Halfway through August and I haven’t done my monthly Blogger’s For Peace challenge yet. Tsk tsk. I have an excuse though! I’ve actually been working on this for a while, trying to get it right.
This month, We are to invoke the power of music.
My favorite inanimate thing on earth is music. One could argue that music is anything but inanimate. It stirs the soul, it makes you feel, it makes you think. Music has the power to bring us together by involuntarily triggering emotions on a visceral level. It is humanity’s culture, values and emotions wrapped up in a tidy auditory package. It is our oral heritage.
Music can change my mood. It can lift me up when I’m feeling down. It can make me feel not quite so alone. It can inspire me. And, really, what’s the most peaceful emotion that humans have? If you said stabbing someone with an icepick, you’re wrong and should probably seek help. The correct answer is love.
Some of you are groaning now, but love isn’t just about making out with tongues. It is a universal emotion felt not just by humans. We can feel it towards anything: our kids, pets, friends, hobbies, the color blue, art, words, songs, chocolate and even our planet. Love is the common bond that living things share. We all love something, even if it’s only stabbing with an icepick.
The art of the mixtape has been lost with digital technology. We don’t think about putting a few songs that speak volumes together anymore. That’s a shame. So, this month, I’ve decided to put together a mixtape of the songs that express all sorts of love, except the goopy kind. This mixtape is a love letter to my faithful readers. It’s my way of saying thanks for being here. Enjoy.
Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?
“Do you realize that you have the most beautiful face?
Do you realize we’re floating in space?
Do you realize that happiness makes you cry?
Do you realize that everyone you know someday will die?
And instead of saying all of your goodbyes, let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It’s hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn’t go down
It’s just an illusion caused by the world spinning round”
(A little dismal perhaps, but a valid message nonetheless.)
Flogging Molly – If I Ever Leave This World Alive
“If I ever leave this world alive
I’ll thank for all the things you did in my life
If I ever leave this world alive
I’ll come back down and sit beside your feet tonight
Wherever I am, you’ll always be more than just a memory
If I ever leave this world alive
I’ll take on all the sadness that I left behind
If I ever leave this world alive
The madness that you feel will soon subside
So in a word, don’t shed a tear
I’ll be here when it all gets weird
So when in doubt, just call my name
Just before you go insane”
(I’ll definitely be here when it all gets weird.)
Edith Piaf – Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien
As I mentioned yesterday, I’m a stupid American who doesn’t speak French so I had to translate into English.
“No, I regret nothing
Not the good things that have been done to me
Nor the bad things, to me these are the same
It’s paid for, removed, forgotten
I don’t care about the past
With my memories I lit the fire
My troubles, my pleasures
I don’t need them anymore
I start again from zero
Because my life, my joys
Today, it begins with you”
(Hells yes.)
They Might Be Giants – Don’t Let’s Start
“No one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beautiful
Everybody dies frustrated and sad and that is beautiful”
(there are way more lyrics, but I included this song simply because of those listed.)
Prince Buster – Enjoy Yourself
“Get wisdom, get knowledge and understanding
Those three were given free by the maker
Go to school
Learn the rules
Don’t be no faker
It’s not wise for you to be a foot stool
So enjoy yourself
It’s later than you think
Enjoy yourself
While you’re still in the pink
The years go by as quickly as you wink
Enjoy yourself
It’s later than you think”
Descendents – Original Me
“Mirror, mirror please believe
I need to find a sign
All of my life spent wondering whose hiding behind this face of mine
Confusion, illusion, misinterpretation of the original me
I need a sign, a simple chime
A windblown kiss across my mind
Solitude in the craziness
Of a world gone mad, a world behind
What big thoughts you have
I can see them in your eyes when you pretend to laugh
The reflection I see reminds me of somebody like me”
(You have very big thoughts – I mean that in a good way.)
The Brought Low – A Better Life
“Oh, my city lies in dust
My head’s about to bust from all the smoke
Oh, my back’s about to break
I took all I could take, not anymore
Deep in the dark night, I hold my pillow tight
Dream of a better place, of a better life
Oh, my friends they are lost
Some I can trust, some I don’t
Oh, my family has fled
Left me for dead by the road
Deep in the dark night, I hold my pillow tight
Dream of a better place, of a better life
I won’t let go
I won’t lose hope
I won’t let go
I won’t stand down”
(I won’t stand down, dammit.)
Led Zeppelin – Thank You
“Little drops of rain whisper of the pain, tears of loves lost in the days gone by.
My love is strong, with you there is no wrong,
together we shall go until we die. My, my, my.
An inspiration is what you are to me, inspiration, look… see.
And so today, my world it smiles, your hand in mine, we walk the miles,
Thanks to you it will be done, for you to me are the only one.
Happiness, no more be sad, happiness….I’m glad.
If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.”
Percy Sledge – Dark End Of the Street
“At the dark end of the street
That’s where we always meet
Hiding in shadows where we don’t belong
Living in darkness to hide our wrong
You and me at the dark end of the street
You and me
I know time is gonna take its toll
We have to pay for what we stole
It’s a sin and we know it’s wrong
Oh but our love keeps coming on strong
Steal away to the dark end of the street
You and me”
(This song is actually about an illicit love affair, but I think it applies to all my bloggy friends, too.)
Tom Waits – Take It With Me
“All broken down by the side of the road
I was never more alive or alone
I’ve worn the faces off all the cards
I’m gonna take it with me when I go
Children are playing at the end of the day
Strangers are singing on our lawn
It’s got to be more than flesh and bone
All that you’ve loved is all you own
I’m gonna take it with me when I go”
(Me too.)
If you’d like to listen to your mixtape from start to finish, you can do that by clicking on the tape below:
This post is part of Bloggers For Peace.
More B4peace posts for this month’s challenge:
Fish Of Gold 