5) different sounds for different ears. i'd leave Madonna, U2 and many others for other music lovers. i respect others' tastes no matter how drastically different they maybe
6) one guy i had totally missed is Rod Stewart. a modern day crooner. not just good, but very good. his voice and style are infectious and almost mesmerizing
7) there seem to be more and more good mandarin songs. not so for cantonese songs tho'
8) classical music...it was sort of popular music in earlier centuries, at least among upper- and maybe middle-class people. it is to other genres of music like poetry is to other styles of writing. if one likes poetry, one'd probably like classical music. i'm glad i had some training in appreciating it. funny thing is i've met many non music majors who have learned violin and piano but know very little about the history of western classical music