While traveling back to the U.S. from Sweden, I was filled with emptiness. I had fallen in love with a nation and, in much haste, left to come back "home." I felt like I had fallen in love with someone only to be torn from that person. Un-ashamed, I cried leaving my new friends, and new love. I was looking for a way to fill my void sitting solemnly at the Stockholm airport.I pulled my Ipod out from my bundled up North Face hoodie, and quickly made a playlist of songs which I thought fit my mood. Holding back some tears, I put in my headphones and an impossible suddenness of my surroundings transformed my perspective into a surreal landscape. With my headphones on, I became a spectator. An otherworldly creature who was there to observe. Suddenly every person's movements were set to notes and the world seemed to slow down, even stopping to let me through. I was listening to "Vanilla Twilight" by Owl City, but it felt more like the song was listening to me.
How is it possible that a collection of notes - of sounds - of chords and beats reflect one's mood so profoundly? Why does music impact us all on such a profound level? Is this what makes us human? And lastly, does anyone dislike music as a whole?
-William Hamilton
A friend of mine is a devout musicologist. He doesn't own up to the term, but he can bore -- er, talk to -- you with the intricacies of this band and their historical roots and the personal lives of each band member and how it influences their playing.
ReplyDeleteBlah, blah, blah.
My own taste runs toward (shocking) Broadway. I try to explain how I love art that reflects emotions more than just "I'm sad because she broke up with me." Then, I explain the historical roots of each song and singer and how their personal life affects their performance.
I told my friend once that I had suddenly discovered that music can make or break my mood, and he looked at me over a beer and said, "Duh. Are you just now figuring this out?"