Too often for humans music is something in the background. We “bud out” at work or just have it on while driving to drown out other noises. We don’t often, or at least often enough, listen to the lyrics. In order for us to actually listen to a song in its entirety the song must have a “sound we like” for a mood we are in at the time we turn it on. Then and only then do we listen to the lyrics. Sad really.
We probably get conditioned to this behavior during our “pop music” years. Too often “pop music” is just a beat with a handful of nonsense words. The words are really how you find a diamond in the rough.
“Galveston” was originally a Don Ho song nobody heard of until Glen Campbell heard it and turned it into something everyone heard. Don Ho usually sounded like a really drunken Dean Martin so…
“Blinded By the Light” was an obscure tune only a few Bruce Springsteen fans knew until Manford Mann turned it into something magical.
I’m sure you all have one or two you know the story behind and wish to share. Feel free to share them in the comments.
Even writers, especially script writers, can make use of incredibly good lyrics viewers may not know. Oh come now, you’ve all seen this scene, or should have:
Of all the things I’ve lost I miss my mind the most
What brings this post about is the movie “Wild.” Not the movie, but the previews on the DVD. Normally I’m out getting ice for my wine and snacks, or just desperately clicking the skip button until I get to the movie menu. For some reason I left these roll. Perhaps because the preview for some movie whose name I don’t remember had a song playing with a lyric that snagged me:
I remember when I lost my mind.
I had never heard the song but was immediately pulled in by the lyric. “What a great opening for a book!” I thought. If not a book a short story, not that most of what I write, including these blog posts, qualifies as short. While writing this post I did some searching on-line and believe it was this song.
Since most of you need to be in the proper mood to actually hear the lyrics, before you go to bed on your next birthday listen to “Time” by Pink Floyd.
shorter of breath and one day closer to death
