Moody Music, or Music for Mood?

I was talking to my wife recently about music. She mentioned that she doesn’t like Nirvana, because it puts her in a dark mood. Discussions about the value of Kurt Cobain’s music notwithstanding, it’s impossible to deny that he could express his torturous depression impeccably in his music.

What really stuck with me in our discussion, however, was that music affects Donna’s mood, whereas I try to find music to match my mood. Music doesn’t really alter my mood, and I often have to search long and hard to appropriate music for any given mood.

Donna actually listens to some music to “pump her up” or do “relax” her. Is that common? Am I the oddball? When I’m feeling depressed, I’ll often listen to the Carpenters. When I’m feeling hopeless, I tend to tune into Nirvana. Energetic? 80’s Rock. (AC/DC, Def Leopard, Aerosmith) Nostalgic? 80’s Pop.

So how about you? Does mood dictate your music, or vice versa? I’m really curious…