Response to Amy Rosvally

Amy asked the question "What makes a song special?"  Well, what's special to one person is not necessarily special to another.  In her entry, Amy suggests that songs that are innovative and revolutionary are special.  While I agree that this is true, I feel that it only matters if the song is new and different to the person listening to it.  For example, Amy mentioned in class and in her blog that she likes the song "Lemon Tree" because it uses a tuba for the bass line and it was the first song she heard that did this.  Hearing something different for the first time is special to us; it doesn't matter if it is actually something new or it is just new to you.  I still remember the first instrumental songs I ever liked, I remember the first country songs I ever liked, the first rap songs I ever liked.  These songs are all special to me because they mark a period of discovery.  I think most people start out with a very narrow, rigid taste in music, limited to one or two genres.  (I know I did, at least)  When you start to branch out and venture into new genres that you never thought you would like, it's exciting.  That is what makes a song special to me.  Then, of course, you have to take into consideration other things, like how the song makes you feel, or how well it is performed or written.  But I believe that most people don't care if a song is considered innovative for it's time; they care about how it seemed creative and new to them in the context of their own past experiences with music.  

Question:  If we value breaking the rules and being innovative in music, then how can we ever define what music is?