwriter.

The tune, which was called "Better Together," featured a very basic C to B to A to G to F type of chord progression. Given that the chord structure was so basic, usually, the writer comes up with a great hook -- and this yahoo managed to bore me to death in the matter of 1:00.

Of course, a lot of what I enjoy is about style. If you've never listened to the Black Keys or Kings Of Leon, I highly recommend them but also acknowledge that it's an acquired taste. Even Bob Dylan is an acquired taste, but his songs could have been sung by anybody and would still be great, such as "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright."

If I may make the sacreligious move of writing about Bob Dylan in one sentence and expounding upon Britney Spears in the next, I would still submit that "Gimme More" isn't half bad. However, saying that makes the purveyor of such information come off as a retard.

Perhaps I should be more precise. The chorus of "Gimme More" uses a combination of chords that is actually fairly creative musically, and the arrangement would have been kickin' in the 80s. On the other hand, the singer can't sing and the words are insipid.

So, not half bad. If the Human League were still popular, I'd totally suggest that they rip off that chord progression in the chorus of the song (below).

Alas, I've already bored myself. But, I'm strongly considering starting a songwriting blog where I regularly feature music I hate. And I'll take a deeper look into what I like and why.

And probably the songwriter I'm most enamored of right at this point -- besides my complete devotion to all things Amy Winehouse -- is James Morrison. If you watched the Super Bowl last night and noticed the commercial for the Fx network, you heard this song:

There are some songs, structurally, that hit every nerve center for me. In a positive way. And, "You Give Me Something" is one of them. First, the hook is incredible, and Morrison didn't need to pull of any gimmicks to carry it lyrically.

Second, the arrangement, specifically, the use of the horns gave this tune a 1970s retro feel that is super hip right now. And, last but not least, his voice is incredible. Stunning that a voice that soulful is coming from a skinny white boy.

Another Morrison tune, called "Wonderful World," got played at the end of Idol last week. What strikes me about this song is how tight the words are. It's as if each phrase fits each note perfectly, and -- again -- the hook (in this case the chorus) was perfectly crafted.

This isn't just good. It's borderline brilliant pop music.

In other words, I don't merely like this. I respect it.

But if I may come full circle, what about the post from Saturday about the Foreigner tune, "Blue Morning, Blue Day"?

Honestly, if that were recorded today, it would be a contender for a Song of the Year Grammy. First, it's not simple, three-chord pop. It's full of minor chords and diminished chords, and yet the chorus is sing-song sort of catchy. Furthermore, the lyrics are simple but tight, and Lou Gramm's voice is full of soul.

It would be easy for me to say that they just wrote 'em better back then. And maybe they did, but I would also indict the modern music industry as a whole. While Britney and Akon and all the other drivel gets played on American radio, a guy like that James Morrison has barely sniffed the States. Heck, the only way you hear Amy Winehouse on the radio at all is via a rap remix of "Rehab," which is frankly a crime.

And whenever I get the songwriting blog going, I'll spare no punches at songs or versions of songs equally as terrible. I just hope my opinions don't insult your cousin's cousin or send you back to rehab. On the other hand, if I tell you something is really, really, really good -- and you are related to the writer -- the hope is that you can at least hook me up with a signed copy of the CD.