The Soundtrack Of Our Lives

What is is about music?  All it is, scientifically speaking, is a bunch of notes strung together in a way that sounds good to our brains.  Sometimes it has lyrics attached to it, sometimes not.  What's so special about that?  

That definition sounds like it could've come out of a textbook, doesn't it?  Well, it didn't, but that definition does the same thing that all textbooks do: it takes the artistry and emotion out of music.  Music textbooks can teach about the mechanics and theory of music, and all that's fine and good.  What textbooks and classes can't teach, however, is the stuff that makes music great: the emotion, the understanding, the sense of life experiences we all share, and the joy of living that music, at its best, imparts to those who listen to it.

I've been thinking a lot about this ("this" being the emotions & memories that music brings) lately, and as I thought, a special group of songs came into my mind.  Said group of songs are the ones that touch me, that inspire me, that let me know I'm not alone in what I'm feeling and what I'm experiencing.  All of us have such a group of songs.  I think that, when we talk about the "soundtrack of our lives," this personalized group of songs is what we're talking about.

What I'm going to do here is share with you my "soundtrack of my life," as it stands right now, and why each song makes the cut.  These songs are the ones that, if they come on the radio and you try to change it, I will literally, physically, fight to stop you.  

I'm hoping that it'll get you guys thinking about what your soundtracks are, and (if I'm lucky) sharing.

So, with no further ado, and with songs in no particular order, away we go.

"It's My Life" - The Animals

Actually, almost all of The Animals' songs are on my soundtrack list, but this one is my fave.  I love this song for its defiance, for how it says "I'm gonna be what I want, regardless of what anyone else thinks!"  That's the kind of attitude I'm trying to adopt.  I'm not perfect at it, but I am trying, and that's what counts, right?

"California Girls" - The Beach Boys

Anybody who's hung out with me for more than three seconds knows that I'm VERY proud of my Southern California upbringing.  There's no place else I'd rather have grown up, and, most of the time, there's no place else I'd rather be.  (Don't get me wrong, I love Utah, but it's not my HOME!)  This Beach Boys classic is SoCal in musical form; if I ever get homesick, I can just throw this track on and feel better immediately!

"Here Comes My Girl" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

This song is what love is all about.  Okay, not the song specifically, but what the lyrics are talking about.  This little ditty describes the kind of love that everyone deserves: the kind that keeps you going, monotonous day after monotonous day, because you know that, when you go home, it'll be to someone who cares about you, who loves you, and wants nothing more than help you to be happy.  That kind of love is also about wanting to be the best person you can be for your significant other, and this song touches on that, too.  THIS is the kind of love I want!  If I'm lucky, maybe I'll get it!

"Everybody Plays The Fool" - The Main Ingredient

This song has gotten me through so many broken hearts, I lost count back when I was, say, eighteen.  I love how frank this song is about how it's okay that you've got a broken heart, but it doesn't mean that you're gonna die and that you're gonna be okay if you just power through it.  It's a message that has helped me through many hard times.  (Oh, and one of the guys in this group is Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s dad, if that interests you!)

"Drift Away" - Dobie Gray

Whenever I'm feeling depressed or confused, I throw this song on, and by the time it's over, I feel one hundred percent better.  I'm not really sure what it is about this tune that calms me: maybe it's the perfect arrangement, or maybe it's Dobie Gray's great vocals.  Personally, though, I think it might be this famous little group of lines:

Give me the beat, boys, and free my soul

I want to get lost in your rock and roll

And drift away...

"This Is The Christ" - Mormon Tabernacle Choir

I wanted to wrap this up with something spiritual, since there's nothing more important in my life than my religion, the Lord, and being a disciple of Christ.  With that in mind, I'm closing up with this, my favorite song by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  Of course, anything the Choir puts out is going to be great, but I've never heard a song about the Savior that's as stirring or as inspiring as this one.  It describes perfectly how I feel about the Lord.  I love it!

...Well, there I am in musical form.  Thanks for bearing with me, and feel free to talk about your own "soundtracks!"