I used to be a big fan of Phil Collins. I’ve got a few of his early solo CDs and still enjoy listening to them. I saw him in concert quite a few years ago and saw him a second time as part of Genesis. One of his songs, ‘Against All Odds’ (Take a Look at Me Now), used to make me cry every time I heard it. It was from a movie that I never saw but it was powerful and touched something deep inside. The song can still move me but I’m more likely to cry at the fact that Phil went on to write soundtracks for animated Disney movies and covered an old Cyndi Lauper song. Why, Phil, why? (There’s nothing wrong with Cyndi Lauper songs. I just prefer them to be sung by Cyndi herself.)
I heard another song that can have me teary eyed yesterday. The Wendy Matthews song ‘The Day You Went Away‘ can have me blubbering fairly quickly. I was once asked if it was that it reminded me of a break up or a certain person who went away. The short answer is no. I think it’s more that the combination of the music and the story as told through the lyrics have come together to produce something that touches my emotions. Well that and the fact that I’m a sook.
While we’re on the subject I’ve got to admit that ‘Puff the Magic Dragon‘ has been known to start the water works. There are others too that can lower or alter my mood for a while … but in a good way.
Then there are those songs that can motivate me or cause a righteous kind of anger to build. Some songs take me to another place and can have me feeling totally relaxed within seconds.
What is it about music that can have that effect on us? Why is it that the first time I heard the opening few seconds of Everything But The Girl’s song ‘Come Hell or High Water’ it absolutely took my breath away? I looked across to a friend of mine who was listening to the CD for the first with me and we both knew that we had shared the same emotion. Why oh why (and I hope you don’t think any less of me for this) did I get a bit teary when the music started to build up and Neil Diamond walked on stage at the Burswood Dome many years ago?
Music is incredibly powerful and it can trigger all kinds of things inside us.
For me, I reckon it’s a God thing. I reckon we’ve been created in such a way that we appreciate creativity and artistry of various kinds. I think that there are certain things to which our hearts can’t help but respond.
What about you? Are there some songs that have you in pieces every time? Is there another creative outlet that pushes your buttons? Photography, artworks, what is it that connects you to something greater?
Posted by Rodney Olsen
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I’ve been scrolling through Hazel Blackberry’s archives trying to find where we had a similar conversation. Couldn’t. Anyway, they change a little over the years, but always included on my list would be White Cliffs of Dover, by Vera Lynn. Don’t know why; I’m completely the wrong generation for it.
Also, I don’t think everyone gets sooky about songs like we do. Either that, or they’ve got a good hiding place 🙂
Quirkie, you are also moved by Two Little Boys:
http://liedown.blogspot.com/2005/03/embarrassingly-enough.html
Rodney, I’m with you. Puff the Magic Dragon is tragic. I can almost not bear listening to it.
guaranteed to make me cry (i mean EVERYTIME!) is the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, from Carousel …
old hymns – i just love to hum them …
and tunes that were on the “hit parade” when i was a teen (a much more innocent time – music wise) …
i agree with you, music is a God thing!
What also amazes me about music is how some songs can instantaneously transport you back to a special moment in time. I have a few special songs that will always transport me back to a special time and place, and others that will transport me, not to any particular moment, but to a certain era in my life.
And yes, there are a few songs which can make me all emotional. Three that I can think of are “Why” by Annie Lennox, “Hide and Seek” by Howard Jones, and “Fragile” by Sting.
Music has a powerful affect on me. I don’t think I could answer why. Certain songs can change my mood in a minute. I am passionate about it and spend more money on music and concerts than anything else. I rather eliminate buying new clothes so I have money to go to more concerts 🙂