Trying to Catch the Wind: Music is the Thread of Humanity (179)

Chords and Chorus

Music to me is the tone, lyrics, notes, melody, harmony of life. As for most people, music evokes memories both good and bad. The gut wrenching strums of The Edge, echoing in the 1980's U2 ballads, to the beautiful vibration of Bob Dylan's guitar, jamming in the Folk of 1970's strife, resonating truth. The pluck, thrum, strike of the guitar is haunting and indelible.

I was an adolescent in the 1980's, so that music is a teetering crown, upon which my emotions balance, the chords and choruses of my upbringing. But 1990's and the aughts ring deep in my soul as well. They have captured a spirit of the age. They pass through the decades with as much fervor as they did in their time. I think that is why some movies connect with us as watchers.

Not just the plot, setting or actors- even the script. It is the bridge they choose to construct, to turn back the hands of time. To vibrate our memories into liveliness. Because music is indeed the thread that connects action, purpose, meaning. It is the funk to our dance groove and the release of our sadness and doubt. No matter the genre, it carries a weight, a groove that reaches us on an individual level.

Lyrics and Notes

Like art, some brings joy, others make us cringe. I always think of the time and experience that went into the writing and orchestration of music. Did the glory of the beat come in a dream, did the riff present itself in a jam session? Were the words spilling out like marbles, running this way and that on a shiny, tile floor? Or, did they slowly escape like carbon-dioxide from a can of soda.

Even when the notes don't lure me in, when the premise is not lost on me, I appreciate it. The experience lived that came forth in the song or piece. I have been listening to a lot of different music lately- some I have never heard before, some I have avoided. I have been closing my eyes and really listening. Hearing the release, the heart wrenching emotion bearing fruit. It is quite beautiful.

Now, that hasn't changed my like or dislike of certain styles of music. It has though, changed my outlook and acceptance of music I might not connect with. I have found a commonality between them. Something that goes deeper than the sound. Something that is beneath the lyrics, the melody, the harmony. Something the writer, musician, singer's voice does not let loose. The personal thread that ties all music together.

A basic human need, desire: to be heard. Not to necessarily be famous, but to be understood. To feel connected. Any nightclub is a visual testament to this- music swirls, ethereal, waves of meaning and memory- surging and surrounding, like a tightening of the threads. The beat almost forcing a move, a jolt, a sway. Everyone feels it. A great song, removes barriers and unites spirits in a way nothing else does.

The Meaning Underneath

Like a mask, music is an escape from judgement. It is someone like you, living what you are living, remembering your past, reaching out a hand for you to grasp during times of turmoil, strife, uncertainty. But, also like a stage, they illuminate our fears, lull us into a clarity. They speak the truth, no matter how much we want to avoid the mirror- songs force us to look into them.

We all feel like we are trying to catch the wind. But the wind is ethereal, sultry and sneaky. We see it as it brushes against, we hear it as it wraps around, we even believe we see it as it stays mobile- but it is always just out of reach. It is constant, guttural, and destructive. But, it has its lulling, soft, mystical side too.

We breathe its charm. We shelter from its anger. Yet, we seek it out. Music its companion, is as close as we come. All we can do is catch its sound, embrace its resonance and let the wind merely make suggestions. Tune in to the swirl of song and meaning instead. They are the threads that bridge, link, and sew humanity together.

Pop in your earbuds and jump into a genre you don't listen to. Close your eyes and just listen. It might be discombobulating for a bit- but it will bring an awareness I think we all need. Let it linger on, let yourself sit in discomfort. You will appreciate music so much more, I promise. We all need to listen, for the songs out there - are the landscape of our country, our population and our humanity.