I brake for Top 40

On my daily jaunt up the 101 this morning, I turned the radio on to Maroon 5's song "Payphone." Ughh, why can't they play Maroon 5's NEW song? This one's four months old! I thought, highly irritated. You're better than this, KIIS-FM. And I deserve better.

I immediately flipped the dial to LA's competing Top 40 station - and I was met with the chorus of Maroon 5's new song "One More Night." Imagine that! I'm not sure what pleased me more: the serendipity of the moment or Adam Levine's angelic "oooh oooh oooh" vocalizations (listen for yourself below).

It's impossible to deny and even harder to fathom: Los Angeles has turned me into a Top 40 fanatic. And with thoughts like "Ryan Seacrest is quite an impressive businessman. The guy knows how to hustle!" and "Justin Bieber really is poised to become the next Justin Timberlake" pervasive inside my brain, I don't recognize me either.

Get back to work, Seacrest. I'm relying on you.

I used to be one of those people who never listened to the radio, on principle. I was too good for Top 40 - actively seeking out newer and hipper bands, going to shows and usually buying the ironic t-shirt. Today, I'm simply too damn lazy to do anything but let Tattoo and Cece (KDAY - radio dial spot #2), Ryan Seacrest (KIIS-FM - radio dial spot #3), Carson Daly (AMP Radio - radio dial spot #4) and Big Boy (Power 106 - radio dial spot #5) create my musical menu.

A friend with a long commute recently told me that he likes to listen to NPR on his multi-hour drive home. Oh yeah, totally. Me too! I said. Full disclosure: bald-faced lie. While LA's NPR station does occupy radio dial spot #1 (thanks to some overoptimistic programming by DJ-KG), I usually only tune in when all of the other stations are on commercial. Call me blissfully ignorant, but I'd rather spend my commute singing along with Demi Lovato instead of developing an ulcer while contemplating a Romney/Ryan presidency.

These days, I have come to love almost everything my favorite DJs feed me. With the exception of a handful of songs that I absolutely refuse to listen to ("Payphone" used to be on this list, but times have changed my friends), I have my favorite station's playlists committed to memory. Beyonce? Always. Trey Songz featuring T.I.? Exactly what I was hoping for. Katy Perry? You just get me. Taylor Swift? Sure, I'll listen to that crap again. Chris Brown? Sorry, I still can't do it.

I choose to blame my newfound fondness for 2 Chainz and Ellie Goulding on LA's car culture. In this city, your car is your sanctuary. It's where you spend hours alone, idling on the freeway and waiting for the freakin' left turn arrow. It's where you eat meals, call your mama (illegally) and get completely, utterly, discouragingly lost. Sometimes it's even where you cry. And if you ask me, the aggressive familiarity of Top 40 radio provides the perfect background music for any and all of the above.