A Musical Blog...

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Listening to: Suzanne Ciani - Anthem

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Always read the fine print. This is the fine print. Please do not proceed unless you are a music afficionado. If you do not count yourself as one, pray stop reading and go and do something with your time that would make you happier than reading the below.

Words make you think a thought.
Music makes you feel a feeling.
A song makes you feel a thought.

- EY Harburg (Edgar Yipsel) 1898 - 1981

Ahh...how meaningful. And true. Music; the right song at the right time, can so swiftly transport us to a place in the annals of our memories, into our dreams of the future, into our dreams and imaginations...the power to make us laugh, cry, become 16 again, feel inspired, feel sad, feel pumped up. So powerful it has been used in all sorts of situations to provoke and create an emotion. From Mao's Red Guards propaganda, to movie themes, in romantic restaurant settings, to military pride, from funerals, to weddings, to proposals...

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Music expresses that which cannot be put
into words, and that which cannot remain
silent.

Victor Hugo

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Have you ever felt like feeling something, but not being able to express in words what this something is, and you hear a song, and you go, thats exactly it! Last night, I was at Alexis at Jln Ampang [more on that in future posts] when my companions talked about love, and the convo drifted to how I knew I loved my gf. Well, love is a very deep and wide topic, studied debated pondered experienced doubted hoped over the last few millenia. I am not so pompous as to claim an understanding of the subject - I would fail abjectly, and, I do not understand the subject as well as I would like to. I myself have many reasons for daring to claim that I like my gf very much, and what I felt to be as close to that 4 letter word as it can get. But back to music. So when they asked me, one thing that fluttered through my birdbrained mind was that Elvis Presley song, Are You Lonesome Tonight. Of course, it was a bit too embarassing (I have ego issues but I am honest see) to admit this publicly. But it got me thinking...how me and her have 'our' songs, and things like that. I think, well, if we are no longer together, how would I feel, how would I be able to take it? Well, this one isn't an 'our' song, but when I hear it, it comes pretty close to how I would describe what I'd feel in the above situation.

Are you lonesome tonight,
Do you miss me tonight?
Are you sorry we drifted apart?
Does your memory stray to a brighter sunny day
When I kissed you and called you sweetheart?
Do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and bare?
Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?
Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again?
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?

I wonder if youre lonesome tonight
You know someone said that the worlds a stage
And each must play a part.
Fate had me playing in love you as my sweet heart.
Act one was when we met, I loved you at first glance
You read your line so cleverly and never missed a cue
Then came act two, you seemed to change and you acted strange
And why Ill never know.
Honey, you lied when you said you loved me
And I had no cause to doubt you.
But Id rather go on hearing your lies
Than go on living without you.
Now the stage is bare and Im standing there
With emptiness all around
And if you wont come back to me
Then make them bring the curtain down.

Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again?
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?

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Pause.

*Regains composure*

OK. Anyway. I am listening to Suzanne Ciani now. Some of her better ones are Anthem, Italia, Mozart, Berceuse, & The Velocity of Love. And it just got me all emo all of a sudden. See, back when I first arrived in Melb (Feb 2000), at the tender age of 17, almost right out of high school, I was in this period of 'like-to-be-by-myself-for-long-stretches-of-time-to-think' phase. And, for a whacko kid who was undergoing rapid change mentally physically and in new surroundings etc (being not a very particularly articulate kid - still am not) I dealt with my don't-know-how-to-handle emotions the best way I knew (then) how. I turned to music, majorly. So Suzanne Ciani brings back memories of me, fresh, naive n untainted, after dinner, sitting alone in the little patio outside my little room, in the night, with the soft yellow light, in the dark night of winter, pondering this and that.

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Where words fail, music speaks.

Hans Christien Anderson

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Its interesting sometimes, how long forgotten (pushed deep back into the far recesses of the mind to clear up memory for more immediate everyday usage requirements) memories [how ironic - you clear up memory for memories by deleting memories] can be summoned up like that *snaps fingers*.

When I hear songs, especially the main theme (John Barry), of the OST from Out of Africa, I get goosebumps. I see, in front of me, as if I am viewing in the third person, me, 16 years old, hearing it for the first time, sitting side by side with my best friend in his house, sitting relaxed, arms clutching the chairs, heads leaned back, eyes shut, just soaking and basking in it. And I am struck by how innocent we used to be, and when I think back to all that we have both encountered, and where we both are now, I physically feel my heart ache a little bit for the lost innocence. I miss that part of my life. I miss that friendship we had. I must take some responsibility for allowing things to change. But change they must, for WE change. But he has always been, STILL is, and will always remain, my best friend.

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Great music is that which penetrates the ear with facility
and leaves the memory with difficulty. Magical music
never leaves the memory

Sir Thomas Beecham

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Another good one is the OST from Last of The Mohicans. THIS is one you ABSOLUTELY cannot miss. I was reminded of it when I read a friend's blog today. Good taste, N. Get the Celtic Instrumental, Enya-Promontory, and James Horner's theme.

This James Horner, he is everywhere! If you can, get his themes for Bicentennial Man, Braveheart (I bet the movie is half as good without the OST) and Legends of the Fall (the beginning is to die for..it is so good that even its ahbeng-techno-fied version is decent).

- - - - - - - -

If we don't talk about musical teleportation through time, and just letting ourselves soak in the sounds...you won't be far off the mark with the Three Tenors. Andrea Bocelli is not far behind, but just listen to his version of the aria Nessun Dorma of Puccini's Turandot and compare it to Pavarotti's. Seriously, Nessun Dorma itself is a masterpiece regardless by who, but Luciano's is a slight class above; his voice, and.. I won't go into it. This is subjective, and I'm sure you can draw your own tastes.

But like good food, where you bring your friends to go to to share in heavenly gastronomical delights, good music must be shared too. "Volare", a classic, sounds good by the Gypsy Kings' Latin version. Very good in fact. But for a different, operatic, and just as good take, listen to Pavarotti's version. His pronunciation of 'Volare..ohhh'...phooey. Another one would be Le Donna E Mobile, also by him.

Ahh the power of music.

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Music is the outburst of the soul

Frederick Deluis

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Can just sit back in the chair in the dark room.. air cond... a glass of my fav dessert wine [Brown Brothers Orange Muscat], head thrown back...and letting the sounds wash over me. THIS is why you invest in a good sound system.

Did you watch Diane Lane and Oliver Martiniez and Richard Gere in 'Unfaithful'?

Disturbing as the show was [but DL looked pretty good for a 36 year old!], there is a song there that is really good, and perfect for, um, setting 'moods'. Love the track...its called 'Ai Du' by Ali Farke Toure.


Back in Melbourne, after a hard day's work, coming home, dimming the lights, pouring myself a drink (Whisky on ice preferably, a habit I picked up during university where I often stayed up alone late into the night in my room trying to make the programming coding more elegant) isolating myself from the world, and sitting at my window with my feet out, maybe having a smoke or 2... those were the moments...playing my tracks...another good one is 'Mondo Bongo' by Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros (from Mr & Mrs Smith OST) and 'Lay Lady Lay' by Magnet.

OK I have revealed some of my all time favourites..there's more but I should go to sleep now. Its 12am, I got some work to prepare for tomorrow, and I have to wake at 6am in order to get to work for something.. but its OK..sharing is caring.. = )

To be continued...