The Soundtrack to Life
September 11th, 2008 - 3 Comments
It has always amazed me that music can carry such emotional power. The right song at the right time can take your thoughts and absolutely turn them around, solidly placing them on a new track. I sometimes joke that songs like this were taken off the soundtrack to my life–they seem to mold the moment in just the way a soundtrack would. Here are a few that I’ve noticed recently (they’re on the bottom of the post. Try listening to them and see if you catch the soundtrack feeling):
Guster – Either Way: As I drove down I-15 a few days ago and watched the parasailers slowly drifting through the sky, the song reached its climax (about 3:30 in the song. Seriously–listen to it!). For just a few moments, life felt like some sort of heroic but beautiful endeavor. What a feeling. Then about 30 seconds later I was just driving in my explorer to go do my laundry…
Yellowcard – Shadows and Regrets: I just happened to be sitting in my car and thinking about some of the fun times that I’ve had with my awesome group of friends this summer, and this song hit about the 1:50 mark. BAM! Life felt like one of those well-put-together slide shows that makes you feel a little misty and tell random people you love them. Amazing.
Goo Goo Dolls – Iris: My close friends will know that I call this song the theme to my life. I’ve never exactly known why… maybe it’s because I feel like I’ve got a little hidden side of me that I “don’t think that they’d understand.” I’ll just leave this one open to your interpretation for why it resonates so well in my mind.
Rascal Flatts – What Hurts the Most: Never listen to this song right after breaking up with a girl. I did that once several months ago. Actually, I played it on my guitar. In no time at all, I was flat on my back pondering the cruelty of the universe and my own helpless state. Wow. Now I just think it’s a neat song. Go team!
Straylight Run – Existentialism on Prom Night: I don’t care what you’re doing; You could be collecting garbage on the side of the road, but if you are listening to this song at about 1:55 into it, you will feel like the world just got a little bit more colorful, and like the present is a time that you’re going to look back on nostalgically some day. And you probably will. Because you’ll have a memory of how good this song was.
Lord of the Rings Soundtrack – Any of them (seriously): Try to listen to any one of these songs and not get some sort of feeling creeping up in the back of your head that you need to either visit the Shire or pull out your sword. On the one down below (Samwise the Brave), fast forward to the 40 second mark and see if you don’t feel like something dramatic is going to happen. And like you’re a hobbit.
Alright. Little did you know it, but by reading this blog, you have obligated yourself to do me a favor. Think back on a time that a song hit you in a powerful way–not just a time when you liked one, but a time when it hit you like a ton of bricks and felt like it really fit the moment. Leave a comment with your story and the song. Fun times!
