I was lucky to grow up in a house that loved music and I was lucky to go to school before No Child Left Behind ruined it. The arts were better funded back then. We all sang and put on performances in Mrs. Anderson’s class and we all learned how to play the recorder. Today, if a subject isn’t tested by the government for NCLB, it’s not taught. I’ll try to avoid going into a rant about how there’s no money to buy art supplies and musical instruments or provide advanced placement and foreign language classes for our students yet Congress is about to pass a military budget of over 6 billion (yes, with a ‘b’ billion) dollars.
I don’t really intend for this post to be political. What I want to talk about is how important music is. I could quote statistics that show how music affects the brain and how students who learn music do better in other subjects like math, and this could be like one of the preachier moments of Glee. And maybe I will do that in another post that focuses on the atrocity that is NCLB.
But this post is more personal. Last post, I talked about having a Dark Night of the Soul. When I’m depressed, one thing that helps is playing music. I have playlists for different moods. And sometimes I sing along. I only do this when I’m home alone because I’m not sure it’s culturally acceptable here to belt out tunes. Also I’m shy. But it feels so good to do. Just fill up my lungs with air and let loose. And honestly, it’s pretty much impossible not to smile when you’re singing “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”
Sometimes I just want to listen rather than sing. A good selection of classical helps me work better sometimes. And listening to music on my walk to work puts more pep in my step. While I have a wide taste in music, I have my favorites. Anyone who tells you they don’t have a favorite something is either a liar or a really boring person. You don’t have to have a favorite everything (band, movie, color, TV show, etc.), but you should have a favorite something. Anyway, my favorite bands are Led Zeppelin and U2.
What I love most about Led Zeppelin is Robert Plant’s voice. Don’t get me wrong, I acknowledge that Jimmy Page knows his way around a guitar, but for me, Plant is Zeppelin. It’s why I own all his solo stuff too. Plant’s voice is so raw on songs like “Whole Lotta Love” and “Immigrant Song,” and there’s one part in “I Gotta Woman” where everything slows and he sings “she’s the only one I really love” and draws out the “love” for what seems like forever and it always makes me smile. My preferred modern version of frontman with a raw, soul-filled scream is Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, Audioslave, etc. His version of “Ave Maria” is my favorite Christmas song recording. Shout out to my bf for downloading it and emailing it to me. (I forgot to bring it to Tstan on my computer.) I’ve been listening to it every day since I got it. I like voices that are natural and let emotion come through, people who can roar when they need to.
What I like about U2 is their lyrics. Bono is an English teacher’s delight with the way he uses imagery and metaphor. And as a Christian, their continual honesty about spirituality is refreshing. U2 is Christian music that isn’t Christian music. You know, they aren’t a marketing ploy advertised as the “Christian version of this or that artist.” They’re just honest, soul-baring artists. The first line of their song “Wake Up Dead Man” is “Jesus, Jesus help me. I’m alone in this world and a f*cked up world it is too.” I love that line. That is an honest prayer. Something King David would have written in his darker times. If you’re interested in the spirituality to be found in U2’s lyrics, I recommend Steve Stockman’s book Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2. There’s tons of stuff on the net too.
I can sing along to Zeppelin and U2, but their songs aren’t usually the best for showcasing my voice. I have “sing along” playlists comprised of music that really lets me belt it out, growl, dig deep for soulful wails or just really have fun. Some are for singing melody, on others I harmonize. Here are some of my faves for singing along”
“The World is Not Enough” by Garbage (the theme of the James Bond movie of the same name)
“Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)” by Janis Joplin
“Bathwater” by No Doubt
“Nobody Does it Better” by Carly Simon (yes, another Bond theme: The Spy Who Loved Me)
“My Immortal” by Evanescence
“One Way or Another” by Blondie
“Linger” by the Cranberries (Actually any of their stuff is good to sing to.)
“Killing Me Softly with His Song” by The Fugees
“These Boots are Made for Walking” by Nancy Sinatra
“I’ll Forget You” from the Scarlet Pimpernel Broadway musical soundtrack
“The Air that I Breathe” by The Hollies
“Goldfinger” by Shirley Bassey (Yep. What can I say? JB themes make good singin’.)
Anyway, back in the States, I’d sing in the car, at home, at church, even at work during my prep period, but here, the opportunities for singing are limited, so I’m thankful every time my family leaves for an evening and I have the house to myself. Music really does soothe the savage beast.