Inspire, Promote, Encourage, Sing
Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2012
by Dianne Lehmann
Artisan Jewelry from SyZyGy
There is no doubt that songs can be inspirational. Songs are written about all manner of things and because words put to music are often easier to remember than otherwise, songs have been used through the ages to teach and inform as well as sell and influence … even warn.
A national anthem tells the people who sing it how they should feel about their country. And an advertising jingle tells consumers how they should feel about a particular product. So songs "inspire" in more ways than one.
When I am having trouble getting my workout started, I'll put on a Dirty Vegas album and just let it move me around the living room for a while. After a song or two, I'm warmed up and ready to get down to business.
But you know, for the most part, I like silence. What I mean by that is an absence of distracting noises (music, people talking, dogs barking). I can ignore the refrigerator as it cycles or the sound of the neighbor's hot tub. But anything that has content and meaning is hard for me to ignore. So once I'm warmed up and ready to work out, I turn off the music. I listen to my breathing to be certain I keep it even and regular. I focus on the song the blood in my veins sings as my heart works harder and harder. Of course, hearing my pulse in my ears as I bend over to put my knuckles on the floor might not be such a good thing.
The Wryte Stuff assignment this week was to write about a song that inspires you. But how can I pick just one? Really. I'm just no good at that. And over time, those songs have changed. And what about songs that don't actually "inspire" (I tend to think of that word in terms of inspiring to create) but instead simply make your heart soar with joy and make colors bloom behind the lids of your closed eyes … or sink to the very brink of despair. There are songs that are good simply for no other reason than that they are good.
However, years ago there was a song by Dan Fogelberg titled "Nether Lands" that would just make me cry and I couldn't tell you what I was feeling. That song alone caused me to buy a book of his songs for the piano ("Complete Songs, Volume I") in which I found so many other songs that were simply wonderful and evocative. But "Nether Lands" still stands out:
"High on this mountain the clouds down below I'm feeling so strong and alive.
From this rocky perch I'll continue to search for the wind and the snow and the sky.
I want a lover and I want some friends and I want to live in the sun …
And I wanna do all the things that I never have done."
Those are the words of the first verse and the melody fits the words so well that it would make my heart ache … still does. Check out the full lyrics of the song when you have a spare moment and maybe you will find something inspiring in them too.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Love this. Your wonderful song is invigorating and uplifting. Thanks for your skill.Hi Christofer.
It is all that isn't it. :)
Thanks for reading and commenting! I always appreciate it.
Hugs,
Dianne
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