What song is stuck in your head (or on
permanent rotation in your CD or MP3 player) these days? Why does it speak to
you?
I considered
this prompt last night while waiting for my son to finish soccer practice and drew
a blank. I don’t have anything in permanent rotation on my IPod or in my car CD
player. So, I left the topic for another day, today. On the way to work, I
listen to the radio (I have two stations I rotate between) and alternate out
old CD’s from my collection when I don’t want to hear the same music over and
over again on the radio (although most of the CD’s I play were purchased before
I even left for Kwajalein back in 1997 because I don’t buy CD’s anymore what
with IPods and ITunes, and all…). My favorite
stations are a soft rock “family” type station out of Olympia, and a Seattle
station called Jack FM that never plays the same song twice in one day. I like
that idea. Maybe that’s why I can’t
answer this prompt exactly as it asks because I am like Jack FM, never listen
to the same song twice in a day, week, or maybe even month. I like variety, and I am a music fan in a big
way. At any rate, I listened for a newer
song on the radio today on the way to work that really speaks to me and that I
have been hearing a lot lately, but this “elusive, unidentifiable” song never
played, and nothing came to mind. That means I’m back to square one where I
decide to “alter” the prompt a little like I did yesterday. I am going to write
about music in general and the types that speak to me and why.
I took piano
lessons for 7 years, sang in the youth choir at church, performed solos in
front of the church during the special music portion of the worship services,
was in my middle school choir, and spent many, many an hour in my bedroom as a
young girl and teenager, not only practicing songs to instrumental tracks, but
also attempting to write my own songs. In high school, I even volunteered for
an organization that provided “stage hands” of sorts to Christian bands and
comedians performing in local churches. We helped set up, ushered people in,
etc…Bottom line, music was a big part of my life when I was growing up.
My taste is
fairly diverse and like most people different songs speak to me in various ways
depending on the stage of life I was in when the song was popular. Christian rock/pop and church songs have
always spoken to me because of my strong faith and because so many of them are
very raw and honest about messing up and then discovering that there’s a God out
there who loves them in a way the world never will.
In elementary,
middle, and high school, I liked rock and pop music mostly (some of my
favorites were Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince, all the one-hit wonders of the
80’s and 90’s, etc…), but I also enjoyed the emergence of country pop onto the
charts, although that’s the only country I really like even to this day (90’s
country that crossed over into pop and folk rock like Garth Brooks, Shania
Twain, and Bonnie Raitt). In addition to these music genres, I even discovered
old rockers like Boston, Beatles, Cat Stevens, and more from friends and their
parental influences on music choice. I
don’t know that these really “spoke” to me, but they remind me of those days
and signify a special time of life.
In college,
I was so busy finding myself and not the happiest camper, so music by Sarah
McLaughlin really spoke to me (wanting
to be alone, to possess and understand love, and all the mistakes made along
that path. Sarah spoke directly to me about those things…along with Natalie
Merchant, the Dave Matthews Band, U2, Blues Traveler, Toad the Wet Sprocket,
and so many others…I’ve always like songs for their words, for the stories they
tell. Not that a good beat or melody doesn’t catch me but after listening a few
times, if I don’t find the words have any real meaning to me or are just a
repeat of the same thing over and over again, I will scan past that channel on
the radio before the first stanza is over.
During my
years on Kwajalein, I picked up a love for Hawaiian music (which almost always
has a story behind it), reggae, Eric Clapton, The Eagles, Jimmy Buffett (of
course-I lived on an island), Marshallese music, and some other newer and/or
lesser known artists (Saving Jane, KT Tunstall, Colbie Caillat), but there was
very little in terms of radio stations that you could hear static free, so I
stayed a little out of touch with modern music until I returned to the
states.
I have to
admit, I really missed “music time” in my car. I love to drive alone and listen
to music. There’s so much good music out there in so many genres now a days
that I feel I am playing catch-up. I
enjoy a little bit of most all of it and still love to listen to my old CD’s
too. Music lifts my heart, gives me joy, walks me through tough times, provides
me with a way to worship, makes me wanna dance, and de-stresses me after a long
day. It speaks to me by echoing my own
thoughts, feelings, hurts, mistakes, successes, and overall human beingness! J What
about you?
Caveat: There’s so many more artists and
musicians not mentioned in this post. That does not mean I don’t like their
music as well, it’s just that these are the first ones that come to mind….the
ones I’ve played the most I suppose over the years besides for my church/Christian
music! There’s WAY TOO MANY in that category to name, but I am thankful for
them all and the part they’ve played in my life without even realizing it!
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