Artist: Iyaz
Released: 2009
Lyrical relic: iPod
Shawty's like a melody in my head
That I can't keep out
Got me singin' like
Na na na na everyday
It's like my iPod stuck on replay, replay-ay-ay-ay
Introduced in 2001 by Apple, the iPod enjoyed a 20+ year stint as a personal music player, one that truly revolutionized the portability of music. Although some clunky MP3 players existed before the iPod, Apple succeeded in creating a super slim, sleek, intuitive device that could hold 1000 songs.
The iPod has the honor of being Apple’s longest-running brand before it was discontinued. Although the iPod line was only discontinued in 2022, its relevance as a standalone music player began dwindling as smartphone and music streaming services once again began to redefine how we consume music.
I still have two iPods, the Nano and the Shuffle — the only Apple products I have ever owned. I doubt I will ever give up using my Shuffle. It weighs practically nothing and clips on to my shirt, unburdening me almost completely for a run or bike ride. I just don’t get that kind of freedom from my smartphone.
A lot more can be said about the iPod’s impact on how we listen to music today. What might hold the most significance is the important role iPod had in our shift away from listening to music as albums. Pre-iPod, you would inevitably have to make the decision whether to shell out your hard earned money to buy a CD that contained only one or two songs that you REALLY liked. With its ability to hold and easily navigate a huge amount of songs, the iPod allowed us to cherry pick those songs we really loved for our collection. The ones that would inevitably get stuck on replay, replay-ay-ay.