A Word(le) About Me

Musical Musings

Quotes of the Week: 

 "If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music."  ~Gustav Mahler

"Music is what feelings sound like."  ~Author Unknown
"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent."  ~Victor Hugo 

Songs of the Week:
1. The Curse, Josh Ritter

2. Starlight, Muse

3. Sans Toi, Marc Dupre

 

Be it Eminem, Lady Gaga, Josh Ritter or Taylor Swift, sometimes, musicians just need to shut up and let us listen.  Not to the lyrics, which range from profane to profound, but to the background music and the melody.  

Let me clarify:  as a writer, I completely buy into the fact that the written word, including song lyrics, is an amazing source of emotion.  Words have always been my medium of choice to share my emotions and feelings. Sometimes, though, when I’m listening to a song, before the lyrics start, I get a ‘vibe’, if you will.  The actual music, not the singing, is what conveys the truest emotion to me as a listener.  As I listen, I find myself wishing I could reach into that parallel universe where the music notes are the only alphabet and harness that purity, that exact formula of feeling, so that I could explain those feelings.  Because sometimes, there are no words.  There are only the impulses coursing through your thoughts and pounding in your veins, and somehow that’s translated into the threads of music, the melodies, that are woven into songs we hear every day.  Those songs connect; they make sense to us.  Mankind simply hasn’t made words for those moods; the moods that are just impossible to describe in any other way.  Even trying to describe here the true meaning these songs have for me is extremely difficult.  I’m like a fish, gasping, with my mouth gaping open, and nothing but a faint, empty pop coming out.  I feel like there’s another dictionary or thesaurus that I should be using.  

The songs above all hold a special, melodic place in my heart. "The Curse," by Josh Ritter and his band, is a favorite to play right as I'm drifting off to sleep. The charming waltz-esque tune of the background music immediately calms me and feels like a musical representation of the dreams-I-hope-will-be-wonderous-and-magical wish I always make as I lie in that crazy state of not sleep but not quite awake when the world simplifies. "Starlight," by Muse, is my inspirational adventure seeking song of the moment. This song's catchy piano chords make me hopeful that I'll be able to go out and seize the day, live my life on the edge and experience true adventure. And lastly, "Sans Toi", by Marc Dupre is one of my favorite French songs. Since the first time I've heard it, I knew that this song was dangerous. It makes me feel like I'm falling in -or back into- love. And yet, it's positively addicting. I love the key that the song is written in and the unexpected creschendo of the chorus. It's the very sound of someone falling in love against their better judgement. Listen to it without knowing what the words mean and you'll understand it. And after you've done that, check here for the English translation- they're beautiful.

Those moods, those concentrated and startlingly pure emotions, are the essence of what blossoms from a song and keeps me listening.  The next time you feel drawn to a song when you’re in that mood you don’t have words for, think about why.  Try to concentrate on the music, not the lyrics, and just…listen.  It may draw a tear to your eye, make you laugh and remember a crazy day, give you hope and courage, drive you crazy thinking of choices best left in the past, cause you to wish on a lucky star or elongate a sigh, but whatever it does, you’ll find that sometimes, the meaning’s in the music.  You'll store this gem of a song away, and then it'll come out of nowhere to surprise you. The next time you find that person with whom you shared the memory wandering through your mind,  they'll come with a song. And that song, the melody, not the lyrics will become the soundtrack to your emotions. It might be then that you realize the truth of the expression “there are no words for this.”