The Song That Changed My Life: Jeff Morris

Jeff Morris (@jmj) works at Zaarly: http://about.me/jeffmorrisjr

I was the only student in my high school class with a CD burner. In the early 2000’s, this was a very big deal. When one of my dude friends needed to be romantic, I was the first person to get the call. “Hey Jeff, my girlfriend is mad at me. Can you burn her a CD? I think she likes Goo Goo Dolls.” “Yo, Morris. We’ve been dating for like 8 months.  Tonight is the night! Do you have any Counting Crows?”

Every time my phone rang, I reminded myself that Sean Fanning and Napster were not evil. My friends needed the perfect playlist and I was the guy they called. Mp3’s empowered me. They got me through puberty. Something about being “that guy” made me a tastemaker in my high school.  I was suddenly known as the kid who knew everything about music. The upperclassmen started to treat me with more respect.  I was the “Jeff With The CD Burner.”  My high school needed me. But then college started. Every computer came pre-loaded with a CD burner.  My CD-RW 4x technology was no longer needed.  I needed new forms of technology to win the hearts of my peers.

So I started a music blog called “1000 Ships” and I posted an uber cool mp3 every single day. 1000 Ships became one of the most popular music sites at UCLA (whatever that means) and I overcame the mass adoption of CD Burners around the globe. I still keep up with every innovation in music and tech; it’s the best way to make new friends and not get beat up. And now that nobody has CD burners anymore, I’m back! In my heart, I’ll always be “Jeff With The CD Burner.”  If you need an emergency mix tape, just call me. I might have some Counting Crows.