Sometimes an accompaniment is necessary...so if you'd please Right Click and hit Open in New Tab, I'd be ever so grateful. Without knowing a single word of Italian, this song makes me feel 15 years old. I am pulling out of the driveway at 1215 N. Sixth Street all over again, saying goodbye to the house I grew up in and the life I had thus far known to head to Florida: an exotic, far off land of Disney World, and tanned beach goers. People nothing like me! ...It also makes me think of my Meme who LOVES Andrea Bocelli. And my sister because she played this song at her wedding. What does it make you feel? Who does it make you think of? Do you feel happy? Sad? Both?
Without meaning to, I've managed to weave music into almost every post I've written, and even if it wasn't there, you can bet your arse I was listening to some when I wrote it. I am a big fan of music (...really, who isn't?). I consider my generation, perhaps arrogantly so, to be 'music connoisseurs'. Of course, I also believe this is through no effort of our own; we are merely fortunate members of the human race existing in the right time and place. A time when music sharing and exposure to new artists, old artists, cultures, and varieties is at a peak. Thanks to the multitude of mediums out there (so many, that I won't even begin to list them; I will cheat with a catch all: THE INTERNET), not a day goes by when I don't listen to music, oftentimes hearing something I've never heard before. Music, to me, is a pinnacle of inspiration. As a person who reveres syntax and cultural interpretation of syntax, a well written verse can only be enhanced by what Webster's Dictionary defines as "the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity." Simply put, it flows. Music has the unique ability to instantaneously affect our mood. A good song can make you want to skip and dance and yell out to the world. A nostalgic song can cause immediate lumps in the throat, and the sting of hot tears. Each person, artist included, imbibes different meanings from certain songs. Some might loathe an entire genre, while others would extol its existence. It is completely relative.
This theory of 'musical relativity' is nothing new. Part of being a great artist is relinquishing the rights to meaning the second your work goes public. If each of us read into everything the same way, the world would be perfect...and incredibly boring. So it's no wonder, really, that we often find ourselves at odds with each other; hearing unspoken words, assuming one meaning, when it might very well be another. In addition to being a music enthusiast, I am also a communication enthusiast. I like to think very carefully about things before I say anything. And then I like to talk things to death. And when I'm done talking about them, I usually write about them. And when I'm done writing about them, I usually reread what I wrote, and then start thinking all over again....well. It can be very exhausting...and I don't just mean for me, but mostly for those on the receiving end of my communicative hyperbole (...or babble).
I am going somewhere with this, I promise. Thinking about music and communication, made me reconsider my approach to the latter. Music is (usually) succinct and direct. It can drive home a point quickly, and with just the right sized spoonful of sugar (pun intended; think Lily Allen's **** You This is the clean version...but still.....not a song for conservative ears....Mom). Sarcasm put to a good tune, is nonetheless sarcasm. I wish I could communicate just in music sometimes. I'm not talking about a Glee-ified world where everyone breaks into song at any given moment (although, how fun indeed!!), but rather, being a sharper version of myself. Rather than fumbling around, trying to anticipate what everyone else will read into what I'm saying, just saying it and letting it be. I fall victim to the 'explanation' constantly. "Let me explain what I meant here." "To further clarify, dot dot dot." "In case I wasn't clear, yada yada yada." And, really, at the end of the day, I have a feeling that's what most people get out of what I'm saying: a lot of dot dot dots, and yada yada yadas. I need to learn to reign in my wordy wordliness. I blame all those lawyers I have to listen to all day. An important part of the creative process is learning what to say and when...but also what NOT to say. I think it would be best, for today, if I cranked down my thoughts, and cranked up my showtunes...
So. With all that said, since I'm sure I've far exceeded my personally imposed word limit once again, I bid you adieu! Which, if you've made it this far, should be music to your ears. Thanks for bearing with me!! :)
xo
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